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"If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7: 14

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7: 14

The History of the United States of America is extraordinarily rich with detail and interwoven themes, that over the decades, have been watered down for simplicity’s sake. There are still a few who argue against the Christian origins of our nation and the lofty vision of the Founders to succeed in honest and free self government.

For example, clearly, at the time the Founders shut themselves off to convene in order to form a more “perfect union,” many of these Founders owned slaves, so what kind of morality is that? Such hypocrisy, you say! Well, wait just a minute before you pass judgement. Who hasn’t driven a little above the speed limit? Who never “stole” a cookie from the cookie jar without permission? Who, as an adult, never said or did something contrary to our beliefs? We ALL do this, for better or for worse. It is human nature to break the rules, some more than others. Still not a justification for slavery, but an explanation.

Slavery was a social “norm” throughout history, in many different cultures and time periods, and it is one thing to believe against the norm. It’s totally another thing to be willing to act against the norm. But is slavery, then, natural Law

Our Declaration of Independence says our nation’s Right to Independence is based on the “Laws of Nature and Nature’s God … ” The Founders drew that idea from the ranks of ancient thinkers, philosophers, and teachers of the “Enlightenment” … Plato, Aristotle, Locke, and Cicero. These men spoke of a Natural Law that issued from that which keeps Nature’s order. To protect man’s unalienable rights, God established immutable Divine Laws which do not change with every political wind.

If the Natural Law (or Law of God) is written in our hearts and minds, why do we so easily stray from it? It is because even though it is written within us, it remains a foreign thing. There are two warring natures within us. One is base and selfish; the other virtuous and godly. The Adam and Eve who submitted to God’s Law, and the Adam and Eve who rebelled against God’s law still rage against one another today.

There is an old Cherokee legend that talks about this inner struggle:

    An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.

    2wolves“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

    The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

    The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

The struggle is universal; it is the human condition, and, as the tale above illustrates, the individual must made a choice which wolf, which nature to feed. We feed the good wolf by nurturing all that springs from real love – selfless love. Seldom in today’s America is this “good wolf” nourished. Rather, no matter where we look, we are bombarded with “food” for the EVIL wolf:

  • sexual perversion and abuse: from college sex parties (orgies) to the rising notion that pedophilia is just another sexual orientation;
  • various celebrations of self-indulgence: from the commercialization of Christmas to the deification of celebrities and athletes, from the “occupy” movement, to soap operas and “road rage;” and
  • deception in leadership, from the Oval Office on down.

But then, what is the Source of LIBERTY, or the idea of Liberty?

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with one another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitles them ...

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with one another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitles them …

“LIBERTY! The very word evokes hope and stirs the inner soul of man. Throughout the course of time, individuals and nations oppressed by the yoke of tyranny or bondage have cried out for liberty’s reprise and have sought for the comfort of its soothing rays. Revolution and war have oft been its price. Few nations have ever obtained it, let alone maintained it. Why so rare this prize for which so much blood and so many tears have been shed? Is its definition misunderstood? What is liberty and how is it secured, or more portentous, how is it lost?” More HERE

The overwhelming majority of Founders understood in their minds, if not their hearts, that slavery was not only EVIL but it contradicted the very ideals of freedom they sought to build into out nation, particularly the ideal of equality for all under the Law.

Prior to the time of the Founding Fathers, there had been few serious efforts to dismantle the institution of slavery. John Jay identified the point at which the change in attitude toward slavery began:

    Prior to the great Revolution, the great majority . . . of our people had been so long accustomed to the practice and convenience of having slaves that very few among them even doubted the propriety and rectitude of it.

The Revolution was the turning point in the national attitude–and it was the Founding Fathers who contributed greatly to that change.

Many of the early American leaders went on to work to abolish slavery in the young nation. While each of the Founders had his own personal belief system, they sought “common ground” upon which to build the nation. Each of these men were highly esteemed, well-educated, and well-versed in the philosophies and political spectrum of the past. They knew not to build a nation on religion or religious doctrine, but they also understood that for liberty to endure, some moral boundaries were necessary. Read More HERE

“This is the covenant
that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws into their hearts,
and in their minds I will write them,”

Hebrews 10: 16 & Jeremiah 31: 33

apostasyI contend the law referred to in the Bible passages here, is the “Natural Law” identified by Cicero and his predecessors. This is the Law that is written on our hearts and minds. It is truth. The conflict only appears when we, as humans, try to circumvent this Law or supersede it in theory or practice. Abortion is an excellent example. For more than 40 years, American society has been torn by the desire to make unwanted pregnancies “disappear,” yet some believe simply saying it’s “legal” makes everything better. As evidenced by the hundreds of thousands of Americans who continue to march every January in disagreement with the man-made law allowing the murder of unborn babies, Natural Law cannot be overruled easily. it is written on our hearts and minds, and even if the courts say it is legal, our conscience tells us otherwise.

Sen Feinstein and President Obama can argue all they want against the Natural Law to honor our Creator, but, in the end, Natural Law cannot be overruled. It is human instinct, self-preservation, it is written on our inward parts, and our only hope for peace is to yield to this Law.

And yet we continue to attempt to live apart from the Natural Law, the law that is inwardly inscribed, and still we continue to look outwardly for solutions to society’s ills in futility.

Liberty cannot be established without morality,
nor morality without faith.
Alexis de Tocqueville

Related:

Examples of Public and Private Duties
Here are some of the more important responsibilities which the Creator has imposed on every human being of normal mental capacity:

    1. The duty to honor the supremacy of the Creator and his laws. (As Blackstone states, the Creator’s law is the supreme law of the world: “This law of nature, being coeval with mankind and dictated by God himself, is of course superior in obligation to any other. It is binding over all the globe in all countries, and at all times; no human laws are of any validity, if contrary to this….” [Ibid., Introduction, sec. 2, par. 39.])
    2. The duty not to take the life of another except in self-defense.
    3. The duty not to steal or destroy the property of another.
    4. The duty to be honest in all transactions with others.
    5. The duty of children to honor and obey their parents and elders.

Sound familiar?

MORE HERE