My thoughts
To me the most important places that I can influence are myself, my family, and my community. I have very little effect at the National or State level. I do have a duty to study the issues and based on my personal beliefs support the ideas that I believe are the best for myself, my family and my community.
Based on the worldviews listed in Understanding the Times by David Noebel, I am not 100% Biblical Christian but that is probably more accurate of a statement than Islam, Secular Humanism, Materialistic Humanism, Postmodernism, or Cosmic Humanism. Using The Universe Next Door by James W. Sires, I am a supporter of the Judeo-Christian Theism. I believe there is a God and He has established and shared with man some basic truths to live by. When we violate those truths, we hurt ourselves, our family and/or our community.
I believe that while we reside on this earth, we have an opportunity to learn, grow, and experience joy through our choices. A very important part of life here is so that we can choose.
Moses 4:1-4
1 And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.
2 But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever.
3 Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;
4 And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice.
John 3:16-17
16 ¶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
If we are here to gain experience, learn, and grow, we must have freedom to choose. We can call that agency, liberty, freedom, choice etc. But that means we suffer the positive and negative consequences for those choices as we go through life. It means we make mistakes and will disagree with each other. It also means that the responsibility is on me to learn and study all my life to help me make the best choices that I can.
Because I believe in a God that leads us, I work to understand His teachings as listed in my core book. I compare the world and my ideas with God’s teachings to help me decide which is best for me, my family, and my community. Sometimes I don’t understand why, but I trust it is for my benefit (See John 3:16) and that someday I will understand. When I look at the ideas in the community, government and world I try to apply these ideas. So, when I look at the government issues, I look for things that increase my choices instead of decreasing them. I don’t believe I will learn and grow without this freedom to choose. If it limits my choices, it limits other people’s choices too.
Based on the worldviews listed in Understanding the Times by David Noebel, I am not 100% Biblical Christian but that is probably more accurate of a statement than Islam, Secular Humanism, Materialistic Humanism, Postmodernism, or Cosmic Humanism. Using The Universe Next Door by James W. Sires, I am a supporter of the Judeo-Christian Theism. I believe there is a God and He has established and shared with man some basic truths to live by. When we violate those truths, we hurt ourselves, our family and/or our community.
I believe that while we reside on this earth, we have an opportunity to learn, grow, and experience joy through our choices. A very important part of life here is so that we can choose.
Moses 4:1-4
1 And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.
2 But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever.
3 Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;
4 And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice.
John 3:16-17
16 ¶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
If we are here to gain experience, learn, and grow, we must have freedom to choose. We can call that agency, liberty, freedom, choice etc. But that means we suffer the positive and negative consequences for those choices as we go through life. It means we make mistakes and will disagree with each other. It also means that the responsibility is on me to learn and study all my life to help me make the best choices that I can.
Because I believe in a God that leads us, I work to understand His teachings as listed in my core book. I compare the world and my ideas with God’s teachings to help me decide which is best for me, my family, and my community. Sometimes I don’t understand why, but I trust it is for my benefit (See John 3:16) and that someday I will understand. When I look at the ideas in the community, government and world I try to apply these ideas. So, when I look at the government issues, I look for things that increase my choices instead of decreasing them. I don’t believe I will learn and grow without this freedom to choose. If it limits my choices, it limits other people’s choices too.
Things that help my understanding of freedom
The Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance to the United States flag is:
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Definitions
pledge: A solemn binding promise to do, give, or refrain from doing something
allegiance: tie or obligation of a subject or citizen to his sovereign or government
etymology: 1399, from Anglo-Fr. legaunce "loyalty of a liege-man to his lord," from O.Fr. legeance, from liege (see liege); erroneously associated with L. ligare "to bind;" corrupted in spelling by confusion with the now-obsolete legal term allegeance "alleviation." General fig. sense of "recognition of claims to respect or duty" is attested from 1732.
Oxford Dictionary: corrupted form from liege. Duty of liege man to his liege lord, the tie or obligation of a subject to his Sovereign or government.
the Republic: the American framers often called the American government "the republic" not a republic. We have a constitutional representative democratic republic.
a republic: republic, form of government in which a state is ruled by representatives of the citizen body.
indivisible: can't be divided or broken up.
liberty: Freedom from restraint, in a general sense, and applicable to the body, or to the will or mind.
justice: The virtue which consists in giving to every one what is his due;
all: everyone
pledge: A solemn binding promise to do, give, or refrain from doing something
allegiance: tie or obligation of a subject or citizen to his sovereign or government
etymology: 1399, from Anglo-Fr. legaunce "loyalty of a liege-man to his lord," from O.Fr. legeance, from liege (see liege); erroneously associated with L. ligare "to bind;" corrupted in spelling by confusion with the now-obsolete legal term allegeance "alleviation." General fig. sense of "recognition of claims to respect or duty" is attested from 1732.
Oxford Dictionary: corrupted form from liege. Duty of liege man to his liege lord, the tie or obligation of a subject to his Sovereign or government.
the Republic: the American framers often called the American government "the republic" not a republic. We have a constitutional representative democratic republic.
a republic: republic, form of government in which a state is ruled by representatives of the citizen body.
indivisible: can't be divided or broken up.
liberty: Freedom from restraint, in a general sense, and applicable to the body, or to the will or mind.
justice: The virtue which consists in giving to every one what is his due;
all: everyone
Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have.
-Ronald Reagan, 40th president of US (1911 - 2004)
-Ronald Reagan, 40th president of US (1911 - 2004)
The Declaration of Independence
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When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with 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 entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That, whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and, accordingly, all experience has shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But, when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world. He has refused his assent to laws the most wholesome and necessary for the public good. He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them. He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature; a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only. He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures. He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing, with manly firmness, his invasions on the rights of the people. He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise; the state remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within. He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands. He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers. He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries. He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance. He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies, without the consent of our legislatures. He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to the civil power. He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation: For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us; For protecting them, by a mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states; For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world; For imposing taxes on us without our consent; For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury; For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses; For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries, so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these colonies; For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments; For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever. He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection, and waging war against us. He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation. He has constrained our fellow citizens, taken captive on the high seas, to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands. He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes, and conditions. In every stage of these oppressions, we have petitioned for redress, in the most humble terms. Our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. Nor have we been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred, to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends. We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that, as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor. |
The declaration is divided into 3 parts:
1. principles 2. grievances 3. declaration of Independence This is the only nation founded on principles. Central principle: Law of Nature and Nature's God. principle: all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with rights that can't be transferred to another: life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness (our ability to make the world a better place through our actions) God's order = right conduct (Cicero) principle: government are created by men by agreement (people give power to the government). principle: The governments purpose is to secure the unalienable rights (protect and preserve rights). principle: The people are responsible for watching the government actions. When the government is not fulling its responsibility, the people are expected to do something about it. principle: people will put up with wrong for a long time before they will act. Books: Red Scarf Girl, Wild Swans, Impossible Journey, Gulag Archipelago definitions: *Nature's God - word of God - Holy Scriptures *creator - God *liberty -freedom from restraint. liberty is the heart of the gospel (2 Cor 3:17, James 1:25, 2:12, Lev 25:10) *unalienable- can't be legally or justly transferred to another. *happiness-right & obligation to live as should (for good of people). *train- connected series *usurpation- taking another's property w/o the right to it. *despotism - absolute power; authority unlimited & uncontrolled by men *tyranny-cruel government; the exercise of power over subject & others w/a rigor not authorize by low or justice. *natural law-true law-is right reason in agreement with nature, universal, consistent and everlasting whose nature is to advocate duty by subscription & deter wrong doing by prohibition. Locke, Sydney, Cicero & Aristotle discussed Natural law. Locke's criteria to justify revolution in his treaties: 1. Government substitutes arbitrary will for law. 2. Government hinders meetings and action of legislature 3. Government alters laws made of legislature 4. Government delivers subjects over to a foreign power 5. Government abandons the trust of governed of the welfare of people. Blackstone's 4 types of law: 1. Natural law (above man) 2. Law of nations (moral ways nations should treat each other) 3. Constitutional law (laws written by the people to government on what the government can and can't do) 4. All other man-mad law (government tells people what to do) Grievances 1. pocket veto - must okay all laws 2. requires people to give up freedom if they want protection 3. makes it hard for legislative bodies to meet. 4. banned legislative meetings. 5. ignored the law to get what it wanted. 6. not replacing people when the government removed them - no representative government. 7. making immigration impossible (population control) 8. no independent court 9. creating jobs - excise man - government in every community to collect taxes. 10. Maintaining armies in peace/military state 11. military above the law 12. forcing things that were not part of law 13. forcing people to pay for the army 14. Not punishing for crimes 15. Cutting off trade 16. Imposing taxes without consent 17. removing trial by jury 18. Moving trials to foreign land for pretended offences 19. replacing elected officials with appointed officials 20. changing boundaries to benefit the government. 21. changing the established laws. 22. shut down the legislature 23. did not protect the people 24. destroyed people's property 25. hired mercenaries to threaten them. 26. forced Americans to fight Americans. 27. encouraged fighting among us. The charge: We have tried to use the law The king is a Tyrant We therefore declare ourselves independent of the British Crown definitions: *tyrant-a person who ignores the people magnanimity-greatness of mind *consanguinity-descended from same stock or common ancestor *supreme judge of the world - God *rectitude-moral integrity, correctness of procedure *absolve -to set free from an obligation or consequence of guilt *Providence - givine guidance or care: God |
The Gettysburg Address
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Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But in a larger sense we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us, that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion, that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
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Reminding us that establishing freedom and liberty has been done before. There is an unfinished work for us to do. Will we again establish liberty in the land? dedicate our lives to help the cause?
Words that have a Biblical tone: *four score and seven years *dedicate *consecrate *hallow Word study *new-unique, not exist before *dedicated - used 6x *conceived - used 2x -a birth motif + new birth = birth is difficult & painful bring forth new life. *devotion - used 2x |