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Editorial
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The Foundation of
Political Freedom by Ken
Ryland
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The foundation of political freedom is the Ten Commandments and
the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is why democratic governance
found root first in the fertile soil of the Protestant
Reformation. As George Washington said, freedom cannot exist
without morality, and morality cannot exist without religion.
And, of course, he was referring to the Christian religion, as
were all the American founders when they used the word
"religion." I
t has been said that those who will not be governed by God will
be ruled by men, and it is true. As we have witnessed the waning
of our spiritual strength, men have risen to fill the gap with
their own dreams and visions, along with a thirst for the
political power necessary to force their own "heavenly"
visions upon us all. Sadly, those most to blame for this state of
affairs are Christians — the Church of the Living God. We
have allowed the gap to grow rather than fill it ourselves.
Thomas Jefferson wrote and the American Republic's founders
signed the following: "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" (U.S.
Declaration of Independence).
From the outset, as can be seen in the words of our founding
document, the source of all political rights is acknowledged to
be our Creator, not man and his government. The Founders did not
trust human sources of government because of the sinfulness of
the human heart. Rather, they looked to God and the Bible as the
fountain of wisdom necessary to govern.
Their distrust of man and their declaration that all political
rights proceed from God had a profound effect on the structure of
government in the United States. For one, power was distributed
among the branches of government. No single branch of government
held power over the others. Also, states were looked upon as
semi-autonomous regions that came under federal control only in
those areas where they were unable to carry out the desires of
the nation as a whole, such as war, interstate commerce, and
foreign trade and tariffs. As the U.S. Constitution declares,
those rights not specifically enumerated to the federal
government in our Constitution are reserved to the states.
There is one area of governance that has been all but lost to
the people. That is the right of the Church of Jesus Christ to
exist without interference from the Government. A good
understanding of the Founders' intentions regarding the Church is
terribly important, yet there is little recognition among Church
pastors, theologians, or members of the rights that the Founders
sought to guarantee in the U.S. Constitution that would ensure
the perpetual independence of the people of God from governmental
control. The Founders believed that the gospel of Christ should
be unfettered in this great land. That is why even today,
churches are exempt from taxes. Taxes belong to the work of
Caesar and cannot be imposed on the Work of God. The power to tax
is the power to coerce, and so long as government is restrained
from imposing taxes on the Church, it is also restrained from
coercing the message of Christ. When the Bill of Rights was added
to the U.S. Constitution, the guarantee of religious freedom was
deliberately placed in first position. "Congress shall
make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom
of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably
to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of
grievances" (First Amendment).
The government of the United States was established so that
Christians would be encouraged to participate in the offices and
processes of government. It has been a source of sadness for me
to see so many Christians who know our history label this nation
and its various levels of government as Babylon, a nation ruled
by Satan. It can only be that if Christians abandon the halls of
government and hand the reigns of power over to the ungodly to do
with as they wish. Yet that is exactly what we have done over the
past 150 years. In spite of the fact that many Christians are
frustrated with the direction our courts and legislatures have
taken us, they continue to allow ungodly men and women to dictate
the moral climate of our nation. If you wish to continue to live
your Christian life in peace in this great land, which was a gift
to us from our Creator, never forget George Washington's words:
Freedom cannot exist without morality, and morality cannot exist
without religion. Then go do something to guarantee that same
freedom for your children and grandchildren.
TSS
September
/ October 2005 The Sabbath Sentinel
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