by Mike Morrell on 2016-11-02
REDLANDS>> In the 1800s, French political philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville traveled to the United States to observe what made our nation – a moderately educated people at the time – a flourishing one. In a key takeaway from his work, he theorized that the secret to America’s success lay in its moral and religious character, the perfect balance of human reason and faith.
His conclusion echoes that of many of the world’s greatest thinkers such as Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, Aquinas and Augustine, who believed that in order for a society to be prosperous, it had to possess certain virtues. While they were not all theologians, each understood that virtues like justice and courage had their roots in religious conviction. Religion was seen as a public good, complementary to a society subject to a secular government.
For much of history, this outlook has been a prevailing one. But over the last several decades, led by progressive thought, efforts have been made to remove references to religion from the public discourse. They claim it is entirely a matter of personal preference that has little or no role in preserving our nation’s future as a whole.
We see it in today’s education system. As progressives have worked to expand bureaucracy, so have they also consolidated authority at the top levels of government, taking away control at the local level. Our nation’s founding was predicated on a belief that families and local leaders are just as capable of making the decisions that impact their lives, if not more so, than bureaucrats thousands of miles away in D.C. But one-size-fits-all mandates from the upper echelons of government have resulted in academic environments hostile to faith and religion altogether.
In pursuit of a post-modern society, progressives fail to acknowledge that denying the spiritual roots of our civilization is antithetical to the thinking of our Founders, who in the Declaration of Independence articulated a clear recognition that we are endowed with certain rights from birth that come from “Nature’s God.” Highest among these is freedom and liberty.
These principles are the basis for constructing a limited government and are the only reasons we as a people can enjoy the other rights and privileges afforded us as citizens of the United States.
George Washington was once asked how America became so great in such a short amount of time. His answer was similar to de Tocqueville’s. He said that in America, the best of Athens and Jerusalem intersect. Athens had human reason, but it did not have faith, which is why the Roman and Greek empires failed. Jerusalem had faith, but lacked human reason, which is why Constantine failed.
America is the grand experiment where, for the first time in history, these two elements of the human experience come together for the purpose of forming a society. Our identity as a single people is grounded not in each of our own physical characteristics, but in this idea.
Yet the progressive movement, for the sake of political correctness and the further establishment of an all-powerful government, seek to downplay, if not diminish, this part of our heritage, and with it our country’s greatness.
Remember, these “isms” like progressivism have historically led to socialism, despotism, and eventually tyranny by force. Government becomes all too powerful - planning, controlling, distributing, and eventually owning all things.
In his farewell address, Washington touched on this issue again. He said that of all the habits and dispositions which lead to political prosperity, morality and religion are indispensable supports.
We face challenges in the world today unimaginable by our Founders, but Washington’s words remain true and wise. Holding fast to them and putting them into practice will lead to our shared prosperity as we continue to pursue our path forward as one nation under God.
All of history lies open as our warning, whose solemn lessons are chiseled in the hard stones of eternity. As our country charts its course forward, Americans will have to make a decision. Will we trust an administrative state - which promises free things, but eventually takes part of the soul - or return to our foundations as a self-governing people that values freedom, family, and faith above all else and wants government’s power to be limited?
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