“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven…We have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God… We have become too proud to pray to that God who made us.” Those words are from Abraham Lincoln.
Within the preamble of all the constitutions of all 50 of our states -- the very first opening sentences—there is the word “God”. Our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution of the United States of America both point to God’s role in our nation’s existence. On the walls of the United States Supreme Court are inscribed the 10 commandments. Our Ohio Statehouse sidewalk has the state motto, “With God all things are possible” inlaid within it.
Now not all of the founders of our country, and certainly not all of the founders of our states held identical beliefs in God. In fact, theologically, they were very diverse in their beliefs. But when they signed on to these documents that give us our governing structures, they signed on to a united belief that a Supreme Being, God, was at work within the nation-building.
By the time Abraham Lincoln took office many of our citizens had lost the spirit of those founding documents. But time and time again our nation has overcome its divisions in a strong effort to protect freedom and democracy and overcome tyranny. As a nation we have faced many hardships and tragedies, and throughout those times, despite our diverse theologies, we have been “one nation, under God.
We are a nation proud of our freedom of speech. We are proud that within our country we can agree to disagree with each other. But I believe we have begun to allow our rights to be eroded away by those who not only wish to disagree with “one nation, under God” but who wish to impose their own beliefs on us. Atheists do not believe in God, but even though atheism is not a religion they do hold a belief that there is no God. Should their belief be imposed upon us? We may believe in and worship God in diverse ways, and understand God in diverse ways, or we may choose not to believe or worship at all, but the Constitution does not permit anyone’s personal beliefs about God, or lack thereof, to be imposed upon another.
And, what about civility in our free speech? With freedoms come responsibility, and the most important responsibility, whether legislated or not, is the responsibility to not harm others, by our speech as well as our actions. The decline of civility in our speech in this nation, given magnification by the broadness and rapidity of our media, can seem to give license to those who want to act irresponsibly and do harm to those with whom they disagree.
Our government does not require an atheist to worship God, or even to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. No one requires them to accept the 10 commandments, or to sing the National Anthem. We are not a theocracy. Our founders wanted us free to believe as we so choose. But I do not believe they intended for us to totally wipe God from our heritage or our nation in their protection of freedom of religion, nor did they intend free speech to become a weapon to incite irresponsible behavior.
God has given us free will. With that free will we can choose to destroy ourselves, despite God’s love for us. The Constitution gives us free speech, as one of the most important foundation stones of democracy. But with irresponsible use of that freedom we can destroy the democracy, and the very freedom, that the Constitution was written to create and protect.
The Apostle Paul said this in the letter he wrote to the Ephesians: "Let no evil come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God. Put away from you all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and wrangling, and slander, with all malice, and be kind to one another."
The Apostle Paul said this in the letter he wrote to the Ephesians: "Let no evil come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God. Put away from you all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and wrangling, and slander, with all malice, and be kind to one another."
We are in a time of national crisis, with economic crisis foremost in most minds. But that crisis can be compounded by incivility. Sound bites, shallow and nearsighted statements, political and religious name calling are no substitute for the serious, responsible, deep thoughtfulness and compassion we need on the part of all of us to not only weather but to rise out of the complex gutter we have been digging for ourselves.
No comments:
Post a Comment