Self evident truths

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.

The men who wrote the Declaration of Independence for our country were for the most part upper class, wealthy, well educated and slave owners. In other words the words they wrote didn’t even apply to themselves or their lifestyles. Yet in these amazing words they held up an ideal for a fledgling country, they did not fully comprehend. Heavens, the language is even sexist.

Many in our country today, are bigoted in terms of race, religion, social background, educational levels, sports team affiliations, car or tractor types; you name it. We seem to have made it a national pastime of how vilify each other and talk about differences between up that we believe are very important.

And yet we still believe in these words in the Declaration of Independence of what we can be and are from time to time. They embody our ideals for ourselves and have been a beacon of hope for people in other countries. They are simultaneous truths and lies about what the human condition can and could be.

Where did these values our founding fathers pen come from? What is their genesis, where their visions begin? They came in part from the political and economic philosophers of their day and beyond. They came from a search for a new beginning in a new land and opportunities. They came from a variety of places. One of the basic places from whence they came is where values, morals, and ethics have come from over the centuries, the church.

While it is true many of the founding fathers were deists and not particularly interested in institutional religion, they too shared the values that churches advocated for years. We also know that the history of the Christian church is filled with horrendous acts committed on the basis of religious belief, such as the crusades. Nevertheless, the Christian churches as, well as other major religions of the world, are great repositories of human values and beliefs

In my many years in the institutional church I have had a love hate relationship with the institutional religion, yet, in the those years I have found and enjoyed multitudes of people who share the same basic values I have and used those values and beliefs in their daily lives. They, like myself, fail in living out those values constantly, but they are still the basis of who we are. They give meaning and purpose in live. They give us our dreams and visions. They call out of us the best God has placed in us. They lead us to be able to make statements such as, 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.”

The institutional church and all religions, like the governments that govern are fraught with frail human beings who fail to live up to our ideals. But they are what we have and they serve us well when we remember to be good citizens of our countries and well as God’s kingdom.

We may call this the Post-Christian era, and in many ways it is, especially in Europe where many belong but few are active in churches. Yet, they still return to baptize their church, marry in them and are buried by their rituals. Their influence is still important, indeed, in my belief, essential to humankind marching forward to its destiny. And those who forget its history, and values and traditions are often the ones that detract and demean the forward movement of human history.

Read history, study religions, and examine values and beliefs. They will stand you in far better stead than the news media with its connections to industries, the powers that be, and the political rhetoric of those who seek to advance their own agendas and over the common good.

The founding fathers knew that democracy was based upon a well educated populace who knew this history, their values, and their religious beliefs. We are struggling with that primary educational purpose today. Be smart it is a civic and religious essential.