Civics U: Creator-Given Freedom
Meanwhile, back at the foundation. The American government system grew, naturally, out of the experience and beliefs of those who founded and formed it. Many of them came to this land from England to escape religious restrictions and persecutions. Their political beliefs were forged in their struggles and a belief in the right of individuals to follow their own consciences and theologies in the face of contrary dictates by the official church and government of England.
Therefore we find these words in the Declaration of Independence:
….the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them…
…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,\…
And these words in the first amendment to the Constitution:
…Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof….
While not everyone shared the same religious beliefs, the founding principles of equality, rights, liberty, freedom, and justice derived from Judeo-Christian teachings. In spite of debate at times about whether various figures, including Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson, were Christians, and whether America is a Christian nation, it is clear that it had its roots in religious faith and belief in God. Even today we find “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance, and “in God we trust” on all U.S. coins and currency.
It is fair, then, to say that in many ways America has been a religious society. But it has increasingly become a secular society and culture. Today, while the foundational principles remain, some of society’s view of and relationship to this history seems to have changed. In a Gallup Poll in March 2021 only 47 percent of American adults said they were members of a church, mosque, or synagogue, and more than a third of all Americans born after 1980 identify with no religion.
Why is this socially and politically significant? For one thing, because as a shared sense of beliefs, principles, and values diminishes, and as people share fewer underlying assumptions in their thinking, it becomes more difficult for people to discuss and debate issues and to arrive at agreement in making decisions.
Our country is divided over many “issues of the day”, and the list is long. We hear of culture and counterculture and cancel culture. Amidst this, people and political parties debate and argue and give the reasons for their differing positions – and some also refrain from doing so because of the strong polarization.
But at this time we need to look more deeply. We need to identify the presuppositions, beliefs, and values that underlie our different conclusions and positions. A few quick examples – Are our positions rooted in a belief in God? Is freedom granted by God or by government? How does freedom of religion provide a basis for other freedoms? Are there limitations or boundaries to the free exercise of religion? What do we believe and presume about human nature and the purpose and role of government? When are right and wrong absolute, or changeable depending on circumstances? Are states primarily subdivisions of the “United States”, or is the “United States” primarily a federation of independent states with sovereignty over internal affairs? What is the relationship between the rule of the majority and the rights of the minority (whether the minority is an ethnic or religious group, an organization, a parent, a state, etc)? Is the Constitution still adequate for addressing today’s issues? Do persons have a right to own property? What does it mean to be “American”? And so on.
Our beliefs and our assumptions and presuppositions determine our way of reasoning and our conclusions and positions. And our reasoning will be more clear if we can identify underlying beliefs and ideas that we take for granted. Are we still maintaining and building on the same foundation?