America was established based on the search for freedom by settlers who had left the Old World of Europe, ‘to escape religious or political oppression, as well as the rigid economic patterns of the Old World, which locked individuals into a particular station in life regardless of their skill or energy. Personal freedom was highly prized by these settlers…’ The concept of this search was succinctly captured in the Preamble to the Constitution, which mentions ‘secure(ing) the blessings of liberty’. This would be achieved through ruling ‘by the people’ versus by a monarch. At the time, this was quite a revolutionary idea.*
Religious freedom was paramount in America’s establishment, namely freedom ‘of’ religion. In our short existence as a nation, this specific freedom has morphed considerably, and is now largely regarded and practiced as freedom ‘from’ religion, faith or worship. Moreover, the focus has expanded significantly beyond escaping religious, political and economic oppressions of the Old World, per se, to an unrelenting gallop to freedom from many restraints, in general.
I wonder if the founders might have ever imagined
the concept of freedom on steroids?
One freedom frequently mentioned in news reports is the freedom of speech, which has been broadly interpreted, and even legislated to include freedom of public expression, even expressions that exclude speech . This is evidenced in Supreme Court decisions that struck down state laws across the country, and declared flag burning was constitutionally protected ‘free speech’. According to my dictionary, the concept of public expressions is not included in the definition of speech. This interpretation has seemingly opened the door to a box of Pandoras. It has fueled and protected a wide range of public expressions that have taxed the tolerance of the majority in support of the rights and freedoms of increasing pugnacious elements of our culture.
Socio-culturally, politically, religiously and economically, America, ‘one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all’, is increasingly becoming the mirror image of the rusting, crumbling and ineffectual infrastructure across our land. Just as our politicians and governments lack the will to commit to do whatever may be necessary to address our infrastructure crisis, we, as a people, seemingly lack the will to address issues that seriously threaten our socio-cultural, political, religious and economic health. In both cases, sustainability as a functioning nation and society/culture is questionable. As a result, we may be one nation, literally, but are easily divided as the many currents of polarizations (not just political) tear at our seams. The concept of liberty/freedom is now on steroids as we seek to escape all restraints, including every law of God. Thus, we are no longer ‘under/submitted to’ Him. Justice is no longer just, but is largely perverted in favor of the wealthy, the powerful and influential.
Culture cultivates, similar to what happens with a petri dish in a biology lab. Look around and see what we, as a people, have cultivated in our ‘national dish’. Flag burning and disrespecting the flag or national anthem (current news items of today) are not the problem. Rather, they are or should be troubling symptoms of underlying, ill-perceived problems.
A very wise man once wrote, ‘Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach (disgrace/discredit) to any people.’ (Proverbs 14:34) America needs a national consciousness of what God calls ‘sin’. I find it interesting that in its search for ‘a more perfect union’, settlers rebelled against their monarchs from across Europe, and thus, planted the spiritual seeds of rebellion in our national soil. It is even more interesting that folk want to ‘make it through the Pearly Gates’, but no one seems willing to recognize what’s on the other side of those gates, namely not just a national, but a worldwide, forever Monarch, not a perfect, plural democracy! America rebelled against a monarchy, but many Americans want to live eternally under a monarchy. Go figure~
God created mankind to enjoy His freedom that only comes within clear, prescribed constraints and limits, as do any freedoms. This is principally the freedom from the power of sin; freedom to love and serve Him for who He is; and freedom to mutually respect and serve others. Alas, the notion of a march to freedoms unlimited (i.e., freedom at any cost, or at the cost of ‘anyone but me!’) is antithetical to whom we were created to be, and what we were created to experience, both in this life and in our eternal existence to come.
For the home of the brave, and land of the free,
May you all join in and pray this prayer with me.
Pray that the freedom we all so cherish,
Will not be the means by which we’ll perish…
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* See: The Basis of the American Republic. See also: God Rail-less (Series)
