07/04/2003 Entry: ""
Posted by Maynard @ 04:14 PM MST
227, not 214
Today has been a fine Independence Day. I woke up and had breakfast with my roommates, listened to a patriotic CD, then listened to a sermon I had been planning to catch up on. I took a light siesta, then sat down to write this article.
Then I rewrote this whole article after IE crashed.
I thought about exercising my seventh and eighth freedoms (guns), in addition to my first, second, (God) and fourth (press), but decided against it. Perhaps tomorrow. I did several things today, but the fundamental issue of the day is: what does it mean to be an American today? Being a thoughtful person, I had to write something about it.
Looking out over the Blogosphere today one finds several articles about the Constitution, Goveneur Morris, even comparisons between ours and other constitutions of the world. This is ironic, since today is the holiday of the Declaration, not the Constitution.
Don't get me wrong. The Constitution is the premier document defining the role and scope of civil government in the United States. It has rightly served as a model for other constitutions throughout the world. It is binding, liberating, and inspiring, all at once. But the Constitution came after the Declaration.
If unity is the state of being in agreement and union is two or more parties placing themselves in obligations agreed to in unity, then the Declaration of Independence is the American statement of unity and the Constitution our statement of union.
The Declaration of Independence, agreed to unanimously, laid out our agreement to a candid world: that rights are from God, that governments are created to protect those rights, that when governments act to destroy those rights the people may reform it, even to the point of abolition and recreation. Their unanimity indicated their belief that a union must be formed from a state of agreement.
We must ask ourselves today: are our current disagreements over fundamental issues or minimal ones? Are we close on basic issues or distant? Do we have general agreement with smaller disagreements, or do we have fundamental differences in belief that crack and destabilize our unity? We must heed these questions carefully. The dissolution of union begins with the death of unity, either slowly through a gradual difference or quickly through imprudent action.
The Founding Fathers realized that governments should not be changed for light or transient causes. But they also realized a point came where disagreements could not be resolved except by force. That point was identified in the opening statements of the Declaration: that is, when rights became the proclamations of government instead of God and the government would not allow the people to freely exercise their rights. As I look out on the Union today I see disagreements over gay rights, civil rights, national defense rights, even free speech and gun rights. However, I also see a people who sought God in our most recent hour of need, who still pray for others, and who still allow people to worship.
Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. And where there is liberty, as our national history shows us, there is hope.
Replies: 
(1)
I don't give a darn about sermons. Just tell me about Goveneur Morris, darn it!
Posted by J.J. @ 10/29/2003 02:58 PM MST
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