-Is Freedom Possible Without Belief in God?
by Dr. D ~ January 9th, 2016
(Declaration of Independence: amslerPIX)
Is freedom possible without belief in God? Most in America today would say it is. After all we do have a Constitution that guarantees our freedoms. However, in a recent speech Justice Antonin Scalia indicated that God had a major part to play in the historical success of the American governmental experiment. Also at the very beginning of our nation Thomas Jefferson who was known to be among the most ‘secular’ of the founding fathers penned the now famous phrase:
“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.”
We have written before on the important part that belief in a Creator played in the very founding documents of the American nation. Without God than who or what defines our unalienable rights and freedoms? The answer today is our Constitution and case law. However we have seen in the last generation how the very words of that document have been twisted and forced into saying things never envisioned and or in some cases quite contrary to the intent of the original writers.
Fact is, the philosophical underpinnings of our Constitution and system of government were the product of a Western Christian/Biblical culture which seems to be falling away in this generation. Will our form of government that is dependent on good will toward each other and Biblical morality survive the current secularization of the American society? In the future what will be the philosophical consensus that guarantee the successful continuation of the American experiment if God is totally taken out of the equation?
I guess ultimately the majority will rule and decide what is ‘right’ or ‘wrong.’ Many secular folks in our culture now say there is no such thing. But laws have to be crafted based upon such notions or there is nothing but chaos and disorder. Also the people need to decide to be ruled by those decisions otherwise again there will be civil disobedience and conflict. There needs to be a consensus of the people or disorder and rebellion will be the result. In the past, it was provided by Judaic-Christian values (Biblical and faith based) which were accepted by the vast majority. That consensus is now breaking down in this generation.
If America forgets about God and his teachings, what will become the overriding philosophical basis of agreement in the future? Many of us believe that tyranny and despotism may be the result using order and peace as an excuse in a ‘godless’ future. At the very least America will be fundamentally changed and our freedoms will be challenged.
Here’s an excellent article that initiated my thinking today on this issue: “Is Freedom Possible Without Faith in God?”
