Thursday, July 04, 2013

Independence Day Thoughts



Over a leisurely breakfast this morning before heading out to celebrate Independence Day this afternoon and evening, we read aloud The Declaration of Independence.  The part that gained the most interest was this statement:

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing forms to which they are accustomed…..


This led to a discussion of current events in Egypt.  Were the people and military justified in overthrowing a President they had elected without allowing him to complete his term?  Can one really have a democracy in a nation that has not been culturally influenced by Judeo-Christian values?  If the majority of people in a nation want a totalitarian government that does not acknowledge and extend freedom of religion, liberty of conscience, basic human rights, etc. is it really “democratic”?  In other words, can the people want the wrong things?  Are decisions justified just because the majority approve or allow them?  What will be the future of our nation if the majority of our citizens are no longer influenced by the religious and cultural values held by the founders of the nation and the framers of its foundational governing documents?

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