WHOSE BELIEFS AND VALUES?

WHOSE BELIEFS AND VALUES? whose beliefs and values should form the basis for legal and public policy decisions in our pluralistic society? What "world-view"–whose moral vision–ought to be taught in our public schools?
In the introduction of an old 1942 book, I ran across this jewel of a quote:
"The basic postulate of the democratic faith, " says Professor Ralph Gabriel in his objective study, The Course of American Democratic Thought, "affirmed that God, the creator of man, has also created a moral law for his government and has endowed him with a conscience with which to apprehend it. Underneath and supporting human society, as the basic rock supports the hills, is a moral order which is the abiding place of the eternal principles of truth and righteousness. "
From the point of view of the descriptive sciences, the first of the self-evident truths stated in our Declaration of Independence is not evident. It is simply not true that all men are created equal. But from the point of view of the law and love of God it is true, and that is the point of view that the authors of the Declaration took. They assumed the equality' of men in the light of "the laws of nature and of nature's God." That means their equality before His impartial justice and His fatherly love. Faith in God underlies and is distinctly avowed in the Declaration of Independence. So only does the Declaration make sense.
Part of the Introduction by Luther A. Weigle, Yale University Divinity School
of "GOD IN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS" by W.S Fleming, D.D.

MORALITY WORKING IN AMERICA

Some years ago, Dr. Charles Malik addressed a dedication ceremony with these words.
"NOTHING IS AS IMPORTANT in the world today as for the Christians of America to grasp their historic opportunities and prove themselves equal to them. I say "the Christians," but I must add also "the Jews," because what is fatefully at stake today is the highest spiritual values of the Judeo-Christian tradition. If the highest Christian values are overturned, so will the highest Jewish values. Perhaps never since the Twelve Disciples and Saint Paul has any group of Christians been burdened by Providence itself with the responsibilities now devolving upon the Christians of America. By "Christians" I mean at once the Protestants, the Catholics, and the Orthodox. The intensity of conviction, suffering, and witness being evidenced today in the Orthodox world, especially in Russia, is something for which the Living Lord must be profoundly thanked. The Catholics, under the eminent leadership of that remarkable man, John Paul II, are manifesting an immense vitality all over the world."

Dr. Malik addressed the same topic in one of his book, "Christ and the Crisis." This was published way back in 1962--the "Cold War" was in full flower, and the good doctor told of his concerns.
"Surely every conceivable weapon should be employed in self-defense - military, political, diplomatic, economic, psychological. Now there are limits to self-defense, because mere self-defense could become self-defeating, and because, precisely in self-defense, one must at times pass to the offensive. What concerns us most here is the moral and spiritual weapon. And here too this dialectic of the defense and the offense is most apparent. Morally and spiritually the Communists put you and me on the defensive; they make us feel guilty, and we supinely accept the terms of their debate. They talk in terms of capitalism," "imperialism," "colonialism," "monopolies," "profits, "exploitation," "means of production," - all purely economic, purely materialistic terms. And in answering them usually all we say is that the exploiting, capitalism of the nineteenth century no longer exists, imperialism has been liquidated, monopolies are now owned by the people, and as to profits, everybody now shares in them.
There is about this response a pathetic air of apology, a ring of feebleness, a sickly note of timidity....This will not do. They should be answered, not apologetically, not on a materialistic basis, but in human, moral, and spiritual terms."

"MORAL, AND SPIRITUAL TERMS"?---ISN'T THAT RESTRICTED TO CHURCH?

WHO IS DR. MALIK ANYWAY?

(If you are not acquainted with Dr. Malik, Charles Malik was a University Professor at The American University in Washington, D.C.. He received his B.A. from the American University of Beirut, and his M.A.and Ph.D. from Harvard. He was a Lebanese ambassador to the USA before his becoming president of the UN Security Council. Following that, he was elected as the president of the General Assembly of the United Nations.)

THE TASK IS NOT EASY

How could the delegates to the Constitutional Convention plan a more perfect union? They had to keep in mind three things.
First, they had to form a national government in which all the states would work together as a team.
Second, they had to make sure that the government would be a government of and by the people.
Third, they .had to give to everyone the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, which the Declaration of Independence claimed as the basis for the Revolution..

The federal government had to be given authority over national problems; the state governments authority over state problems. At the same time the state and federal governments had to protect the rights of each individual citizen. Within the framework of the Constitution, the national government, state. governments, and individual citizens had to work together, and yet have a system of governing that ensured, as President Lincoln put it, “ a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
So what’s the problem--what's the answer?
“If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external or internal controls on government would be necessary for framing a government which is to be administered by men over men...”

Again overlooking human nature--as James Madison’s comment points out--would be a mistake. The great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.”
However, we know there are problems with all government–“men are not angels.” History has shown pure democracies, like the Greeks, has the majority always dominating the minority. Even a representative style of government, like the Romans, has the senators buying votes by giving away government projects or dole, and eventually progressing into corrupt authority and lawlessness. The reaction ended with despotic caesars claiming all authority to themselves as gods. This has happened in more modern governments such as the French Revolution of the Russian Revolution.

Our Founding Fathers dealt with the problem of tyranny and tyrants.
As we know, we have the separation of power; executive, judicial, and the legislative.branches operating independently and putting checks on each other. The Congress makes the laws, but is controlled--directly answerable by election, to we the people. But the American people were themselves answerable to an Authority--that 's evident in our Declation of Independence--a higher then man's government or king--that is God.

Is that changing?

Our Government has worked well for over two centuries. In fact it has had excellent results in many areas. The Christian Church in America should have been far more active politically in the past, in preaching equal respect for all people. I believe that is happening now.

I believe we are a country with problems, and it is within our borders. I don’t think it’s changing the structure of our government. We have unbounded freedom which may be lost with bad decisions--including how we vote.
I don’t think it has to do with more laws. Not unless we make our country a police state.
I do think it is the morals we are teaching our children. Morals are values!
What kind of example are we to our children?

America's Declaration of Independence claimed God as the authority over man, and under which authority they acted--do we claim this?
I believe television preaches far more of their values, and has far more influence on America's values than the church.
Whose values-morals are we living under?
Do we even recognize sexual immorality anymore? Do we recognize the value of marriage?

Why are our school children killing each other?

Why have we killed--not thousands, but millions--the most innocent beings in our care?
Why is there so much lawlessness? Our mass transit systems are not safe.
People are stealing the metal railing off of bridges for drug money.

Obviously America is going through a change as the politicians say, but are we changiung our Higher Authority?

ANSWERING TO A HIGHER AUTHROITY

"If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external or internal controls on government would be necessary for framing a government which is to be administered by men over men...." President Madison MEN MUST BE FREE AND INDEPENDENT, AS INDIVIDUALS, BUT YET ANSWERING TO A HIGHER AUTHORITY. IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776, the Declaration of the thirteen united States of America. When, in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel 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, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." THE ULTIMATE AUTHORITY: GOD ENTITLES. THE FINAL, UNASSAILABLE, ENDOWMENT "...they are endowed by their Creator."