Do Americans Cherish Freedom Anymore?
Friday, February 6, 2009
By Pastor Chuck Baldwin
I
am often guilty of using the term "freedom-loving Americans."
But I think the question now needs to be asked, Do Americans really
cherish freedom anymore? I believe an argument could be made that not
many do. In fact, I doubt that most Americans today remotely understand
what freedom--as envisioned by our Founding Fathers--even is.
Freedom
is more than not being in prison (although America incarcerates more
people than any nation on earth). Freedom is more than driving a car,
or taking a vacation, or being able to choose your place of residence,
or attending a sporting event. People in totalitarian regimes have,
for the most part, been able to do the equivalent of all that.
The
freedoms upon which America was founded are outlined in our Declaration
of Independence and Bill of Rights. The first principle of freedom is
that freedom is a gift of Almighty God. As God is the Giver of life,
He is also the Grantor of liberty. This was plainly stated by Thomas
Jefferson in the Declaration: "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 . . ."
Ask
the average American today, Where do our rights come from? Most will
look at you funny and then blurt out, "From government." And,
of course, this is evidently the same opinion held by most of today's
politicians. To them, freedom is whatever civil government says it is.
Yes, I am saying it: most politicians have a God-complex. And, unfortunately,
it seems that most Americans today are willing to go along with this
calamitous charade.
Jefferson
and the rest of America's founders, however, rightly understood that
the only legitimate purpose of government was "to secure these
rights." The only legitimate purpose of civil government is to
secure or protect the freedoms and liberties that have been given to
man by our Creator.
Jefferson
went on to say that "whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive
of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish
it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles
and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely
to effect their Safety and Happiness." In other words, whenever
government stops protecting liberty and starts destroying liberty, it
is the right and duty of freedom-loving people to reform or replace
such illegitimate government with a government that will fulfill its
legitimate purpose. And that is exactly what our forefathers did in
the late 1700s. Sadly, here we are in the twenty-first century, the
descendents of some of the wisest and bravest men and women in history,
and we do not even seem to know what freedom is, much less have the
courage to defend it.
For
example, we will work for 30 years or more to purchase our own property.
After having done that, however, the property still does not belong
to us. We are required to pay the State--for the rest of our lives--a
property tax (to support concepts and ideas that many of us find reprehensible
and detestable, no less), or armed agents will confiscate our property
and throw us on the street. Pray tell me, what is the difference between
this and the feudal system of old? In reality, none of us own any property.
We are all serfs paying the feudal lord. Beyond that, our feudal masters
even dictate to us what we can and cannot do with this property we supposedly
own. We do not even have the right to manage and control our own land.
And yet, we Americans put up with this illegitimacy and still have the
audacity to say, "We are free." Again, we don't know the meaning
of the word.
Virtually
everything we do and say is monitored by the great Nanny State. Practically
every service, every act is regulated by the State. Ask any independent
business owner how many regulations, laws, acts, etc., demand fulfillment,
and how many fees, taxes, permits, etc., are required by various government
agencies and bureaucracies before he can perform a single task. For
example, the federal government actually dictates how some restaurants
can seat people or serve tables. Farmers are told what and how much
to plant--and even to not plant. We cannot buy a gun, drive a car, marry
the person we love, or even install a toilet without saying, "Pretty
please?" to a dozen despots. And we still wave the flag every Independence
Day and brag about how "free" we are. Again, we don't know
the meaning of the word.
And
the people who should be more "jealous over" their liberties
than anyone--born-again Christians--are among the first to gladly relinquish
their freedom. I know of hundreds-- perhaps thousands--of Christian
College employees who happily allow the school Gestapo to barge into
their homes--unannounced and uninvited--to inspect their private reading
material, or CD and video collections, and even their wardrobes. School
officials tell them where they must go to church, what attire their
wives and children can and cannot wear in public (off the job)--AND
IN PRIVATE--and what amusements they may and may not attend. I am not
making it up. Adolf Hitler never had the kind of control that some of
these Christian Colleges exert over their employees. And the remarkable
thing is, these Christian employees would still assume that they are
"free." Again, they do not know the meaning of the word.
And
one would think that our veterans--of all people--would be among the
first to jealously guard freedom. How, then, can former and retired
military personnel sit back and allow the government they once proudly
served to lie to them, renege on promises, withhold medical care, abandon
their friends and family members still missing in action, and not utter
a word of protest? How can they allow their comrades-in-arms to sleep
on the streets outside VA clinics? While they were willing to travel
halfway around the world--and risk life and limb--to defend America
against foreign enemies, many will sit back right here at home and complacently
watch while these glorified miscreants--known as politicians--systematically
strip this nation of the very freedoms and liberties they swore to defend.
Did they not take an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies,
foreign AND DOMESTIC? If the statistics I read are accurate, most veterans
do not even vote. I ask, if we do not know what freedom is at home,
how can we fight wars across the world and understand what we are fighting
for?
Obviously,
people who are receiving welfare, or other government handouts, seldom
complain about there being too much government, because they personally
benefit from the growth of the socialist state. This is also true for
many (but not all, thank God) government employees, of course. And please
remember that government cannot give a blessed thing without first stealing
it from someone else. Big Government is totally incompatible with freedom.
For that matter, so is Big Business and Big Religion. In fact, Big Anything
is incompatible with freedom. Even Big Cities.
So,
I repeat the question, Do Americans really cherish freedom anymore?
And, if we do, what are we going to do about it? I believe that there
are specific and constructive steps that can be taken to restore liberty
in this land. (I will develop these thoughts later.) I further believe
that there are still millions of Americans who really do understand
and cherish freedom. We may be in a minority, but remember, we were
also a minority in 1776. Freedom is laborious, onerous work. And not
everyone enjoys hard work. So be it. Let lazy, indolent fools wallow
in their servitude. God will yet see to it that there is a land of liberty
for those who truly desire it and are willing to fight for it. I firmly
believe that.
Remember,
liberty is a precious gift from our Creator. For those who fear God,
respect Natural Law, and love liberty, there is yet a "promised
land." We may have to do a little searching; we may have to rethink
our priorities; we may have to adjust our lifestyles; and yes, we may
have to "pledge our lives, fortunes, and sacred honor" in
order to obtain it; but our forebears thought it was worth it--and so
do I.
As
Friedrich Schiller wrote in William Tell:
“By
this fair light which greeteth us, before
Those other nations, that, beneath us far,
In noisome cities pent, draw painful breath,
Swear we the oath of our confederacy!
A band of brothers true we swear to be,
Never to part in danger or in death!
“We
swear we will be free as were our sires,
And sooner die than live in slavery!
“We
swear, to put our trust in God Most High,
And not to quail before the might of man!”
Such
people can never be enslaved. And I believe that such people still exist
in these United States of America. I count them my brothers. I offer
them my arm and my heart. After all, we are freedom-loving Americans.
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Chuck Baldwin is Founder-Pastor of Crossroads Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida. In 1985 the church was recognized by President Ronald Reagan for its unusual growth and influence.
Dr. Baldwin is the host of a lively, hard-hitting syndicated radio talk show on the Genesis Communications Network called, “Chuck Baldwin Live” This is a daily, one hour long call-in show in which Dr. Baldwin addresses current event topics from a conservative Christian point of view. Pastor Baldwin writes weekly articles on the internet http://www.ChuckBaldwinLive.com and newspapers.
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