Why God Should Be The Foundation of Government
The first line of the original draft of the Declaration of Independence was, “We hold these truths to be sacred & undeniable; that all men are created equal & independant, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent & inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness” (sic). When Jefferson asked Benjamin Franklin to edit the document, he crossed out “sacred and undeniable” and replaced it with “self-evident.” Why? Franklin preferred that the truths under consideration come from man’s reason than the Creator’s revelation.
Truth that rests on God’s revelation means the unchanging word of God serves as the underlying basis for government. Truth that rests on man’s reason results in fickle public opinion making the law. The difference is between a government that fundamentally stays the same and one that changes with popular opinion. Today, the nation no longer looks to God for its foundational truths, but human wisdom. Many do not want to be governed by the founding documents. They want to make law without submitting to a constitution. This is just tyranny, totalitarianism disguised as “democracy.” It entails the notion that “might makes right.” It means the slavery of the citizenship to an all-powerful human government.
By contrast, divine truth preserves freedom and limits government. Only when a society recognizes the existence of God is freedom elevated above tyranny. God gave the Ten Commandments to the children of Israel instead of an earthly king to preserve freedom, not to limit it. Once Israel said, “Give us a king,” they orchestrated their own demise. The result was a downward spiral into war, poverty, exploitation of the weak, and eventually slavery. It is truth and only truth that makes us free (John 8:32).
God bless you, and I love you.
Kevin Cauley