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I believe in the United States of America as a government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed, a democracy in a republic, a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes.
I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it, to support its Constitution, to obey its laws, to respect its flag, and to defend it against all enemies.
I should be able to support The American’s Creed wholeheartedly, but I am finding it difficult on some levels because while this creed supports the ideal vision of what the Constitutional Government of the United States should look like I fear that the creed needs an asterisk next to it explaining that our current government does not live up to anything like that ideal and must be brought back into line with the ideal through the diligent efforts of those who truly love their country.
Here is a summary of where I think the ideal of the American’s Creed and the Constitution differ from the realities of our government today:
- This government has become more of a government over the people rather than a government of the people.
- While the just powers of government are derived from the consent of the governed, the governed have allowed the government to derive unjust powers from themselves and through judicial rulings, international law, and executive orders.
- The states of which the nation is comprised are no longer sovereign in any meaningful way. (Often they are not even sovereign from each other.)
- While the government was established upon principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity it has not been perpetuated upon those same principles – especially in the last few decades.
As a result of these deficiencies my duty is not only to love my country, support its Constitution, and obey its laws, but also to correct its deficiencies in a way that does not violate the very principles upon which the nation was founded.
Unlike the Pledge of Allegiance, I thought it important to say something about the author of the American’s Creed, William Tyler Page. His story of public service is a textbook example of the American’s Creed in action. The day after he died it was said of him that:
He believed that the Constitution of the United States was next to the word of God: the most spiritually illuminated and divinely inspiring political document of modern times. So he sat here, a philosopher, a friend, a Christian gentleman, and we sat at his feet and received from him new strength, new courage, new understanding.
Like Page, I believe that the Constitution is “the most spiritually illuminated and divinely inspiring political document of modern times” and it does stand adjacent to the canon of Holy Scripture in the library of my heart. Unlike scripture I am free with the Constitution to disagree with parts of it (like the 16th and 17th amendments) and to seek to have those parts altered or abolished by following the procedures outlined in the Constitution. There is no such procedure in the scriptures nor do I consider myself an equal to the Author of scripture – unlike the authors of the Constitution. (I consider myself the equal of the founding fathers in that they were men who loved their country and wanted to secure her liberty for their peers and their posterity, as do I.)
2 replies on “The American’s Creed”
The people have become complicit in allowing the republic to evolve into its current state. In many ways we have collectively let our our liberties be taken by not vigilantly demanding accountability from our representatives. We became too comfortable in our freedom and comforts of life. I am reminded of the words of a prophet who spoke of the evolution of satanic control when he wrote: “he leadeth by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever”. At first we just don’t pay attention and little by little we lose a liberty here, and a liberty there.
Second, we face enemies both foreign and domestic. Maybe the greatest danger is domestic. Many people claim they love this country, but they use the very liberties the Founding Fathers specifically identified must be safeguarded from tyranny to promote their own agendas and silence opposition. To me, all enemies to this country seek one thing and one thing only: to control our thoughts, our feelings and ultimately, our actions, through insidious sophistry, blatant lies and beguilement. Corruption and evil are not the province of any political affiliation, but rather the deterioration of the hearts and minds of men and women. There are people who truly love this country who believe big government is the best way to solve problems and there are others who truly love this country who believe small government is the best option. These groups must come together in passionate discourse and honest exchange of viewpoints and values to find the best solution. The enmity in this country is not between republican and democrat, conservative or liberal, black and white, rich or poor. The enmity in this country is created by those poisoned minds and hearts who stealthly conspire to create chaos and use their puppets to usurp control. And like any enemy in the past, they are well financed, well armed, and will not rest until they seize the power.
I would have to agree with you. We have been complicit in society in the erosion of our freedoms and the disappearance of real public spirit and the domestic threats to our society are much more damaging than the foreign threats.
We have a large hill to climb if we are to change all that. It will require that we focus on helping our fellow citizens understand the nature of the government that was legally established here and that we promote the nature and virtues of real individual liberty – including the personal responsibility that must accompany it.
I am not worried about any who are actively seeking to destroy our liberty so much as I am worried about the masses of people who believe in the idea of liberty but do not understand it and are thus led to help destroy it. Some of them under the banner of religion or morality, others under the banner of tolerance, and still others under the banner of security.