In this first of two pieces in the seventh of our series – Our Great U.S. Culture War. We discuss the requirements for a Republic. They are non-negotiable.
Requirements for a Republic
Previous installments traced the origins of the Great U.S. Culture War to the origins of our country – as four distinct regions with four distinct cultures. These cultures evolved for generations into distinct subcultures under a growing, deepening, and unique American Culture. Despite such genuine regional diversity, the incipient American culture coalesced around a consensus which established American Civilization as a unique branch of the English-Speaking Peoples of Western Civilization. After our American Revolution, the young federal republic had a American Creed which defined what it meant to be “American.”
This is unique and extraordinary. The United States of America is the first nation-state to be created by ideas written on a piece of paper – our Declaration of Independence. The Founders were aware of this incredible turning point in history. They discussed and wrote what it would require to make America, as Benjamin Franklin said, “A republic, if you can keep it.”
Republic Requires Religion
A republic is intimately related to religion, if the religion has a God that is Sovereign of the universe. The God has to be superior to all humans. All humans have to be subordinate and subject in obedience to that God.
Why all this deity stuff? If there is no one above humans then there is no law, no rule, no judgment superior to any human’s. If a human decides to do evil and there’s no God, then there’s no moral and ethical justification for the society at large to stop or punish any such evil.
If God isn’t sovereign, then the state is. Then, whoever rules the state is the real sovereign and the complete ruler of all.
Look at the societies and governments which rejected the authority of God since the French Revolution. They denied God and used the ideas of the French Enlightenment as their superior authority. It always went horribly bad.
Consequently, when you base all power on the “Will of the People” the power ultimately goes to dictators. Every attempt has been an exercise in Human Secular Totalitarianism. Every valiant try to establish a totally equitable society – in outcomes – ends up destroying economies, limiting opportunities, restricting freedom, and, ultimately, imprisoning and murdering people.
From The Terror of the French Revolution to the revolutions of 1848 and Paris Commune of 1870, to the Bolsheviks, the Communists, the National Socialists, the Fascists, the Socialists, Liberals, Progressives, Antifa/BLM, and Greens – they are all Human Secular Totalitarians. Recently, across America, the Democrat Party joined the ranks of Human Secular Totalitarianism. Their protests to the contrary, today’s Democrats are way beyond the “Liberal” Clinton Democrats of the 1990s. “Commies” is a good sobriquet.
Conversely, can a country where a God is worshipped be totalitarian? Or commit war or genocide? Yes.
Islamist Totalitarianism is totalitarianism.
Also, history includes a long list of tribes and nation-states modified by any religious adjective – including “Christian” – doing horrible things.
Yet, consider the thin thread of a singular history that combines the Jewish mysticism of an unseen God to Greek rational empiricism and adds the game changing ideas of the Christian’s Holy Bible. Continue following that thread through a Renaissance, Reformation, and Enlightenment. Trace it winding through the English-Speaking Peoples from the Magna Charta through English Common Law to the English Civil War and Rights of Englishmen to our American Revolution and three Great Awakenings to today. We live in that 4,000 year legacy as our Republic.
Our imperfect Republic is the greatest expression of individual opportunity, liberty, and freedom in all of human history. It can’t continue as a Republic without being “One nation under God.”
Moreover, being a nation under God isn’t the same as a theocracy. A nation which acknowledges God-given rights and the rule of law isn’t a nation governed by priests. It’s a country where Christians and Jews are safe. And safe to proselytize their religion. Critics who cry “Theocracy!” at every Christmas creche on a public square have nothing to fear about forced worship. They won’t be fined for not going to Sunday School. On the contrary, they’re the ones trying to impose their religion of Human Secularism throughout all public life.
Additionally, a population that makes their lives, their behaviors, observant to written words in a book is more likely to follow the written words of constitutions and laws than people who follow custom, hierarchies of men, inspired leadership, or their own emotions
Citizenry
A Republic requires an educated, literate electorate. If your country is based on the written word, then your citizens need to be able to read the written word. Citizens must be literate. Furthermore, since the citizen is sovereign, the citizens should know the issues in every election. Their individual vote is a vote for or against issues and governance, because as Obama said, “Elections have consequences.”
Thomas Jefferson thought public education was necessary to create a nation of educated, literate citizens. The recent ruin of public education has changed its utility to the Nation. The alternatives to public education may save our country. Regardless, the requirement for an educated citizenry remains.
An ignorant populace lowers the bar for accountability of elected officials. Also, it lowers the standards of competence for candidates when any charlatan can get elected by ignorant citizens.
Peasants can’t keep a Republic. Citizens can.
Free Press
When the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights to the Constitution says “Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of the press”, then the Press has a special place in the Republic. A free press is necessary to allow all sides of an issue to be presented in public to a literate citizen to read and decide as individuals. As technology expanded the paper press to radio, movies, television, and the internet the same principle applies. Government shall not abridge the freedom.
Consequently, when the Biden regime conspired with Social Media giants to censor, suppress, and ban free speech, it was un-Constitutional. It’s never government’s job to define “disinformation” or misinformation and abridge free speech.
Continued in Part B
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