This July 4 comment is adapted from my book What's So Great About America. For more information on that or my other books, go to dineshdsouza.com
America is today the most loved society in the world--and the most hated. At a time when we are constantly lectured about our nation's flaws, it is useful to be reminded of the other side of the story. This July 4 weekend, it's worth thinking about what this country does right. The forgotten truth is that America
is still the most attractive society in the world, and its appeal is felt even by the children of the America-haters.
Whatever the flaws of American policy and American culture, let's remember that immigrants from every continent continue to brave dislocation and hardship to come to America
. Why do they do it? The conventional wisdom is that immigrants come to
for one reason: to make money. This notion is conveyed in the "rags to riches" literature on immigrants, and it is reinforced by 's critics, who like to think of America
as buying the affection of outsiders through the promise of making them filthy rich. But this Horatio Alger narrative is woefully incomplete; indeed, it misses the real attraction of Ameica
to immigrants, and to people around the world.
There is enough truth in the conventional account to give it a surface plausibility. Certainly America offers a degree of mobility and opportunity unavailable elsewhere, not even in
Europe . Only in America could Pierre Omidyar, whose ancestry is Iranian and who grew up in
, have started a company like eBay. Only in America
could Vinod Khosla, the son of an Indian army officer, become a shaper of the technology industry and a billionaire to boot.
In addition to providing unprecedented social mobility and opportunity, America
gives a better life to the ordinary guy than does any other country. Let's be honest: rich people live well everywhere. In fact if you are very rich, my advice to you is not to live in America
. The reason is that in most countries, but not in the United States
, money buys you the pleasure of aristocracy-the pleasure of being a superior human being. Americans, however, share a social ethic that is deeply egalitarian. Americans believe that no matter how much money Bill Gates has, he is not better than they are.
America's greatness is that it has extended the benefits of affluence, traditionally available to the very few, to a large segment in society. America is a country where "poor" people have television sets and microwave ovens, where maids drive rather nice cars, where plumbers take their families on vacation to
Europe . Recently I asked an acquaintance in Mumbai why he has been trying so hard to relocate to America
. He replied, "I really want to move to a country where the poor people are fat."
The typical immigrant, who is used to the dilapidated infrastructure, mind-numbing inefficiency, and multi-layered corruption of developing countries, arrives in America to discover, to his wonder and delight, that everything works: the roads are clean and paper-smooth, the highway signs are clear and accurate, the public toilets function properly, when you pick up the telephone you get a dial tone, you can even buy things from the store and then take them back. The American supermarket is a thing to behold: endless aisles of every imaginable product, many different types of cereal, fifty flavors of ice cream. The place is full of numerous unappreciated inventions: quilted toilet paper, fabric softener, cordless phones, disposable diapers, and roll-on luggage.
So, yes, in material terms America
offers the newcomer a better life. Still, the material allure of
does not capture the deepest source of its appeal. Recently I asked myself how my life would have been different if I had not come to America
. I was raised in a middle-class family in India
. I didn't have luxuries, but I didn't lack necessities. Materially, my life is better in the United States
, but it is not a fundamental difference. My life has changed far more dramatically in other ways.
Had I remained in India
, I would probably live my entire existence within a modest radius of where I was born. I would undoubtedly have married a woman of my identical caste, religious and socioeconomic background. I would face relentless pressure to become an engineer, like my father; a doctor, like a couple of my uncles; or a computer programmer. My socialization would have been almost entirely within my ethnic community. I would have a whole set of opinions on religion and politics and society that could be predicted in advance. In sum, my destiny would to a large degree have been given to me.
By coming to America
, I have seen my life break free of these traditional confines. At
Dartmouth
College, I became interested in literature, and switched my major to the humanities. Soon I developed a fascination with politics, and resolved to become a writer, which is something you can make a living doing in America, and which is not easy to do in India
. I married a woman of English, Scotch-Irish, French, and German ancestry. Eventually I found myself working in the White House, even though I was not an American citizen. I cannot imagine any other country allowing a non-citizen to work in its inner citadel of government.
In most of the world, even today, your identity and your fate are largely handed to you. This is not to say that you have no choice, but it is choice within given parameters. In America
, by contrast, you get to write the script of your own life. What to be, where to live, whom to love, whom to marry, what to believe, what religion to practice-these are all decisions that, in America
, we make for ourselves. Here we are the architects of our own destiny.
Some critics, both in
and abroad, have noted that this freedom to shape one's own life is not an unmixed blessing. Freedom can be used well or badly. Some Americans do indeed make mistakes with freedom, as the country's high divorce and illegitimacy rates suggest. These are unfortunate social trends, but we should remember that while freedom allows vice its scope, it also gives greater luster to virtue. It is no great achievement for an Indian couple to keep its marriage together, because the social stigma against divorce is prohibitive. By contrast, American couples who stay married deserve greater credit because they have chosen the good when the good is not the only practical option.
Those who have tasted the exhilaration of freedom-which entails responsibility for one's own choices and one's own life-can hardly imagine living in any other system. The core American idea is the "pursuit of happiness," which means that happiness is not a guarantee, but that
you have a chance to find it for yourself. No wonder that so many young people throughout the world are magnetically attracted to what
America represents: they find irresistible the prospect of being in the driver's seat of their lives. So, too, the immigrant discovers that America
permits him to break free of the constraints that have held him captive, so that the future becomes a landscape of his own choosing.
Reader Comments ( Page 5 of 11)
61. Overall I can’t say that I disagree too much with what Dinesh has written here but…
“This notion”… [that immigrants here just to make money]. “is conveyed in the "rags to riches" literature on immigrants, and it is reinforced by 's critics, who like to think of America as buying the affection of outsiders through the promise of making them filthy rich.”
In my 46 years on this planet I have never heard anyone say that America is bribing immigrants to come here and love it.
I like to think that I’m pretty good at reading between the lines and I swear that I can almost see the Herculean effort that Dinesh struggled with to keep from turning this into a tirade against liberalism. Could it be that Dinesh is learning? That he correctly figured that if he tied an anti liberal screed to his celebration of America on the eve of independence day we would figuratively eviscerate him like never before maybe even going so far as to demand the removal of his blog?
What do I think is great about America? The prospect of an Obama presidency.
I just have to share the following about how monkey boy’s the stimulus checks are being spent.
http://aolsearcht3.search.aol.com/aol/search?invocationType=aolhatnews&query=porn+and+stimulus+checks
Happy fourth!!!
Uncle Meat at 8:00PM on Jul 3rd 2008
62. Huh. New blog. Nothing to say here, except happy fourth weekend everyone!
Uncle Meat, I have been thinking likewise, that perhaps DD has learned that knocking liberals is about to go out of fashion, with one being the next president and all... :-)
Nah, never fear. He'll be back at least attacking atheists again. Liberals too, I'm sure. He loves his job as an official fabricator for the lying right wing too much to quit it now.
Godless Heathen Brian at 8:46PM on Jul 3rd 2008
63. Interesting how DD's only talent seems to lie in fomenting hatred, though. When he refrains, his blog is peurile and banal. And of course, self-serving. Yawn.
Godless Heathen Brian at 8:51PM on Jul 3rd 2008
64. puerile... I wish this blog had an "edit" key.
Godless Heathen Brian at 9:01PM on Jul 3rd 2008
65. YOU FORGOT OR MAYBE DON'T KNOW CAUSE TIMES CHANGE THAT THE # 1 REASON FOR ME AND MOST PEOPLE I KNOW IS TO LIVE IN A SAFE COUNTRY. WITH THE RAPIDLY SPREADING OF TERRORISM AROUND THE WORLD MOST PEOPLE WANTS TO ESCAPE THAT PLAGUE NOT TO MENTION CRIME. IN COUNTRIES LIKE VENEZUELA 4OOO PEOPLE ARE KILLED PER WEEK OUT OF CRIME, IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN YOUR FIRST THOUGHT IS TO GO TO USA, ANOTHER REASON IS THAT( FORGET ME DEMOCRATS IF THIS IS AGAINST YOUR TRITED TACTIC AGAINST BUSH EVEN THOUGH YOU HAVE INCREASED IN THE LAST 2 YEARS) IS THAT THIS COUNTRY IS THE CHEAPEST IN THE WORLD FOR EVERYTHING CLOTHES, HOUSING, FOOD EVEN WITH INFLATION YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW BAD HAS INCREASED IN OTHER COUNTRIES....
pet at 9:14PM on Jul 3rd 2008
66. Thanks D'Souza. It's always good to be reminded of the positive.
Poster 4 wrote:
What wonderful sentiments on the 4th! Damn people you don't agree with! How patriotic in the land of free speech.
The reason you don't hear "Allah Bless America" is simply that you don't live in an Arabic speaking country! What do Arabic speaking Christians call "God"... "Allah"!! Allah is simply the Arabic word for God. In Islam, God is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And in Arabic, His name is pronounced Allah.
Saying you believe in God... but not in Allah is like saying you believe in God... but not that Dios fellow... Dios being the Spanish word for God.
What ignorance!
RAM at 9:46PM on Jul 3rd 2008
67. Sorry... For some reason the quote I pasted for my last post was lost... Poster 4 said...
GOD BLESS AMERICA!
GOD DAMN dinesh dsouza!
by the way, how come you never hear "Allah Bless America?"
RAM at 9:49PM on Jul 3rd 2008
68. Re: Post 27- Question is, with the day of our Independence upon us, how will we, as a NATION OF IDEALS, evolve in an ever-changing landscape, one vastly different than that enjoyed by those who CRAFTED the ILLUSION in the first place, but who could not have IMAGINED the world that is our future?
And furthermore, will we SURVIVE?
Robert at 11:09AM on Jul 3rd 2008
==================================
Here’s my unstructured verse that distills the thoughts of those who started the great experiment:
Fourth of July
A republic the Founding Fathers conceived;
They forged a constitution of freedom
And democracy – for a people
Who must be righteous and God fearing,
Or there will reign chaos, lawlessness,
Violence, and anarchy.
“Love of country will be a vain chatter --
Or an idle claim,” they gravely warned,
“If we topple the twin pillars
Of love of God and love of man;
For, on these, rest our nation’s
Peace and prosperity --and
Evil will never afflict the land;
But if righteous character in our people
And princes ebbs away, then captivity
And destruction will be her destiny.”
Antonio Apostol Jr. at 11:39PM on Jul 3rd 2008
69. Antonio Apostol Jr.
A little history lesson is in order
From: http://www.aynrand.org/site/News2?id=6177
And no, I’m not a RANDite.
United States Constitution
The First Amendment
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion..."
Article VI, Section 3
"...no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."
John Adams (the second President of the United States)
Adams signed the Treaty of Tripoli (June 7, 1797). Article 11 states: "The government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion."
From a letter to Charles Cushing (October 19, 1756):
"Twenty times in the course of my late reading, have I been upon the point of breaking out, 'this would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it.'"
From a letter to Thomas Jefferson:
"I almost shudder at the thought of alluding to the most fatal example of the abuses of grief which the history of mankind has preserved -- the Cross. Consider what calamities that engine of grief has produced!"
Additional quotes from John Adams:
"Where do we find a precept in the Bible for Creeds, Confessions, Doctrines and Oaths, and whole carloads of trumpery that we find religion encumbered with in these days?"
"The Doctrine of the divinity of Jesus is made a convenient cover for absurdity."
"...Thirteen governments [of the original states] thus founded on the natural authority of the people alone, without a pretence of miracle or mystery, and which are destined to spread over the northern part of that whole quarter of the globe, are a great point gained in favor of the rights of mankind."
Thomas Jefferson (the third President of the United States)
Jefferson's interpretation of the first amendment in a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association (January 1, 1802):
"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between church and State."
From Jefferson's biography:
"...an amendment was proposed by inserting the words, 'Jesus Christ...the holy author of our religion,' which was rejected 'By a great majority in proof that they meant to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and the Mohammedan, the Hindoo and the Infidel of every denomination.'"
Jefferson's "The Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom": "Our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions, more than on our opinions in physics and geometry....The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."
From Thomas Jefferson's Bible:
"The day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the Supreme Being as his father, in the womb of a virgin, will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter."
Jefferson's Notes on Virginia: "Reason and persuasion are the only practicable instruments. To make way for these free inquiry must be indulged; how can we wish others to indulge it while we refuse ourselves? But every state, says an inquisitor, has established some religion. No two, say I, have established the same. Is this a proof of the infallibility of establishments?"
Additional quotes from Thomas Jefferson:
"It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself."
"They [the clergy] believe that any portion of power confided to me, will be exerted in opposition of their schemes. And they believe rightly: for I have sworn upon the alter of god eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."
"I have examined all the known superstitions of the world, and I do not find in our particular superstition of Christianity one redeeming feature. They are all alike founded on fables and mythology. Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined and imprisoned. What has been the effect of this coercion? To make one half of the world fools and the other half hypocrites; to support roguery and error all over the earth."
"In every country and in every age the priest has been hostile to liberty; he is always in alliance with the despot, abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own."
"Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear....Do not be frightened from this inquiry by any fear of its consequences. If it end in a belief that there is no God, you will find incitements to virtue on the comfort and pleasantness you feel in its exercise and in the love of others which it will procure for you."
"Christianity...[has become] the most perverted system that ever shone on man....Rogueries, absurdities and untruths were perpetrated upon the teachings of Jesus by a large band of dupes and importers led by Paul, the first great corrupter of the teaching of Jesus."
"...that our civil rights have no dependence on religious opinions, any more than our opinions in physics and geometry."
James Madison (the fourth President of the United States)
Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments:
"Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprise....During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What have been its fruits? More or less, in all places, pride and indolence in the clergy; ignorance and servility in laity; in both, superstition, bigotry, and persecution."
Additional quote from James Madison:
"Religion and government will both exist in greater purity, the less they are mixed together."
Benjamin Franklin
From Franklin's autobiography, p. 66:
"My parents had given me betimes religious impressions, and I received from my infancy a pious education in the principles of Calvinism. But scarcely was I arrived at fifteen years of age, when, after having doubted in turn of different tenets, according as I found them combated in the different books that I read, I began to doubt of Revelation itself."
From Franklin's autobiography, p. 66:
"...Some books against Deism fell into my hands....It happened that they wrought an effect on me quite contrary to what was intended by them; for the arguments of the Deists, which were quote to be refuted, appeared to me much stronger than the refutations, in short, I soon became a thorough Deist."
Thomas Paine
From The Age of Reason, pp. 89:
"I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of....Each of those churches accuse the other of unbelief; and of my own part, I disbelieve them all."
From The Age of Reason:
"All natural institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit."
From The Age of Reason:
"The most detestable wickedness, the most horrid cruelties, and the greatest miseries that have afflicted the human race have had their origin in this thing called revelation, or revealed religion."
From The Age of Reason:
"What is it the Bible teaches us? -- rapine, cruelty, and murder."
From The Age of Reason:
"Loving of enemies is another dogma of feigned morality, and has beside no meaning....Those who preach the doctrine of loving their enemies are in general the greatest prosecutors, and they act consistently by so doing; for the doctrine is hypocritical, and it is natural that hypocrisy should act the reverse of what it preaches."
From The Age of Reason:
"The Bible was established altogether by the sword, and that in the worst use of it -- not to terrify but to extirpate."
Additional quote from Thomas Paine:
"It is the duty of every true Deist to vindicate the moral justice of God against the evils of the Bible."
Ethan Allen
From Religion of the American Enlightenment:
"Denominated a Deist, the reality of which I have never disputed, being conscious that I am no Christian."
Uncle Meat at 12:22AM on Jul 4th 2008
70. Re: Post 68 Washington, Madison, Jefferson, etc. speak of God, Creator, morality, virtue, etc. in their writings and speeches. But let me just mention two names you posted. 1. Benjamin Franklin, after reading some history on May 10, 1731, found that “the great affairs of the world, the wars, revolutions, etc. are carried and effected by parties.” He therefore resolved to organize a United Party for Virtue with its creed expressed in these words:
“That there is One God, who made all things.
“That He governs the world by His providence.
“That He ought to be worshipped by adoration, prayer, and thanksgiving.
“But that the most acceptable service of God is doing good to man.
“That the soul is immortal.
“And that God will certainly reward virtue and punish vice, either here or thereafter” (The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, p. 146, Classic Club Pub.).
2. John Adams was mentioned by an anonymous Masonic author of a work “Irish Prince and the Hebrew Prophet”. This writer declares positively that America is the Biblical Manasseh, the oldest son of Joseph (Gen. 48). He said: “If we examine some of the prophecies concerning Manasseh we shall find them truly wonderful. God had said to this thirteenth tribe of the children of Israel that He would guard them as the eagle guardeth her young, and so when they settled down to INDEPENDENCE [July 4th] placed the eagle upon their banner with thirteen stars. They filled up with the stripes, for it is written, ‘by His stripes are we healed.’
“The great seal of the United States is still more curious. This was suggested by Sir John Bart (a Mason?), an Englishman, to John Adams (a Mason?), American Minister to the Court of St. James, and ADOPTED by Congress in 1782. On the obverse side we have an eagle, and in his beak a scroll, with the motto, ‘E. Pluribus Unum,’ one out of many, as Manasseh was taken. Over the head of the eagle is a bank of clouds, and we have the prophecy, “I will be a cloud round about you, in camp and out.” There is a parting in the cloud, and we see thirteen stars, or the number of the tribe. In his right talon is an olive branch, a symbol of peace, and in his left talon a bundle of thirteen arrows. If we turn the seal over and look at the reverse side, we find it still more wonderful, for here we have the Egyptian pyramid. Over the top of the pyramid is an all-seeing eye, with the motto ‘He prospers our beginning.’ Under the pyramid is the motto, ‘A new era in the ages.’ Now, when we come to think that Manasseh, the thirteenth tribe, which is represented on our flag and on our great seal, was born in Memphis, at the foot of the pyramids, we cannot fail to see how wonderfully prophecy and providence agree” (Author’s Preface, pp. 14-15).
Will our ACLU friends petition the Court to change the flag and great seal on Establishment Clause ground?
Antonio Apostol Jr. at 6:02AM on Jul 4th 2008
71. Happy Fourth!
(Much of the following material taken from: http://www.eadshome.com/QuotesoftheFounders.htm )
John Adams in his later years:
On July 26, 1796 he wrote in his diary: "The Christian religion is, above all the Religions that ever prevailed or existed in ancient or modern times the religion of wisdom, Virtue, Equity, and humanity.
In a letter to Thomas Jefferson on June 28, 1813 he wrote:
"The general principles, on which the Fathers achieved independence, were the only principles in which that beautiful assembly of young Gentlemen could unite- - - And what were these general principles? I answer, the general principles of Christianity, in which all these Sects were United: And the General Principles of English and American Liberty, in which all these young men United, and which had United all Parties in America, in Majorities sufficient to assert her Independence.
Now I will avow, that I then believe, and now believe, that those general Principles of Christianity, are as eternal and immutable, as the Existence and Attributes of God; and that those Principles of Liberty, are as unalterable as human Nature and our terrestrial, mundane System."
"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." --October 11, 1798"
"I have examined all religions, as well as my narrow sphere, my straightened means, and my busy life, would allow; and the result is that the Bible is the best Book in the world. It contains more philosophy than all the libraries I have seen." December 25, 1813 letter to Thomas Jefferson
"Without Religion this World would be Something not fit to be mentioned in polite Company, I mean Hell." [John Adams to Thomas Jefferson, April 19, 1817] |
Samuel Adams:
“ Let divines and philosophers, statesmen and patriots, unite their endeavors to renovate the age by impressing the minds of men with the importance of educating their little boys and girls, inculcating in the minds of youth the fear and love of the Deity… and leading them in the study and practice of the exalted virtues of the Christian system.” [October 4, 1790]
John Quincy Adams:
“Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the world, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns on this day [the Fourth of July]?" “Is it not that, in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in the progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer's mission upon earth? That it laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity"?
--1837, at the age of 69, when he delivered a Fourth of July speech at Newburyport, Massachusetts.
Charles Carroll - signer of the Declaration of Independence
" Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time; they therefore who are decrying the Christian religion, whose morality is so sublime and pure...are undermining the solid foundation of morals, the best security for the duration of free governments." [Source: To James McHenry on November 4, 1800.]
In Benjamin Franklin's 1749 plan of education for public schools in Pennsylvania, he insisted that schools teach "the excellency of the Christian religion above all others, ancient or modern."
Alexander Hamilton:
• Hamilton began work with the Rev. James Bayard to form the Christian Constitutional Society to help spread over the world the two things which Hamilton said made America great:
(1) Christianity
(2) a Constitution formed under Christianity.
“The Christian Constitutional Society, its object is first: The support of the Christian religion. Second: The support of the United States.”On July 12, 1804 at his death, Hamilton said, “I have a tender reliance on the mercy of the Almighty, through the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am a sinner. I look to Him for mercy; pray for me.”"For my own part, I sincerely esteem it [the Constitution] a system which without the finger of God, never could have been suggested and agreed upon by such a diversity of interests." [1787 after the Constitutional Convention]"I have carefully examined the evidences of the Christian religion, and if I was sitting as a juror upon its authenticity I would unhesitatingly give my verdict in its favor. I can prove its truth as clearly as any proposition ever submitted to the mind of man."John Hancock:
• “In circumstances as dark as these, it becomes us, as Men and Christians, to reflect that whilst every prudent measure should be taken to ward off the impending judgments, …at the same time all confidence must be withheld from the means we use; and reposed only on that God rules in the armies of Heaven, and without His whole blessing, the best human counsels are but foolishness… Resolved; …Thursday the 11th of May…to humble themselves before God under the heavy judgments felt and feared, to confess the sins that have deserved them, to implore the Forgiveness of all our transgressions, and a spirit of repentance and reformation …and a Blessing on the … Union of the American Colonies in Defense of their Rights [for which hitherto we desire to thank Almighty God]…That the people of Great Britain and their rulers may have their eyes opened to discern the things that shall make for the peace of the nation…for the redress of America’s many grievances, the restoration of all her invaded liberties, and their security to the latest generations.
"A Day of Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer, with a total abstinence from labor and recreation. Proclamation on April 15, 1775"
Jedediah Morse:
"To the kindly influence of Christianity we owe that degree of civil freedom, and political and social happiness which mankind now enjoys. . . . Whenever the pillars of Christianity shall be overthrown, our present republican forms of government, and all blessings which flow from them, must fall with them."
Benjamin Rush:
• “I lament that we waste so much time and money in punishing crimes and take so little pains to prevent them…we neglect the only means of establishing and perpetuating our republican forms of government; that is, the universal education of our youth in the principles of Christianity by means of the Bible; for this Divine Book, above all others, constitutes the soul of republicanism.” “By withholding the knowledge of [the Scriptures] from children, we deprive ourselves of the best means of awakening moral sensibility in their minds.” [Letter written (1790’s) in Defense of the Bible in all schools in America]
• “Christianity is the only true and perfect religion.”
• “If moral precepts alone could have reformed mankind, the mission of the Son of God into our world would have been unnecessary.”
Justice Joseph Story:
“ I verily believe Christianity necessary to the support of civil society. One of the beautiful boasts of our municipal jurisprudence is that Christianity is a part of the Common Law. . . There never has been a period in which the Common Law did not recognize Christianity as lying its foundations.”
[Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States p. 593]
“ Infidels and pagans were banished from the halls of justice as unworthy of credit.” [Life and letters of Joseph Story, Vol. II 1851, pp. 8-9.]
“ At the time of the adoption of the constitution, and of the amendment to it, now under consideration [i.e., the First Amendment], the general, if not the universal sentiment in America was, that Christianity ought to receive encouragement from the state, so far as was not incompatible with the private rights of conscience, and the freedom of religious worship.”
[Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States p. 593]
Noah Webster:
“ The duties of men are summarily comprised in the Ten Commandments, consisting of two tables; one comprehending the duties which we owe immediately to God-the other, the duties we owe to our fellow men.”“In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government ought to be instructed...No truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people.”
[Source: 1828, in the preface to his American Dictionary of the English Language]
George Wshington:
Of all the dispositions and habits, which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of Men and Citizens. The mere Politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connexions with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked, Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths, which are the instruments of investigation in Courts of Justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition, that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect, that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.
“ It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and Bible.” “What students would learn in American schools above all is the religion of Jesus Christ.” [speech to the Delaware Indian Chiefs May 12, 1779]
Alexis de Tocqueville:
"There is no country in the world where the Christian religion retains a greater influence over the souls of men than America...Religion in America takes no direct part in the government of society, but it must be regarded as the first of their political institutions; for if it does not impart a taste for freedom, it facilitates the use of it...I do not know if all Americans have a sincere faith in their religion--for who can search the human heart?--but I am certain that they hold it indespensable to the maintainance of republican institutions."
With the exception of Franklin and Jefferson -- who had religious affiliations in the past --, all the signers of the Declaration and the Constitution were affiliated with some Christian denomination.
I bet a lot of those opinions expressed by Paine, Jefferson, etc., were greatly tempered by the disaster of the French Revolution...
Jesse at 6:56AM on Jul 4th 2008
72. And let us not forget that great quote offered up by John Adams concerning the government of the United States: "It was made for a religious and moral people, and can serve no other." Nor let us forget to mention the deep piety of George Washington. Only the first two leaders of our country under the ratified Constitution.
We also have to remember that most of these anti-Christian quotes we hear come from the people who shaped our country during the era of independence. But who were the FIRST European colonists to come here? And for what reason did they come? Religious freedom. Religion was the primary impetus, and religion has remained part of the American consciousness ever since. Particularly, the CHRISTIAN religion. For better or for worse...like it or not.
While I agree that the case for America as a "Christian nation" is vastly overstated, so I also believe are the efforts of atheists and those hostile to religion to pull the rug of Christianity out from under our nation.
Both sides use isolated quotes and completely forget contexts altogether...by context, I am referring both to their writings and the overall tone and tenor of American life and society.
In as much as men like Franklin, Jefferson, Paine, and many others were influenced in their thinking by the Enlightenment, rejecting the Bible as absolute, so the vast majority of the Founders, Framers, and the rank and file of American citizenry were children of Christian Europe who bore THAT imprint.
The atheist wants to use the Deism of men like Franklin and Jefferson to endorse a government built on Atheism. That is simply ridiculous. These were RELIGIOUS men, if not Christian. If one is going to use Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptists, let them quote it all. One finds that his letter was to CONSOLE the Danbury Baptists, and to REASSURE them. Not to "set the record straight about religion and government."
And incidentally, what is the PRIMARY phrase we hear when people argue AGAINST religion in government? NOT the First Amendment, but "separation of church and state." So the entirety of our interpretation of the First Amendment hangs on the extra-Constitutional words of one man written in a private letter. And those words lifted out of context. What can I say? Brilliant!!!
"Non-Christian" does not equal "anti-religion." Men like Franklin and Jefferson would be APPALLED to see men of "no faith" manipulating their words to endorse an Atheistic state. We don't have the "Jefferson Bible" for nothing. These men might not have been orthodox believers, but only an ignorant fool would try to assert that faith in God was not important to these men. They might have well recognized the dangers of mixing religion and government, but only an ignorant fool would try to assert that they meant to kick God out of government altogether.
They did well to create a constitution that prohibited the creation of state religion. But only an idiot fails to acknowledge that the Constitutional Convention opened in PRAYER!!!
So BOTH SIDES, get off it. In our declaration of independence, we were not specifically, intentionally, or otherwise asserted to be a "Christian nation." Neither is their ANYTHING in the annals of American history to support this idea that the Founders/Framers carried the particular brand of hostility toward God and His place in government that their words are so often used to justify today.
Jefferson, Franklin, Adams, Washington, Madison...all save - maybe - Paine would have vigorously fought against the ACLU as an unconscionable and insidious threat to freedom. For in as much as they meant to safeguard the American people from the perils of religious tyranny, so did they seek to protect religion from the perils of secular government. Its why the First Amendment RUNS BOTH WAYS. Get a clue.
Let no one accuse me of arguing that the United States is or ever was a "Christian nation." By the same token, let me not fail to call them ignorant, foolish, and maniacal who would seek to erase the concept of God and religion (particularly Christianity) as a MAJOR influence on the life, founding, and culture of the United States - from its earliest beginnings to present day.
To deny either of these truths is to play the revisionist.
JSL
JSL at 7:44AM on Jul 4th 2008
73. Bloody hell! Mokele you, Zimbabwe refugee!
LuLu at 7:53AM on Jul 4th 2008
74. Happy 4th! Glad to be in America!
This is a cute joke. Smile and have a laugh. :)
The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility.
As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5- year phase-in plan that would become known as "Euro-English".
In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy.
The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of "k". This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter.
There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.
In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling.
Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent "e" in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away.
By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th"
with "z" and "w" with "v".
During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou" and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensibl riten styl.
Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.
Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas.
If zis mad you smil, pleas pas on to oza pepl
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mercedes at 8:35AM on Jul 4th 2008
75. I got a kick out of the wealth distribution in America article I read...apparently the new middle class are doctors and lawyers...
Bridget at 9:33AM on Jul 4th 2008