Godless Nation

In considering the phrase in our Declaration of Independence that articulates a belief in the self-evident truth that all are created equal I have come across some thoughts that are new to me. As we know, the composers and signers of the Declaration were mostly Christian, so it is of no surprise that they would consider this to be both self evident and also true. You see, created equal we are. We certainly all have in ourselves the same potential to do good or non-good. Of this we must agree.

However, I think my observations of the American mind are correct when I say that we have two problems with this phrase. First, it assumes we are created beings. Thus, necessarily, those who are not Creationists must find another way to phrase it. I submit that it has been transformed into saying born equal. This is where the second problem comes into play. We are not born equal. Let me begin the discussion now that these two principles in plain sight.

We, as a politically correct (tolerant) nation, must not say created equal for that necessarily recognizes Intelligent Design and opens our minds to a creator, God. As such, we are forced to reconcile this phrase to say that we are born equal, which we empirically know to be false. One would be absurd to insist that the Hispanic girl born in the ghetto was equal in opportunity and privilege to the white male born in Beverly Hills. While we may still assert that the same potential for greatness or evil is equal in both, we must not say they are born equal because we know that, socioeconomically, that is certainly not correct. I believe that it is because of this recognition that as Americans, we are set on developing (or in certain cases demanding) a social order. You see, when we rid our worldview of a God who reveals a natural order, we are limited to doing it ourselves. When there is no God who enforce natural (moral) justice, we are forced to demand that social justice take place.

Here is what I mean: when I am wronged by someone in a very serious way, as a Christian, I can be at peace knowing that I will be taken care of. My thoughts are not centered around the offender getting what they deserve, or myself being recompensated for my being violated. I know that life will go on and that my God will take care of me. Justice is found outside myself and the truths that I hold as inherently known are still unchanged. However, the Godless person who is violated depends upon a social order to defend them because they cannot – they do not have the means or authority. As such, our society tries to set up a system where someone of greatness can defend those who are not (mainly Judicial Branch).

Think of our super heroes…Batman, Superman, etc. Extraordinary beings, either by birthright or super human ability, are counted on by the masses to be their deliverer. When failed by them, we cry “woe is me…I am unvalued and despised.” There is no natural (moral) order to structure the way in which we view life, and as such, there is no justice found when our system fails.

No wonder our nation is so hurting. We abandon our morals and then depend on the godless values of others to take care of us. Put God in American life and thought, we are created equal. We are judged equally (according to our works, the same cup we gave of we will be measured by). No more crying “Woe!” and a little more letting go. Our God is just, he is supreme. We have nothing to fear and certainly nothing to complain about.

When we depend on something less than God to satisfy, we get results that are less than divine. When God is off the table, so is any kind of equality.