“A free people [claim] their rights as derived from the laws of nature, and not as the gift of their chief magistrate.” –Thomas Jefferson, Rights of British America, 1774
In the last two weeks we have seen hysteria break out over the law passed by the Arizona Legislature would have amended their Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). As we all now know the governor, Jan Brewer, under great pressure and bullying vetoed the proposed changes. In listening to the wild claims that if passed it would institute Jim Crow laws against homosexuals etc. and the weak defense of the bill coming from those who supported it, I started thinking about how simply deciding to read the Constitution for himself changed Frederick Douglass’s view completely.
It was obvious that most of the talking heads on the news shows had not read the very short (2 pages) bill which was merely amending an already existing bill that had nothing to do with homosexuality at all. If you will remember back to the first blog in February about Frederick Douglass and his life story, you will recall how for years he believed his mentor’s view of the Constitution as a slave document. However, when he decided to read it for himself he discovered and then proclaimed the Constitution to be the most anti-slavery document he had seen.
When we do not care enough to search out the truth on the issues facing us today we are more easily led to believe a lie. When we believe the lie we can become slaves to it. God instructs us to be like kings and take pride in searching out a matter. In other words truth is to be our highest goal. After all the truth sets us free but lies ensnare and put us in bondage. Unfortunately, truth gets lost in all the noise of emotional rhetoric that today passes for thoughtful public discourse.
The First Amendment’s “free exercise clause” was to safeguard all who held strong religious beliefs and lived them every day. This clause included business owners, shop keepers, housewives, educators and churches. The Arizona amendment to the existing state Religious Freedom Restoration Act just sought to clarify and to cover religious freedom claims by business owners. The mere fact that this clarification was needed reflects how individual rights have been subjugated to group rights.
When the government or special interest group demands a nurse, pharmacist, or medical practitioner participate and perform an abortion they are demanding they set aside their deeply held beliefs to comply and that is a clear violation of their individual freedom of conscience and religion. The very foundation of the United States was laid in this basic freedom. Today, however, favored groups portrayed as victim groups trump and trample on the rights of the individual. Our education system has broken down and no longer teaches true American patriotism, history or capitalism but instead promotes globalism and socialism.
Therefore, we have several generations that are ignorant of our basic freedoms having believed the lie that the Constitution is a living document subject to change with the culture. Remember when we believe lies we open ourselves up to being shackled to an ever growing federal administrative state that cares less about we the people and more about expanding their power and control. Over the course of the next several weeks we will look at how the Declaration and Constitution viewed equal rights and individual rights; and how they all flow one into the other seamlessly and logically.
Next week: The Founders’ understanding of liberty
Dinner Table Discussion Question: What is Bullying and where is it most prevalent in today’s society? (Hint: it is not in school)