U.S.
should use philosophy of government in Declaration
Jan 20,
2008 @ 12:01 AM
By Bernard Reese
Most
American citizens would agree that the moral climate in the United
States has dramatically deteriorated since 1960. The U.S. government
is predicated upon two documents, the Declaration of Independence
and the Constitution.
Those
documents create our absolute foundation consisting of moral laws
and truths that the officeholders are required under their oath
to recognize and honor. The country's name, “ United States of America
,” was first used in the Declaration of Independence.
The Declaration of Independence contains the foundational Rule of
Law, synonymous with “Philosophy of Government,” upon which the
legal fabric of this nation was constructed and was incorporated
into the Constitution and its subsequent amendments.
There
is a fundamental distinction between this nation's legal philosophy
of government and religion.
Consequently
a “philosophy of government” is built upon a foundation that establishes
the source of rights, the purpose of and restraints on government,
the source of power of government, and the source of a standard
of morality to be incorporated into its legal system.
Quoting
James Madison from the Virginia Constitution, “Religion is defined
as the manner of discharging our duty to our Creator, and is to
be specifically distinguished from a philosophy of government.”
The
pronouncement of the United States Supreme Court in Davis v. Beason
(1890) resonates the distinction between religion and the Rule of
Law that is the in the Declaration.
“The term religion has reference to one's views of his relations
to his Creator, and the obligation they impose of reverence for
his being and character, and of obedience to his will.” Davis v.
Beason .
Justice
Douglas in McGowan v. State of Maryland , (1961): “The institutions
of our society are founded on the belief that there is an authority
higher than the authority of the State; that there is a moral law
which the State is powerless to alter … and the body of the Constitution
as well as the Bill of Rights enshrined those principles.”
John Quincy Adams stated on April 30, 1839:
“The
Declaration was America 's charter … the act [Constitution] … forming
with it one entire system of national government. … All this is
by the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God, which of course presuppose
the existence of a God, …. that was the platform upon which the
Constitution of United States had been erected … consisted in its
conformity to the principles proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence
….”
John
Jay, first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, said, “Natural law
was given by the Sovereign of the universe to all mankind, nature
is a rule of conduct … established by the Creator … denominated
in Scripture. …”
President Truman stated after World War II that our greatness was
because of our legal system:
“The
fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teachings
we get from Exodus and St. Matthew, from Isaiah and St. Paul . I
don't think we emphasize that enough these days. If we don't have
a proper fundamental moral background, we will finally end up with
a totalitarian government which does not believe in rights for anybody
except the State!”
The
Congressional Record on the adoption of the 1954 amendment to the
Pledge of Allegiance adding the words under God: “This is not an
act establishing a religion … a distinction must be made between
the existence of a religion as an institution and the belief in
the sovereignty of God. The phrase under God recognizes only the
guidance of God in our national affairs.”
Speaking
before the Massachusetts Legislature in 1791, Chandler Robbins declared:
“The Supreme Governor of the World rewards or punishes nations and
civil communities only in this life…. Political bodies are but the
creatures of time. They have no existence as such but in the present
State; consequently, are incapable of punishments or rewards in
a future. We can conceive no way in which the Divine Being shall
therefore manifest the purity of His nature.
... toward such societies but by rewarding or punishing them here,
according to their public conduct.”
President
George Washington warned this nation in his Inaugural Address of
that principle: “The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected
on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right
which Heaven Itself has ordained.”
What are we educating the minds of our young people with and where
are we going as a nation?
It
is time that we returned to the philosophy of government established
in our Declaration of Independence or reap the consequences of “man-made
reason” exercised without that foundation. The following is an illustration
of man-made reason.
Hitler's objective was to capture the minds of the young people
of Germany . His words, which are hung on a wall in Auschwitz, one
of the barbaric torture chambers in Germany during the Nazi reign,
reminds the visitor of the hell unleashed on the world when Germany's
goal was realized:
“I
freed Germany from the stupid and degrading fallacies of conscience
and morality. … We will train young people before whom the world
will tremble; I want young people capable of violence — imperious,
relentless and cruel.”
Bernard
Reese of the law firm Reese & Reese is a trustee of the Supreme
Court Historical Society.
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August
15, 2011
IS THIS THE LAST GENERATION BEFORE JESUS CHRIST RETURNS ?
Introduction: Are we really living in the last generation before Jesus
Christ returns? In Matthew 24 Jesus describes to his disciples the
"things" that will be evidence of the last days. In verse 24 using
the parable of a blossoming fig tree Jesus says: "Verily I say unto
you this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled."
Wilkerson asserted in April 1973 that his vision was a warning to
the "prepared and the unprepared" of God's coming judgment. Some of
the events would come to pass in the "very near future", and some
were "more distant," but he believed that all the events would happen
in this generation'. That message was contained in The Vision, printed
in 1974 and reprinted in its entirety in 2003 in The Vision and Beyond.
Wilkerson believed the events that he saw in his 1973 vision depicted
the approaching end of time. He said he had "tested the vision by
the word of God, and Scripture corroborates its message." . At that
time the world was moderately peaceful. The future for the United
States looked reasonably bright , prosperous, and peaceful. Wilkerson's
prophesied events then began to occur. By 2011 most of his predictions
have come true. They have developed so slowly, however, and have gradually
become such a part of modern life that a complacency exists and an
outright rejection of the idea of an end of time. This column is written
to startle myself, and each one of us, to the reality of the current
existence of evidence of the events which precede the end of time
and the coming of Christ, realistically in this generation. David
Wilkerson and His Vision. Wilkerson's first "vision" was in 1958 which
took him from a little town in Pennsylvania to New York City to evangelize
teen gangs and drug addicts. It resulted in a book and a movie entitled,
The Cross and the Switchblade. In 1965 the movie was shown in Rockford,
Ill. at both East and West high and brought Wilkerson to Rockford
for a three day crusade resulting in a revival among teenagers. It
was not a false vision. It's reality is demonstrated by "Teen Challenge"
youth centers spread all over the world. Many evangelists came out
of the gangs one of them being the prominent Nicky Cruz one of his
first converts. His second vision came in April of 1973 while in prayer
late one night. He says he saw no blinding lights audible voices or
an Angel, but the impact was so real he could do nothing but "take
it all in." The vision was "more like chilling fiction than truth."
He saw powerful coming earthquakes, hurricanes, flooding, famine,
epidemics, wars, uprisings and chaos. An economic crash would result
in bankruptcy of major companies and threaten world economy. Government
would not have a clue to the answer. There would be a moral landslide
of filth with violent and vicious pornography even on the newsstands
and TV; immoral sex education in high school and colleges. There would
be mass killings, parents killing children and children killing parents;
divorce would become rampant even in the church, and couples would
be living together without the benefit of marriage. There would be
a proliferation of illegitimate births as well as a breakup of the
family. There would be a homosexual explosion which sweeps across
this country. The nation would totally turn its back on God. Christians
will "become comfortable in their addiction to off-color movies, numerous
parties, socials, wine tasting events and lovers of pleasure more
than lovers of God." In substance they would ignore their spiritual
responsibility to their family and waste their time in selfish activities,
time that could be spent in reading God's word or in the secret closet
talking to the heavenly father. The Fulfillment of Wilkerson's Prediction
and the Word of God:, In 1973 the Supreme Court in Roe v. v. Wade,
legalized abortion and the killing of unborn children commenced. Today
we have killed over 50 million unborn human beings. In 2003 in a 6
to 3 decision the United States Supreme Court decided Lawrence v Texas,
which struck down the sodomy law in Texas thus affecting every state
in the union. The floodgates of homosexual penetration in our society
have opened wide invading grade schools, high schools and colleges
with educational courses and depicting approved alternative lifestyles;
and homosexuals serving on the bench and in high government positions.
Contrary to the foundation of this nation contained in the Declaration
of Independence, God is no longer recognized. A viciousness sweeps
across the nation with mass killings, parents killing children and
children killing parents. Divorce is rampant with broken homes and
children born to unwed mothers. People are living together without
the benefit of marriage, as well as couples of the same sex. The headlines
in the Sun Times on July 17 stated concerning child pornography: "Three
of thousands of people convicted of child pornography in the United
States--the numbers are so big they turn your stomach," and the article
asks "what's going on." Wilkerson states: "God, in His love and mercy,
is allowing disasters to strike the Earth to warn all who will hear
that Jesus is coming back and that it's time to get ready… These disasters
are a kind of countdown, too painful to ignore, choreographed by God
to set the stage for the final moments of time… " He says "I believe
the prepared Christian is going to face a time of sorrow and tribulation.
I believe he will be tested, tried, and tempted. I believe true Christians
are going to witness many of the horrors described in this vision….
Prepared Christians…wake-up." The entire prophecy is predicated upon
God's offer of salvation to the lost. Jesus wants you to come to Him
and He is will meet your honest heart and change your whole lifestyle.
By faith, you can pray a simple prayer such as: "Lord Jesus, I need
you. I confess that I am a sinner and repent of my sins and ask you
Jesus Christ to become my Lord and Savior. I open the door of my life
and ask you to come in and be the absolute and unconditional Lord
of my life. Lord Jesus, as you advocate in your word, I will study
the word of God to be able to be an ambassador for Christ, ' a workman
that does not need to be ashamed , correctly presenting the word of
truth.'" ( 2nd Timothy 2:15) The prophecy of 1973 is
contained in its entirety together with the added chapters 7 and 8
in 2003 in The Vision and Beyond printed by Fleming H Revell Company,
Old Tappan, New Jersey, 0765, and may be obtained by writing world
challenge publications, PO Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771.
Bernard
Reese of the law firm Reese & Reese is a trustee of the Supreme
Court Historical Society.
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