One of the most annoying complaints against President Bush and this country is the assertion that America is swift on the path to becoming a theocracy. This assertion isn't based in any rational thought or conclusive evidence, rather on the discomfort some have with the fact that America does not mirror her secular, European cousins. This minority doesn't like the recognition of God in the public square, and the fact that the president openly alludes to Providence in many of his speeches and public statements terrifies them for some unexplained reason. Despite their earnest assertions to the contrary, America in no way resembles a theocracy and will never get close to becoming one. The fact that Americans acknowledge the existence of a higher being is not something that should be alarming, but rather something that should be embraced.
A society that acknowledges the existence of a creator is a more caring society that treats it's neighbors with respect and dignity. They have moral standards and values that they live by and in turn are peaceful and decent. Those societies that tend to shun God from the public square tend to lose their moral clarity, and thus lose their ability to recognize and confront evil. Europe's hostility towards Israel and their warm embrace of Palestinian terrorism, summed up by French President Jacque Chirac bowing before Yasser Arafat's casket bear this out.
It is America's acknowledgement of God, and subsequently our moral clarity, that led us to liberate western Europe from Nazi domination, to confront the evil empire that was the Soviet Union, and to liberate fifty million oppressed souls in the Middle East. Without the moral clarity that an acknowledgment of God brings, the fight for liberty and human rights for millions around the world would be lost.
Furthermore, the recognition and acknowledgment of God does not constitute a theocracy. While we as Americans recognize God in our founding documents and on our currency, we in no way legislate the way our citizens must acknowledge God, or that they must acknowledge him at all. The fact that such a small but loud minority doesn't understand this suggests not that they fear being forced to worship in a way the government designates, but that they are insecure in their own beliefs, and therefore wish to prevent the expression by others of theirs.
Great post!
ReplyDeleteIt's not ironic at all Aphid.
ReplyDeleteMarriage is between a man and a woman Aphid. And trying to preserve the lives of unborn children doesn't violate human rights it furthers it. I find it hard to believe that trying to end infanticide is somehow working against human rights. You talk about abortion rights, what about the rights of the child?
ReplyDeleteThey excercise that choice when they decide to have sex Aphid. If they don't want to have a child than they shouldn't engage in sexual relations. If they have been raped, are victims of incest, or death will result if they go through with the pregnancy than they should have the right to an abortion. But if they get pregnant by "accident" than they have to live with the consequences of their choices. You can't destroy a human life simply because you don't want to have that baby.
ReplyDeleteAnd once again, the institution of marriage is between a man and a woman, if a homosexual couple wants to be together I have no problem with that, but they can't get married because that's not what marriage is.