Declaration of Independence - July the 4th!

On Saturday, the United States of America will celebrate the 239th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence ... This document was indeed a “declaration” by the men who signed it whereby they stated emphatically that they would no longer tolerate or accept the conduct, actions, and arrogance of the King of England. They believed that “When in the Course of human events” it may become “necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another.”
They decided that is was worth the risk to stand up for their beliefs, values, and principles, even if death was the consequence of their actions. They chose to stand up to the dictatorial power and the “repeated injuries and usurpations” of the monarch, and they decided to develop a new system of governing themselves. They held certain “truths to be self-evident” ... “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”.
Our country’s founders realized and acknowledged that their freedom from the oppressive king of England was a blessing and a gift, bestowed upon them by their Creator. They stated that the rights, duties, responsibilities, and privileges which they enjoyed, were not controlled by a king, monarch, dictator, or governmental regime, or by any selected, elected, or appointed group of people, but were bestowed upon them from God. These outstanding leaders of their time, had such great faith that they knew that only God could have permitted and granted their bounty and blessings.
They knew that, “only” with the grace of God, could they be granted the virtues required to overcome the vices and sins which challenge all of us in our life each and every day. They knew that the Creator and “author” of life granted life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and that “man”, (or any selected, elected, or appointed group of people who might think of himself/themselves as a “deity” or “gods”) was/are merely the “created” creatures made by God.
Belief and recognition of the presence of God in the lives of men and women, pre-dates this country and its founding. In fact, the great Psalmist wrote clearly:
His salvation is for the children’s children of those who keep His covenant, and remember to carry out His precepts.
The Lord has set His throne in heaven;
His dominion extends over all.”
Our Founders yearned for the “salvation” “for the children’s children” and knew that this could only result by their keeping the “covenant” with, and following the teachings of, the Lord and carrying “out His precepts”. These founders of our nation, knew and respected the fact that there were certain absolutes in life. They clearly and emphatically acknowledged their belief in and recognition of God and the blessings which the Creator had bestowed upon them, their families, and this aspiring new nation.
The personal, moral, and religious beliefs that each man held, and their firm faith in, acknowledgement of, and “dependence upon”, the “Creator”, “Nature’s God”, the “Supreme Judge of the World”, and “Divine Providence” were clearly articulated by the use of these words (in the actual Declaration of Independence) recognizing the Lord and Creator.
Each of these men fully respected the fact that their destiny was not to be determined wholly by their own actions, but was truly “dependent” upon the “will and grace of God”. Interestingly enough, the founders of our country believed that Divine Providence was the reason for their coming to the New World to secure and protect the “unalienable rights” endowed upon them by their Creator. Our modern day denial of the presence and impact of our Creator in our lives is not only tragic, but also full of sinful pride.
Human life remains as the greatest gift from the Creator. Therefore the respect for, and the appreciation and protection of, human life and human existence from conception to natural death, are fundamental and required by all including any properly constituted government. Any Government, which denies the sanctity of human life by not respecting and protecting all human life, and/or which denies the right of all Americans to freely and openly practice their religion or follow the teachings of God and their Faith, subjects itself to being “altered or abolished” as they stated 239 years ago.
The United States of America was founded “Under God” and yet today, we find ourselves in a nation trying to get out from “under God”, and into a secular, and allegedly enlightened, world where only human considerations, viewpoints, and opinions have become the rule of law without any firm basis in Faith-based or God-given teachings, virtues, values, principles, or beliefs.
The leaders of today should return to the beliefs of old, and remove the restrictions and mandates on all Americans from the public and private expressions and practice of their faith in God. A nation founded upon Judeo-Christian values should not tolerate the exclusion or removal of God or His teachings from the daily lives of Americans, nor should its people tolerate any governmental threat or mandate to the active practice and beliefs of one’s religion.
As millions of Americans host family gatherings or other public and private events to celebrate the birthday of America, hundreds of thousands of other Americans will be working to provide needed and valuable products and services to insure that our freedoms and choices are protected, and that the quality of life, and the American lifestyle, can be maintained in this country for all....
Please remember all of our law enforcement, firefighters, and intelligence services personnel who are charged with the duty to protect us from harm each and every day. Remember also our medical and emergency services professionals as they remain on duty and on call, as needed.
Finally, please also remember to fully, and unequivocally, support all of the men and women of our country’s Armed Forces located throughout the world and pray for their safe return to their family and friends.
May we actually follow the advice as stated on our currency – “In God We Trust”…..and that we, as a country, remain one Nation UNDER GOD!

Happy Birthday, America!

And, more importantly, ... God Bless America!

“As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.
For He knows how we are formed,
remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like the grass;
he blossoms like a flower in the field.
A wind sweeps over it and it is gone;
its place knows it no more.
But the Lord’s mercy is from age to age,
toward those who fear Him.”

J.H. Campbell Jr.
jcampbell@agbr.com