"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men* are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." The United States' Declaration of Independence, in Congress, July 4, 1776
* The word "men", in the 18th Century, meant "mankind", i.e., the human race, men and women.
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In the bitterly divided America of 2020/2021, there is one thing that all Americans can agree on: Our nation is in danger.
In the troubling events of 2020/2021, we are only seeing the surface of the underlying life-and-death matter about which Saint Paul warned in his letter to the Ephesians:
“We are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, … against the spiritual hosts of wickedness… Pray at all times” – Ephesians: 6:11/12 & 18
In addition to praying, we can apply a good universal procedure for fixing something that was once good and functional and has become broken and dysfunctional. Here are the four simple steps:
- 1. We review American history to learn the source of our nation's great success, the "ingredients" of society that made America good.
- 2. Using this knowledge, we can identify what is different in today's society, to properly diagnose what ails our nation.
- 3. We can then apply this knowledge to identify actions that are needed to make things right.
- 4. We are then empowered to make wise voting decisions, voting for candidates who, based on their records and positions, are committed to do the work needed to bring our nation back on track - working for the American people.
Let's begin this analysis:
From 1776 and through our nation's first 175 years, into the 1960's, we were on the right track, as was proven by our supernatural growth from a collection of thirteen tiny, weak British colonies in 1776 to the world’s most powerful and most successful nation by the time of World War II. As we grew up, we learned and matured, applying the principles embedded in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution to create amendments to the Constitution faithful to these documents.
What was the source of our nation's strength, leading to our ever-increasing success through our first 175 years?
From 1776 to the 1960's, the essential "ingredients" of American society were as follows:
• Americans were Faith-filled, moral and religious. They went to church regularly, read the Bible and prayed. As late as the 1960's, when Billy Graham or Bishop Fulton Sheen stated, "The Bible says ...", people listened and paid heed.
• America was a nation of strong families, each founded on the marriage of a man and a woman, the family's father and mother. Marriages lasted "until death do us part". Divorce was a rarity. The family was like a little church and a school in which children learned their parents’ Christian Faith and morals and learned that growing up meant taking on responsibilities and earning one's living, either as a homemaker or by working on the family farm, in the family business or in another business.
• Immigrants to America followed an orderly process prescribed by law. They respected and complied with our laws.
• In American society, "abortion" and "birth control” did not exist, because, for Christians, the "marital act" was (and is) a life-creating act within a marriage, a husband and wife committed to each other for life. As the Bible teaches, this was understood to be part of God's beautiful plan when He created man and woman, with the commandment to "be fruitful and multiply". Today's disordered perception of “sex" as casual, non-life-giving recreation between two persons without any lifelong commitment to each other was unthinkable, as was the resulting distorted thinking that a "marriage" could occur between two persons of the same sex.
• The role of government in people's lives was limited and minor. People relied on themselves, their families, their church communities and God. They had no desire to be dependent on some "big government". As the Bible taught, stating God's laws, people directly helped their neighbors in their communities, as did the churches.
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With this Faith-centered, family-centered culture, and by strictly applying the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, the nation grew better and stronger:
In 1863, in Gettysburg, during a prior period of nation-wide grave danger , President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed, “this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom… Government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth”. In 1865, thanks to the determined leadership of President Lincoln, slavery was abolished by the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
In 1870, the 18th amendment to the Constitution granted African American men the right to vote.
In 1920, the 19th amendment granted women the right to vote.
In 1954, after the United States of America had used its great power to liberate Europe and the Far East from evil dictatorships, the words “under God” were added to the Pledge of Allegiance by an act of Congress*, “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” In signing this into law, President Eisenhower stated, “These words will remind Americans that despite our great physical strength we must remain humble. They will help us to keep constantly in our minds and hearts the spiritual and moral principles which alone give dignity to man, and upon which our way of life is founded.”
* as requested of President Eisenhower by the Knights of Columbus
In 1964, segregation was legally ended by the Civil Rights Act, thanks largely to the great leadership of Reverend Martin Luther King (pictured in this photo).
In 1965, the Voting Rights Act overcame legal barriers at the state and local levels that had prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote as guaranteed under the 15th Amendment.
Since the 1960's, what has caused our nation to deteriorate into its 21st Century state, culminating in the ugly violence and lawlessness in American cities in 2020?
Clues to the answer to this question are found in our nation's founding fathers' 18th Century warnings that now appear, eerily, to be prophecies that are being fulfilled in the 21st Century. They point to the root causes of today's society's sickness:
George Washington warned that "national morality could not prevail in exclusion of religious principle".
John Adams warned that “our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people”
Samuel Adams foresaw the next logical step to the above concerns of his fellow Founding Fathers: If people were not moral and religious, there would be a loss of principles, and so he gave us the dire warning, “a general dissolution of principles … (would) overthrow the liberties of America”.
Did Samuel Adams have a premonition of the lawless 2020 looting and violence in Seattle and Portland, clearly the result of a "general dissolution of principles"?
If the above list of "ingredients" of American society before its drastic decline is used as checklist to evaluate American society in the 21st Century, the differences between "then" and "now" are stark, like "day and night".
How do we get back on the right course and save our nation?
If you believe that the solution to today’s distress and division is to return to the Christian Faith of the founders of our nation, with our children taught to be God-centered, not self-centered, this means voting for leaders who put God first; who pray; who will appoint judges who honor the U.S. Constitution and the principles of the Declaration of Independence. In brief, a leader is needed who will lead America back to God, selecting Administration team leaders who are aligned with this mission.
After reviewing the facts on the key issues, the parties and the candidates, ask yourself which candidates will work to bring our nation back to God.
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We suggest that you now begin exploring the rest of our website, beginning with our pages on the Records and Positions of the parties and candidates. Use the dropdown menu under "Records and Positions" (above) or directly link here to the Voting Considerations page or the Party Platforms Comparison page.
Or, you may prefer to first study the key election issue of "Pro-Life versus Pro-Choice":
Use the drop-down menu under "Health and Life" or link here to Faith Teaching on Abortion Decisions .
Or, you may want to select one of the twelve key issues listed under "Key Issues".
To learn more about the history of our nation, use the links below.
Link here PragerU to a 5-minute video (on the website of Prager University) illustrating that the U.S.A. was founded on God's laws and is dependent on God's laws and on our citizens' practiced faith in God.
To learn more about our nation's founding and history, visit the U.S. Government's website of the National Archives, where you can find copies of America's founding documents: National Archives - America's Founding Documents
Studying the origin of the name of our country provides insight into the rationale underlying the electoral college method of electing the President of the United States (instead of a nationwide popular vote). Recall that our country was the union of thirteen independent colonies of the British Empire, each with its own Governor. The first motto of the United States of America was “E pluribus Unum”, Latin for “Out of many, one”. Our nation was formed out of:
- many unique States, with different identities, economies, interests and other characteristics
- many religious beliefs, from Quakers and Puritans to Roman Catholics and Jews
- many ethnic backgrounds, English, German, French and African
Into one united nation:
United in...
respecting each State’s unique identity and differences
respecting people’s differing religious faiths, with religious liberty
...granting equal rights to all people, laying the foundation for the later inclusion of people of African-American ethnic background through President Lincoln's abolition of slavery in 1865, followed by the granting of voting rights to women in 1920 and the removal of segregation barriers in 1964.
Link to our Prayers page: Our prayers for our nation are essential, especially now. Join us in praying for our nation's return to its foundation of being "one nation under God", adhering to the U.S. Constitution and the tenets of the Declaration of Independence.