Take Heed That Ye Be Not Deceived
“We hold these 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.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…”
It would be my guess that to most people the preceding quote sounds vaguely familiar. I know for certain that anyone who has read my articles has definitely read it. Sadly I am of the belief that the vast majority who read it just glance over it without giving it more than a moments thought.
It seems to me that documents such as the constitution and the Declaration of Independence are taken for granted. But it is the principle contained within that quote which forms the foundation upon which our entire system of government was built. Therefore people would do well to take just a bit of time from their busy schedules to really think about what Thomas Jefferson meant when he penned those words.
Weighty issues such as rights and liberty are no longer of much importance to the average American. People are more concerned with their own comfort, security, or their quest for gratification.
Because of that, it has been an easy task for our government to expand it’s powers far beyond those originally intended, and in so doing slowly, but surely strip us of the liberty that our founders sought to protect.
That being said, I have to agree with Ben Franklin, who said, “They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” But I get ahead of myself. Let us go back and see what exactly Jefferson meant when he placed those words in the Declaration of Independence.
In my last article I spoke about maxims, things that are widely accepted as true. Self evident is just another way of saying maxim. Therefore when Jefferson said that these truths were self-evident, he meant that there was no disagreement, they were accepted as a truth.
Jefferson continued by saying that all men were created equal and that they were endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. Jefferson, as well as many of the founding fathers, was a follower of the principle of natural law. Natural laws exist due to our status as humans, not due to the benevolent grants given by man, or government.
John Adams also believed in the principle of natural law, which was proven by the following from his draft of the Declaration of Rights of the Inhabitants of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, “All men are born free and equal, and have certain natural, essential, and unalienable rights; among which may be reckoned the right of enjoying and defending their lives and liberties; that of acquiring, possessing, and protecting property; in fine, that of seeking and obtaining their safety and happiness.”
Natural laws predate any form of government. The Bible does not state that God first created government, then man. Therefore if our rights are a gift from God, then they existed at the time God created the very first man, Adam.
Eighteenth century Judge, Sir William Blackstone, once wrote an extensive treatise entitled Commentaries on the Laws of England, from which I quote, “MAN, considered as a creature, must necessarily be subject to the laws of his creator, for he is entirely a dependent being.…And consequently as man depends absolutely upon his maker for every thing, it is necessary that he should in all points conform to his maker’s will.
THIS will of his maker is called the law of nature. For as God, when he created matter, and endued it with a principle of mobility, established certain rules for the perpetual direction of that motion; so, when he created man, and endued him with freewill to conduct himself in all parts of life, he laid down certain immutable laws of human nature…”
Government, in whatever form it takes, is a creation of man, and therefore natural law supersedes any laws created by man, or by governments instituted by man.
Government, for a very long time now, has been slowly working to restrict, or completely do away with our rights, and our liberty. This goes at least as far back to when not so honest Abraham Lincoln was president.
Many believe that Lincoln was one of our greatest presidents, right up there with George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. They believe this because they have been taught that he fought a war to free the slaves. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Lincoln didn’t care one way or another about freeing the slaves. That may be hard to accept for many, seeing as how they have been lied to all their lives about the history of the civil war. Yet all one has to do is to research the matter and they would find the truth for themselves.
From a letter to Horace Greeley, let’s see what Lincoln himself said, “My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that.”
In fact, Lincoln was of the belief that the blacks were unequal and inferior to whites. In a presidential debate against Stephen Douglas, Lincoln stated, “I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been in favor of bringing about in anyway the social and political equality of the white and black races – that I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality.”
History books are filled with lies about supposedly great presidents who, in reality, abused their power and authority, and in so doing trampled upon our rights. And the sad thing is that the abuses continue to this day, all the while people are too preoccupied with their own trials and tribulations to learn the truth.
There is one thing that people, especially those who profess to be Christian, should give a great deal of thought to. In the case of Robin v. Hardaway (1772), George Mason argued the following, “All acts of legislature apparently contrary to natural right and just are, in our laws, and must be in the nature of things, considered as void. The laws of nature are the laws of God; Whose authority can be superseded by no power on earth. A legislature must not obstruct our obedience to him from whose punishments they cannot protect us.”
In the book of Luke, Christ admonished us by saying, “Take heed that ye be not deceived.” Yet we have been deceived, by the very people we put our faith in to uphold the constitution, and safeguard our rights.
I would ask that, if you be so inclined, that you read 2 Timothy, Chapter 3 in its entirety. Could that be the reason we pay more attention to trivial matters, than we do in fighting for the very rights which are a gift from our God?
Our most fundamental rights have been infringed upon so much that they are virtually gone. Anytime I need to obtain a permit, pay a fee, or obtain permission from any governmental agency to do something, it has ceased to be a right.
In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson described one final right we also held, “…that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.”
Remember though, the southern states tried that once, and not so honest Abe took our nation to war to prevent them from asserting what was rightfully theirs, their sovereignty.
Some people may read this, then go back to their lives without giving it much though. Others might just say I am spouting more conspiracy theories and ignore me completely. To those who refuse to learn the truth I would like to quote Patrick Henry, “Are we disposed to be of the numbers of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth, to know the worst, and to provide for it.”
To those of you who accept the lies fed to you by your elected officials without even bothering to question the truth, or learn the legality of their actions, remember, Christ warned you, “Take heed that ye be not deceived.” How are you going to explain yourself when you are asked why you let the rights God gave you be stripped from you by deceitful men? I hope you have a good answer.
Comments may be sent to: bonsai@syix.com
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Harold
ACGR's "News with Attitude" 