One Nation under God

    Today, of course, is Independence Day here in the U.S., the anniversary of the day in 1776 when the Continental Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence. The past three days have also been historically significant: they marked the 150^th anniversary of the epochal Battle of Gettysburg, the largest battle ever fought in the Western Hemisphere and the turning point in the long and bloody Civil War.
   

 Later that Fall in 1863 President Abraham Lincoln would come to Gettysburg to dedicate the cemetery there and deliver what is probably his most memorable speech. Lincoln began by referring back to the Declaration adopted "four score and seven years" before, and pointed out that the nation was "conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." He went on to say that the Civil War was a test of whether "any nation so conceived, and so dedicated can long endure." He noted the sacrifices of the brave men who "gave the last full measure of devotion," and then concluded by challenging those who remained alive to ensure "that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
    What did Lincoln mean by the phrase "under God"? Was it a mere rhetorical flourish? Possibly. Lincoln was increasingly prone to embellish his speeches with religious language as the war became a moral crusade to end slavery. But in a speech noted for its brevity and succinctness we can well imagine that Lincoln chose his words carefully. And whether he intended so or not, his words convey an important truth.
    Can a government of the people, by the people, and for the people long endure? That was the question of the hour. If it is true, as Jefferson averred in the Declaration, that governments derive "their just powers from the consent of the governed," and that "it is the right of the people to alter or abolish" their government, then how can such a government exercise any real authority? How can it even long maintain its own existence? This was, in fact, exactly the question posed by the secession of the southern states from the Union.
    Conversely, if the Union is indissoluble, what is the prevent the majority from running roughshod over the rights of the minority? That was the very real fear felt by many Southerners at the time.
    The answer to this dilemma is found in the phrase "under God." All of us as human beings are bound by a higher law – we answer to a higher Authority than any human government. That higher Authority both gives a human government its moral right to govern, and yet limits that right at the same time. And political freedom is possible only where the people exercise self-restraint, and are willing to obey laws as a matter of conscience. Where there is no fear of God the firing squad will have to suffice to maintain order. At the same time the government itself is accountable to God for its actions, and must never be permitted to trespass certain limits.
    As George Washington put it in his Farewell Address, "Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens."
    And yet subvert the pillars of human happiness is exactly what the U.S. Supreme Court has done. Over the course of the last fifty years the Court has systematically removed morality as the ultimate foundation of law. First abortion, and now homosexuality, have received the endorsement of the Court. Our family structure has already collapsed. It remains to be seen what lies ahead. But if history is any guide we can expect to enter a period of social chaos followed by the introduction of an authoritarian regime.
    Thus came to a tragic end the greatest republic in the history of mankind.


To see last year's Fourth of July blog post, click here.