Biblical Citizenship Course Review – Week 7

 by Lynda Keck

Weeks 5 and 6 of this enlightening course took us on a whirlwind tour of the main Constitutions Articles, the Bill of Rights and specifically the established powers of the executive, legislative and judicial branches.   Being a course on Biblical Citizenship, we next pivoted to the topic of Religious Liberty in week 7.   

David Barton, author of Original Intent gave us an overview by reminding us the Declaration of Independence gave us six principals of a free nation, the Constitution gave us the philosophy and structure of our adopted form of governance, and the Bill of Rights defined protection for our inalienable rights.   All necessary steps in a progression: break away from tyranny, set up a new direction and government and then wisely limited its authority to keep the correct order in place: God over Man and then Man Over Government. 

In the Bible, we find guidance on the natural rights of man via Genesis chapters 1 through 8.  The first biblical reference to government comes in Genesis chapter 9.  The rights given there are referred to the Noahide Laws derived from when a rainbow appeared to Noah when the Great Floods ended … having 7 colors – each representing one Noahide Law.   They are considered God’s bare minimum directions given to mankind after washing the earth clean from sin. 

1. Do not deny God (no idolatry).
2. Do not murder.
3. Do not steal.
4. Do not engage in sexual immorality.
5. Do not blaspheme.
6. Do not eat of a live animal (no eating flesh taken from an animal while it is still alive).
7. Establish courts and legal systems to ensure obedience to these laws.

Notice the final law commands mankind to establish a legal system by which to ensure obedience to these laws.   The Founding Fathers knew firsthand the evils that flourish in a government unchecked… thus, they instituted the Bill of Rights.   This list of rights is often referred to as “negative liberties” since it outlines the rights that the government cannot infringe upon.  In other words, citizens protection from government interference.  

Two areas we focused on most were freedom of religion and separation of church and state.  These two aspects of our governance are still vigorously debated even today.  In the 1^st Amendment, we learn we are entitled to freedom to exercise our chosen faith (or no religious faith) at all times and in all places – not just in a house of worship.   By reading the individual journals kept and published by the authors of the Constitution – we see this original intent quite clearly.  The phrase “separation of church and state” is not actually contained in our Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution or Bill of Rights.  The source of this doctrine most likely came from a gross misinterpretation of a statement of assurance offered by Thomas Jefferson in a letter to the leaders of the Danbury Baptist Church. He was reassuring them that our government would not infringe upon their church.  Point of fact – Thomas Jefferson was ONLY involved in the writing of the Declaration of Independence and not the other two documents.  In his own personal writings and speeches, he strongly warned early Americans of his fear that some people would try to take away our freedom to establish and exercise religious freedom if we did not strongly support it.   The actual abiding intent of the founding fathers was to prevent the imposition of a state sponsored church – not a complete separation of all influence of faith upon governance. 

Our class next examined the evidence that provides a resounding “Yes” response to the question “Were the founding fathers people of faith?”.  If we turn to historical evidence that has not been tampered with in any fashion – we find astounding evidence of religious faith in these great men.  It is in their writings, paintings, monuments, statues and other artifacts.  One does not need to look hard to see how these artifacts have come under attack by those who would abolish any influence of faith in our nation.   Modern reprints of their words often resort to inserting “…” within the body of the original text.   This is done to erase references to God, faith and religious support/context.    It is clearly an attempt to shift our culture, and we see the result of that everywhere in our society.   Humankind behaves quite differently when society adheres to the Godly set of values (God over Man, Man over Government) than when it espouses a worldly set of values (Government over Man).    We have strayed from the teachings of Gouveneur Morris (known as the “Penman of the Constitution”) when he taught us that liberty relies upon morality, religion, faith and knowledge.  Today’s society prides itself on the last in that list – knowledge.   And frequently that knowledge is based upon agendas and “experts” who sway us away from our freedoms. We were encouraged to read the book, Colonial Origins of the American Constitution, by Donald Lutz, for more edification. 

We were treated to a short video talk by Larry Loudermilk who reminded us how freedom of religion is the very basis of our entire government.  He further described our individual conscience as our most sacred property and the purpose of our limited government is to protect our property, not usurp it.  The United States citizens need to be reminded of proper jurisdictional lines needed to delineate the inalienable rights we have, where they emanated (from God) and who protects them (us first, and the government only by what powers we give it). 

Sir William Blackstone, an English jurist, wrote Commentaries on the Laws of England.  He contrasted the “Laws of Nature” such as those that act upon all things – alive and inert (i.e behavioral laws of survival to live, die, lose everything and leave behind what we have to others to take or defend) as well as physical laws (i.e. gravity, energy, etc).  He goes further to identify and contrast “Laws of Nature’s God” as additional laws we adopt according to God in order to civilize us above the “Laws of Nature”.  These include laws along the lines of the Noahide Laws.  Man essentially establish a fixed moral absolute that goes beyond natural law.  In England, the ruling class took complete control over the Laws of Nature’s God – essentially putting themselves in place of God.  Thus, freedom loving citizens left, rebelled and started a new nation.  The Laws of Nature’s God are the ones we need most to protect, or we will suffer the consequences of a society adrift without a moral compass.