In the previous post, I listed the 28 Principles of the Founders presented in the book, The 5,000 Year Leap. The first nine, a good chunk of the list, refer to God. In our aggressively secularized public sphere, this emphasis might make people uncomfortable. It might make some believe that the author is some kind of religious nut, and dismiss him and his book out of hand.
But remember, he's just quoting the Founders.
I've had my struggles with faith. In fact, I still do. My problem comes down to this: I think my way through stuff, and "faith" isn't usually presented as something you can think your way to or through. It's often described as a "gift", or a "grace", or some kind of emotional response.
What is a thinker & doubter to do with that? It leaves no avenue open to reason one's way to faith or to God.
But there is a way, it turns out, to reason one's way to belief in a Higher Power:
If one believes in America, one must, logically, believe in God.
America is based on the idea of inalienable rights. In order to believe in the great experiment of America, one must believe that man has inalienable rights and that they are our natural inheritance, which no man can violate or suspend.
Without inalienable rights, America as an idea and an ideal, cannot exist.
If one believes that America has proved to be the best form of government in the history of mankind, that liberty is the proper state of man, that no one has a right to enslave others...if one believes in the inalienable rights of man, one must believe in God.
Because, without God there cannot be inalienable rights.
Without God, the only authority is man. And what man gives, man can take away; with a stroke of a pen, or an argument in Congress, or an election, or an army.
Without God, all rights are mutable, impermanent, inconstant, and only exist at the pleasure of the Authority or the Majority (the Master or the Mob.)
Without God, there can be no America.
So, if one believes in America, one must believe in God. There is no rational alternative. America without God is a logical impossibility.
The Gunslinger
Joebama American citizens 2024 print
9 months ago
GS, that's circular logic.
ReplyDeleteThere's no way to prove or disprove the existence of any God or other invisible and "unmeasurable" force.
It does take faith to believe in God (Hell, it takes it to believe in even your own senses). There's no real way around that. On the other hand, it takes faith to disbelieve as well.
No,Jagwio,it doesn't take "faith to disbelieve",it just takes an enormous Ego,Vanity,and enormous ignorance and provincialism to think "Human Logic" will explain All Things in this level of existence.Would direct you to "She's a Witch!" scene in "Monty Python's Holy Grail" movie,showing how human "logic" and "science" is anything but objective,and a wary thing to place too much faith in. It's still subjective---ironic! Is "rationalism" just another "faith"?...My head hurts...Bottom line,I think,is:what reflects Reality Life Lessons,and what promotes Liberty for those "stupid" Little People .Jagwio,all the shitheads who've murdered millions were "smart"-asses who believed in cold Logic, either under political or religious dogma,and didn't give a sentimental fuck about the mother and child,or father and son.People were statistics to them,not fellow Humans worthy of respect.Faith creates Heroes,as well as Evil Shits,but it's our Human fault.
ReplyDeleteAyn Rand was atheist.I don't need a
ReplyDeletegod to love the American founders
ideals.
tj - sorry I was a little ambiguous there. It takes faith to disbelieve in the sense that denying God exists takes making a decision that isn't based completely on facts.
ReplyDeleteAnd I certainly don't think reason and science are the solution to every problem. Anyway, atheism isn't the killer it's cracked out to be: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94f2h-5TvbM. Skip ahead about 3:00
Watched the vid...while a believer in logical,clear thinking,I'm a sceptic when a presenter throws statistics around without going "Deep"...trying to bury-with-numbers (carefully chosen to only "prove" one side).Statistics don't probe into the "why",only the "what".Atheists "making a decision that isn't based on facts" (while attacking others for doing the same)(good one,btw)---ironic,yes?I understand and agree with criticisms of organized institutions' Silly Rules,and quite enjoy Penn Jillette's "Penn Says" vid-blogs,but I think "Professional Atheists",in regards to "don't need God to be Moral",tend to come off like the rooster who thinks his crowing causes the Sun to rise,or the 5 year-old in Mommy's lap who thinks he's actually driving the car.
ReplyDeleteI think it's important to distinguish religion from God.
ReplyDeleteReligion, like any man-creation, can be taken to obscene extremes and become evil.
God...not so much.