“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 is a quote from the Declaration of Independence. On this fourth of July, let’s not forget the principles upon which this nation was founded.
The founding fathers believed certain truths were obvious. We shouldn’t have to be reminded of them. They should be known to all of us.
All men are created equal. The founding fathers accepted that we were created. They didn’t view us as accidents against impossible odds. They didn’t believe we evolved out of some primordial slime. Some monkey wasn’t our uncle. We had the same Creator, but we were created as a unique species.
So, mankind is a unique life form, but all men are created equal. Does that mean we all have the same intellect? No. Does that mean we all have the same physical ability? No. Does that mean we all have the same talents? No. We are each uniquely different, but we are equal before our Creator. God is not a respecter of persons. We are all accountable to God. A person does not get a special pass to Heaven because he is rich, famous, or powerful. We are all equal before God, and we should be equal before the law. Government should not grant people special privileges or exempt them from provisions of the law because of their status or inclusion in some group.
Our rights come from our Creator, not from government. Government should protect our rights. Government can abridge our rights. But, our rights exist, whether government allows us to exercise them or not. In the Declaration of Independence, the founding fathers specifically identified life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Without life, we have nothing. Government should be the protector of life, not a participant in ending innocent life. Government has the authority to end a life only as necessary to protect society.
Liberty implies minimal interference from and restriction by government. Government should limit liberty only to the degree necessary to ensure our rights are protected, the nation is defended, and the general welfare is preserved.
We have the right to pursue happiness. There is no guarantee we will be happy. Government does not have the responsibility to ensure our happiness. It only has the responsibility to ensure we can pursue our dreams, so long as we do not infringe on someone else’s rights. We should be assured equal opportunity, not equal results.
It seems our society and government has lost sight of these truths.
“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 is a quote from the Declaration of Independence. On this fourth of July, let’s not forget the principles upon which this nation was founded.
The founding fathers believed certain truths were obvious. We shouldn’t have to be reminded of them. They should be known to all of us.
All men are created equal. The founding fathers accepted that we were created. They didn’t view us as accidents against impossible odds. They didn’t believe we evolved out of some primordial slime. Some monkey wasn’t our uncle. We had the same Creator, but we were created as a unique species.
So, mankind is a unique life form, but all men are created equal. Does that mean we all have the same intellect? No. Does that mean we all have the same physical ability? No. Does that mean we all have the same talents? No. We are each uniquely different, but we are equal before our Creator. God is not a respecter of persons. We are all accountable to God. A person does not get a special pass to Heaven because he is rich, famous, or powerful. We are all equal before God, and we should be equal before the law. Government should not grant people special privileges or exempt them from provisions of the law because of their status or inclusion in some group.
Our rights come from our Creator, not from government. Government should protect our rights. Government can abridge our rights. But, our rights exist, whether government allows us to exercise them or not. In the Declaration of Independence, the founding fathers specifically identified life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Without life, we have nothing. Government should be the protector of life, not a participant in ending innocent life. Government has the authority to end a life only as necessary to protect society.
Liberty implies minimal interference from and restriction by government. Government should limit liberty only to the degree necessary to ensure our rights are protected, the nation is defended, and the general welfare is preserved.
We have the right to pursue happiness. There is no guarantee we will be happy. Government does not have the responsibility to ensure our happiness. It only has the responsibility to ensure we can pursue our dreams, so long as we do not infringe on someone else’s rights. We should be assured equal opportunity, not equal results.
It seems our society and government has lost sight of these truths.