The Faith Of Our (Founding) Fathers (Part 3)

So an anonymous snarker left this gem behind to my last post....

The founding fathers also denied the right to vote to women, allowed people to own slaves, counted such slaves as three-fifths of a person, allowed a president to serve as many terms as he is elected for, and it contained no mention of the right to bear arms, worship freely, enjoy a free press, be tried in a public and speedy manner, be free of unreasonable searches and seizures, or to not be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment.

We can learn a lot from old dead guys, but there's a lot we as a nation have chosen to reject.

And while Anonymous has a point, (s)he is not-surprisingly lacking in his/her knowledge of history. For example...

allowed people to own slaves,

Jefferson and Washington freed their slaves and helped lay the groundwork for freeing the slaves.

counted such slaves as three-fifths of a person

This (and allowing people to own slaves) we political concessions that were made to Southern States but these were not views shared by the majority of the Founders. As a matter of FACT Thomas Jefferson even proposed the first bill in the legislature to ABOLISH slavery! George Mason (the "Father of the Bill of Rights" was also in favor of abolition and Benjamin Franklin was an advocate for abolition as well. If you dig past the "feelings" and the "assumptions" Anonymous and actually dig into the FACTS you just might learn a thing or three!

and it contained no mention of the right to bear arms, worship freely, enjoy a free press, be tried in a public and speedy manner, be free of unreasonable searches and seizures, or to not be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment.

Now this part of the comment I am trying to figure out. Considering there is this little thing called the BILL OF RIGHTS that guarantees ALL of those rights, I am trying to figure out if Anonymous is just unaware that such a document exists or if Anonymous is rejecting the rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. Which is it dear?

Now on to this statement.....

The founding fathers also denied the right to vote to women

When you compare the Founding Fathers (and their faith) to other religious practitioners and socio-economic "innovators" and other faiths, you will find that they were quite "progressive" in that arena as well. The one religion that modern day "progressives" coddle, Islam, considers women to be PROPERTY. They not only do not have voting rights - in most Islamic states they have NO RIGHTS AT ALL! When it comes to human rights as a whole, Communist/Socialist countries have huge problems. Under the guise of advancing Karl Marx's agenda, Vladmir Lenin jailed, enslaved and murdered millions of men, women and children because someone in their family dared to disagree with "the chosen one" Lenin (and his successor Joseph Stalin).

When it comes to the religious angle, I go back to the Bible. The Old Testament has a long list of admonitions to the Jews regarding freeing slaves. Being as they were once held as slaves themselves, the Jews were all to aware of the plight of slaves. Regarding women St. Paul, in his letter to the Galation Church took it a step further....

So you are all children [fn] of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have been made like him. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, [fn] slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians--you are one in Christ Jesus

So now Anonymous - what was that you were saying rejecting the lessons of old, dead guys?

The Faith Of Our (Founding) Fathers

Recently Mathias over at Irrational Optimist put up on interesting post on legislating morality. That, coupled with yesterdays "Founders Morning Quote" got me to thinking about the role of morality and religion in our political lives. Believe it or not, the Founders had quite a bit to say on the subject. Starting from colonization.....

The First Charter of Virginia (granted by King James I, on April 10, 1606)
• We, greatly commending, and graciously accepting of, their Desires for the Furtherance of so noble a Work, which may, by the Providence of Almighty God, hereafter tend to the Glory of his Divine Majesty, in propagating of Christian Religion to such People, as yet live in Darkness and miserable Ignorance of the true Knowledge and Worship of God…
Instructions for the Virginia Colony (1606)

Lastly and chiefly the way to prosper and achieve good success is to make yourselves all of one mind for the good of your country and your own, and to serve and fear God the Giver of all Goodness, for every plantation which our Heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted out.

The Mayflower Compact (authored by William Bradford) 1620
“Having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith, and honor of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God, and one of another, covenant and combine our selves together…”

...our Founding Fathers had a clear goal for this new land in mind - a CHRISTIAN nation that would be a place where your faith could be practiced freely and openly...something that our secular revisionist history would rather have us forget.

Even as our fledgling republic was being organized, our Founders worked with one thing in mind....GOD...

John Adams:
“ The general principles upon which the Fathers achieved independence were the general principals of Christianity… I will avow that I believed and now believe that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.”
• “[July 4th] ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.”
–John Adams in a letter written to Abigail on the day the Declaration was approved by Congress

"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." --October 11, 1798 (emphasis in the original - ED)

Samuel Adams:
“ He who made all men hath made the truths necessary to human happiness obvious to all… Our forefathers opened the Bible to all.” [ "American Independence," August 1, 1776. Speech delivered at the State House in Philadelphia]

Charles Carroll - signer of the Declaration of Independence | Portrait of Charles Carroll
" Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time; they therefore who are decrying the Christian religion, whose morality is so sublime and pure...are undermining the solid foundation of morals, the best security for the duration of free governments." [Source: To James McHenry on November 4, 1800.]

Benjamin Franklin: | Portrait of Ben Franklin
“ God governs in the affairs of man. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured in the Sacred Writings that except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. I firmly believe this. I also believe that, without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel” –Constitutional Convention of 1787

John Jay:
“ Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.” Source: October 12, 1816. The Correspondence and Public Papers of John Jay, Henry P. Johnston, ed., (New York: Burt Franklin, 1970), Vol. IV, p. 393.

It is clear from these quotes that the Founders were not the "deists" that todays revisionist history claim that they were. No - these men were Christians and their goal was a nation founded on the Judeo-Christian teachings that made the rest of the civilized world what it was....

Quotes from "Quotes Of the Founders"

More tomorrow.

Founders Evening Quotes

Someone needs to talk to President Obama about this one too!

"The multiplication of public offices, increase of expense beyond income, growth and entailment of a public debt, are indications soliciting the employment of the pruning knife."
--Thomas Jefferson, letter to Spencer Roane, 9 March 1821

Founders Evening Quotes

"The prosperity of commerce is now perceived and acknowledged by all enlightened statesmen to be the most useful as well as the most productive source of national wealth, and has accordingly become a primary object of its political cares."

--Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 12, 27 November 1787

Someone needs to let President Obama know about this little bit of Founding Father wisdom....

Things That Make You Wonder....

Could a modern day parallel be drawn from this quote from Benjamin Franklin?

"Here comes the orator! With his flood of words, and his drop of reason."

-- Benjamin Franklin (Poor Richard's Almanack, 1735)

Windfall or Just Full of Hot Air

There has been much said in the last couple of days about the vote yesterday to tax Big Oil on their "windfall profits". I am not going to add to that though, because I found a couple of quotes that say things much better than I ever could.

“The five largest oil companies in this country have made $600 billion in profits since George W. Bush became president. Do we need a windfall profits tax? You bet we do.” —Sen. Bernie Sanders (I -VT)

“The oil companies need to know that there is a limit on how much profit they can take in this economy.” —Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL)

Contrast what these two learned gentlemen said with these two....

“Every new regulation concerning commerce or revenue; or in any manner affecting the value of the different species of property, presents a new harvest to those who watch the change and can trace its consequences; a harvest reared not by themselves but by the toils and cares of the great body of their fellow citizens.” —James Madison

“In general, the art of government consists in taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other.” —Voltaire

I couldn't have said it any better Mr. Madison. Thank you.