God and the Declaration of Independence
July 4, 2016 by John Potter
Today America celebrates 240 years of independence. As many are inclined to celebrate with fireworks, picnics, and parades, the Forth of July also provides the perfect opportunity to look back on the document and the ideas that brought us to this place in time.
When one looks at the Declaration of Independence the emphasis is clearly on reasons to separate from England. It also articulates the fundamental ideas that form our nation: all men are created free and equal and possess the same inherent, natural rights. These rights are not imagined, decreed, or penned on paper by mankind, but found in the eternal “Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.” When rights are viewed and expressed as “God-given” the Declaration’s meaning transcends the particulars of time and circumstance. It means that these rights are inherently possessed by all men because of the Almighty.
There are five references to God in the Declaration of Independence, two in the first paragraph, one in the middle, and two in the last paragraph.
As we continue our Fourth of July celebrations, may we take time to appreciate the idea that we are free people, but ultimately that our American freedom was born of God.
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God and the Declaration of Independence
July 4, 2016 by John Potter
Today America celebrates 240 years of independence. As many are inclined to celebrate with fireworks, picnics, and parades, the Forth of July also provides the perfect opportunity to look back on the document and the ideas that brought us to this place in time.
When one looks at the Declaration of Independence the emphasis is clearly on reasons to separate from England. It also articulates the fundamental ideas that form our nation: all men are created free and equal and possess the same inherent, natural rights. These rights are not imagined, decreed, or penned on paper by mankind, but found in the eternal “Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.” When rights are viewed and expressed as “God-given” the Declaration’s meaning transcends the particulars of time and circumstance. It means that these rights are inherently possessed by all men because of the Almighty.
There are five references to God in the Declaration of Independence, two in the first paragraph, one in the middle, and two in the last paragraph.
As we continue our Fourth of July celebrations, may we take time to appreciate the idea that we are free people, but ultimately that our American freedom was born of God.
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Posted in News & Commentary | Tagged America, American, christian, declaration of independence, freedom, god, independence day, liberty |