Brian Vanyo, a Navy veteran, did the research in The American Ideology. Before we leap to whether it is conservative or liberal, could we just ingest the facts about it?
The partisan divide in this country is scaring me. I've never seen disdain, if not hate, for the other's ideology being so vehement or automatic.
Is there a beginning ideology? One which, instead of championing either side, would champion God instead?
Are we founded on precepts that point to God?
Up until our country's beginnings, the arguments of governmental authority in other parts of the world centered around the theory of Natural Law. God was recognized as the Creator--the Author--and the question was what authority did He bestow in men?
Countries with kings asserted that no one was born with rights--all fell under the exclusive rights of the king and his heirs. Theirs was a scriptural assertion that God granted Adam complete dominion over all other men that followed. This was a sort of generational continuance of dominion, and succeeding generations were never free.
Philosopher John Locke instead claimed that God only gave Adam dominion over the animals, and that God "bestowed upon every individual of every generation the same freedom and fundamental rights," thus nullifying hereditary rights known to kings.
Vanyo writes:
Although Natural Law theory had long existed as a political idea in the minds of the world's greatest philosophers throughout history, the Founding Fathers at last placed it into practice in America by declaring their independence on the basis of its guarantees. They broke their political connection with Great Britain to "assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and nature's God entitle them." They declared independence to secure and preserve their natural rights to life, liberty, and property.It is impossible to separate God from the authorship of this country.
If the Founding Fathers found God, it seems we can too.
Merry Christmas.
