Where are we going?
Friends in Christ, today is Independence Day. We point to this day as the founding of our country. Compared to many other countries, ours is young. As a Democracy, it has been viewed as an experiment.
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The French Revolution of 1789, was an attempt at some kind of democracy, but it’s violence and instability resulted in failure. A different kind of experiment was taking place across the ocean however, started in 1776, and it seemed to have promise: the United States.
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For this reason, the Frenchman, Alex de Toqueville, a political historian, made his famous travels to the United States to study us. He recorded his observations in his book ‘Democracy in America.’ In his writings, he makes many astute observations about our country, as it was in the early 1800’s. He analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of everything. It is obvious, that in the back of his mind, is the question: can this Democracy last. He says some things that might be a bit disturbing to us.
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For example, he says that no nation has ever constituted so great a Judicial power as the Americans; the very existence of the Union is vested in the hands of 7 Federal Judges. (now there are 9) ‘This appears to me to be the most serious attack upon the independence of the States. The President may err without causing great mischief; congress may decide amiss without destroying the Union; but if the Supreme Court is ever composed of imprudent or bad men, the Union may be plunged into anarchy or civil war.
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De Toqueville has a number of warnings in his book, which seem quite timely, but today I’d like to address something else he says; it is regarding religion. He says that although there are many different religious groups here, and all worship in their own way, they all preach the same moral law in the name of God. Although no religion makes the laws or controls politics, he says that there is no country in the world where the Christian religion retains greater influence over the souls of men than in America.
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For example, he says, there is certainly no country in the world where marriage is more respected than in America. In Europe, almost all the disturbances of society arise from the irregularities of domestic life. But when the American retires from the turmoil of public life to the bosom of his family, he finds in it the image of order and of peace.
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Because of the influence of Christianity, he says that no one has dared to advance the idea that ‘everything is permissible.’ De Toqueville says that he was in a courtroom, and when the witness admitted that he did not believe in God, the judge refused to admit his evidence on the ground that he had lost the confidence of the court. And the newspapers reported this without any comment.
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Friends in Christ, it is obvious that there has been a drastic change in the last 150 years; we have a vital role to play in the fight for the soul of America; but it must begin with ourselves. We must live like true Christians, and teach others to do the same.
