I often hear it said, “This country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles.” I see no evidence of this in the Constitution, and believe the proposition could use a bit of inspection. With this in mind, let us explore some of these principles and see if they stand up to scrutiny.
We the people must be obedient to, and adoring of, a single, self- appointed Ruler. The authority of the Ruler is absolute, and the term of His office is unlimited.
We are obliged to confer upon the Ruler continuous uncritical praise, and to be grateful for all of His works. Results that appear to be beneficial are to be ascribed to the Ruler’s benevolence. Bad or evil results are to be interpreted as merely our inability to understand the Ruler’s superior (and mysterious) motives.
In the realm of justice, the Ruler’s judgement is infallible. Indictment, verdict, and retribution are solely at His discretion. The accused is not entitled to legal representation nor a jury of his/her peers. There is no appeal process or possibility of exoneration.
The individual’s welfare, liberty, and pursuit of contentment are all subordinate to the will of the beloved Ruler.
That’s enough. It is difficult to imagine anything more opposed to these principles than the founding documents of this nation. No dictatorship was ever envisioned to provide liberty and justice for all.
No, this country was clearly not founded on these principles, but it is somewhat unsettling to realize that North Korea could make a more substantive claim to be so founded.
It requires only the simple substitution of a ruler who can be seen and heard for one that cannot.
Now, how about the actual principles upon which the United States was founded? I would claim that the foundational pillars motivating our founders would be union, freedom, and equality. The union embraces diverse cultures and ideologies (we’re all in this together), freedom needs no further elaboration, and equality is essentially the discouragement of privilege. I would further claim that these goals are admirable and desirable for our country and mankind’s welfare in general.
So, turning to equality and to a lesser extent union, let us examine how this is supported by spiritual principles. The eschatology of Christianity comes immediately to mind. The end times, the second coming, the rapture, the day of judgment, is this not a prominent and cherished event, seen by many as imminent?
What is envisioned is not a joining but a separation, of the sheep from the goats, the saved from the damned. One group is apportioned infinite reward, the other infinite punishment.
How can this possibly be regarded as promoting equality? It is, in fact, the most unequal state of the family of mankind that has ever been conceived.
“This country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles” is a statement made frequently, and I have yet to see someone laugh, or blush. It is a mystery that I will probably never comprehend.