My reply? "I hope they give you a D minus for that."
-----Original Message-----
From: Tim Porter [mailto:porterhouse@vol.com]
Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2003 8:51 PM
To: barf@barf.org
Subject: One Nation Under Man
Hello, I was doing a research paper for college on the topic of America's Founding Principles and I stumbled across this site. It is an interesting webpage and if you care to take a moment, I would like give you some information from my research.
June 28, 1813 in a letter to Thomas Jefferson, John Adams wrote:
"The general principles, on which the Fathers achieved independence, were the only principles in which that beautiful Assembly of young Gentlemen could unite...And what were these general principles? I answer, the general principles of Christianity, in which all these sects were united: And the general principles of English and American liberty..."(Lester J. Capon ed., The Adams-Jefferson Letters 2 vols. Chapel Hill NC, University of North Carolina Press 1959)
One more quote: The Supreme Court of Mass in 1838 and the case of
Commonwealth v. Abner Kneeland 37 mass. (20 pick) 206,216-217 1838, Which involved a Universalist who claimed right of freedom of press as a defense to publishing defamatory remarks about Christianity. In their decision "blasphemy was a crime against common law and was not abrogated by the constitution [People vs. Ruggles]" aside from condemning "libelagainst God", and "[impairing or destroying] the reverence, respect, and confidence due him" it was stated: "[The First Amendment] embraces all who believe in the existence of God as well... as Christians of every denomination....This provision does not extend to atheist, because they do not believe in God or religion; and therefore... their sentiments and professions, whatever they may be, cannot be called religious sentiments of professions."
Really, they concept of "One nation under God" needs to be in this
country as long as we wish it to be a free one. Why? Because if our rights are endowed by whoever has the most power, then those men can revoke your rights at will. If man gives man rights, then men can take them. If God gives men rights, then no man can revoke them. Who do you trust to hold your right to Life, Liberty, Property, and the pursuit of Happiness? What man do you know that could never revoke those rights if given the power to?
I know that you guys have a "no white flag policy" towards this
matter, but I hope you consider the alternative to unalienable rights, alienable ones. I'd like my rights unalienable as endowed by my Creator, and not in the hands of compromiseable men.