Steve Farrell
Saturday, June 4, 2005

1. Popular Government and Religion

Like it or not, religion and morality are vital to the health of free government. Founder John Adams explained why:

"Popular government, once corrupted, is the worst form of government under the sun."

Story Continues Below

And you have to understand why this is. When a dictatorship is tyrannical, the people have a legitimate gripe and are more likely to rise up and overthrow the thug, in time. But when a popular government becomes corrupt, the people have chosen to be oppressed, and not only the state, but also popular opinion and all the politically correct peer pressure that comes with it, calls for the rebellious 'rabble' to be silenced.

We see this is so today, especially in academia.

That's why the objective of the First Amendment protections for freedom of religion and speech was in truth to promote, not stand neutral on, morality and religion among the people. Let the people become corrupt, and the state will mirror their conduct and illogical and unnatural wanderings in the extreme.

2. Tempering Man's Passions in Time of War

There are other benefits to a religious and moral spirit among the people, especially as influenced by the general principles of the Judeo-Christian Bible,

In a letter to his wife, Abigail Adams, in March of 1777, John Adams observed:

"In a time of war, and especially in a war like this, one may see the necessity and utility, of the divine prohibitions of revenge, and the injunctions of forgiveness of injuries and love of enemies, which we find in [the] Christian Religion. Unrestrained in some degree by these benevolent laws, men would be devils at such times as this."

When we look back on America's long history of steering away from the worst atrocities in warfare, we can't help but note that so many other nations have engaged in, even embraced without remorse of conscience, those very atrocities. We also can't help but note that it has not been among so-called 'Christian' nations, but rather among openly secular and atheist nations of the Communist and Fascist world where the atrocities have been the worst.

Just a reminder of the appropriateness of the general principles of Christianity having a place in the public schools – not to establish a national church or to compel faith, but to help remember who we are in the worst of times, to temper our passions, to do good, and to exercise restraint even in the battlefield, the prison cell, and at the negotiating table when the guns have gone silent.

3. Christ's Defense of Women

Once the Bible was free to be read among the common people and they saw with their own eyes what was in that sacred text – as was the case in America – Christianity was set free to influence and assert many advances in liberty in the minds of Christian men and women that were previously hidden from the people, because the state had blindfolded and handcuffed them.

Among these were women's rights.

In 1776, Abigail Adams, testifying to her husband, and to all men, of righteous leadership in the home, invited men to

"Regard us then as Beings placed by providence under your protection and in imitation of the Supreme Being make use of that power only for our happiness."

She was referring to Christ's admonition to husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the Church, and gave himself for it, indeed laying down his life for it.

Which thought Abigail would never have been able to pen, and with such passion, if her education had not included a faithful reading of the Holy Bible.

As for those who didn't follow this example, she advised that it was time that the law began to consider restraining such men.

Please note that Abigail Adams understood the true source of women's rights – the Lord, the author of all our Liberties and Unalienable Rights.

By contrast, the women's rights movement today – born, I would suppose, in a state school system that has banned the reading of the Bible, as did the European 'Mother' states so long ago – has therefore removed God from the freedom formula. No wonder this 'oversight' has led to a warped perspective of women's rights that is anti-God, anti-marriage, anti-family, anti-life, and anti-laissez faire.

These women for godlessness might just as well get up and campaign for Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin and Josef Stalin for president, for isn't that where a turning away from God eventually leads every man and woman politically?

At least that's my observation.

Contact Steve

Follow Steve's daily blog at LibertyLetters.blogspot.com

NewsMax pundit Steve Farrell is associate professor of political economy at George Wythe College, press agent for Defend Marriage (a project of United Families International), and the author of the highly praised inspirational novel "Dark Rose" (available at amazon.com).

Editor's note:
"Live Free or Die" – get the T-shirt – Click Here Now!
Attention, women! Dr. Laura tells how to use "Woman Power" – Go Here Now
The real story behind Arnold Schwarzenegger's success – Click Here!