The Freeman 1972 - The Ludwig von Mises Institute

1972 AGELESS FAITH FOR A VACILLATING AMERICA 587ity, peace, harmony, and freedomare nurtured. When man transgressesthe eternal laws, he enslaveshimself.Faith in God was early reflectedby our forefathers. In their rigorousway, the Puritans and otherfundamentalist sects were acknowledgingthe supreme power ofthe Creator and their need for Hisguidance.Thomas Jefferson expressed itthus in 1785:And can the libel,ties of a nation bethought secure when we have removedtheir only firm basis, a convictioni.n the minds of the people thatthese liberties are the gift of Godthatthey are not to be violated butwith His wrath? In'.leed, I tremble formy country when I reflect that God isjust; that His justice cannot sleepforever.Benjamin Franklin also echoedthe early faith:I have lived, sir, a long time, andthe longer I live, the more convincingproofs I see of this truth: that Godgoverns in the aftairs of men. And ifa sparrow cannot fall to the groundwithout His notice, is it probable thatan empire can rise without His aid?Faith in God was written intothe Declarabion of Independence."We hold these truths to be selfevident.That all men are createdequal. . . ." The signers were expressingtheir belief in two truths.First, they believed that certaineternal wisdom existed for all menand all posterity. These laws were"self-evident." Secondly, man'sequality was the gift of a supremeCreator. Men were "created"equal in the sight of God. Government,or "society," had nothing todo with bestowing equality.Those who said: "That they[men] are endowed by their Creatorwith certain unalienablerights; that amo,ng these are life,liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,"were again stating theirfaith in God. They were sayingthat God - not government, or society,or the State - should be theultimate object of man's allegiance.These rights were entrusted toman by God, not privileges bequeathedby any government.Faith in FreedomBecause the Founding Fathershad a resolute faith in God, theyalso had a perceptive fa,ith infreedom, Le., confidence in and dependenceupon individual choice.They recognized that God coercedno man to love and follow Him, sothey, too, put their trust in individualfreedom and accountability.Men like Jefferson and JohnAdams observed that individualfreedom and personal responsibilitywere inseparable. If man hasthe· inherent, God-given right to