https://www.azquotes.com/author/28916-Charles_Carroll_of_Carrollton
Except for the formal language, the above quote sounds like something preached from an American pulpit last Sunday. But as you can guess from his portrait, Charles Carroll lived long ago; he was a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
He’s certainly not been alone in warning of trouble, should our citizens ignore God and his wise instruction for conduct. Throughout the decades since the founding of America, there have been patriots proclaiming a similar message.
For example:
John Adams
“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other” [1].
—John Adams, second U.S. president
“All the . . . evils from which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery, and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible [2].”
—Noah Webster, author of Webster’s Dictionary and numerous textbooks.
Noah Webster
“If the power of the Gospel is not felt throughout the length and breadth of the land – anarchy and misrule, degradation and misery, corruption and darkness, will reign without mitigation or end [3].”
—Daniel Webster, Secretary of State under Harrison, Tyler, and Fillmore.
“Without God there is no virtue because there is no prompting of the conscience . . . without God there is a coarsening of the society; without God democracy will not and cannot long endure. . . . If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a Nation gone under [4].”
— Ronald Reagan, fortieth president of the United States.
Ronald Reagan
And here we are in 2024, witnessing the results when such warnings against misrule, corruption, and vice are ignored.
- “The rise in violent crime has become a national trend in the past few years as cities reach homicide rates not seen in decades [5].”
- “The United States has done little to improve its battle against public-sector corruption in recent years, according to Transparency International, which measures experts’ perception of corruption around the world. In 2023, for the second year in a row, the U.S. ranks 24th out of 180 countries and territories” (tying with Barbados, and just ahead of Bhutan) [6].
- Over 1 in 6 Americans, adults and teens alike, suffered a substance use disorder in 2022. . . . About 30 million had an alcohol use disorder, while 27 million had a drug use disorder — including about 6 million with an opioid use disorder [7].”
Spice addicts passed out on the pavement
And how is America to rectify such circumstances? Our sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln shared wisdom still relevant for today:
“Intelligence, patriotism, Christianity, and a firm reliance on Him, who has never yet forsaken this favored land, are still competent to adjust in the best way, all our present difficulty [8].”
–Abraham Lincoln
Imagine if:
- The intelligence of best-practices was implemented against crime, drugs, homelessness and more—on a grand scale
- Patriotic (instead of self-serving) leaders enacted the best policies to benefit the most people
- Christian principles, proven to achieve the most profitable results (Psalm 18:30), were embraced and followed by a large majority
- Our nation relied firmly upon God for guidance
Such outcomes are within our grasp if we take to heart the advice of these discerning leaders:
“It is necessary for the welfare of the nation that men’s lives be based on the principles of the Bible. No man, educated or uneducated, can afford to be ignorant of the Bible [9].”
—Theodore Roosevelt, twenty-sixth U.S. president
“All must admit that the reception of the teachings of Christ results in the purest patriotism, in the most scrupulous fidelity to public trust, and in the best type of citizenship [10].”
—Grover Cleveland, twenty-second and twenty-fourth U.S. president
“The only means of establishing and perpetuating our republican form of government is the universal education of our youth in the principles of Christianity by means of the Bible [11].”
— Benjamin Rush, signer of the Declaration of Independence
* * * * * * * * * *
I pray, Heavenly Father, we might experience a fifth Great Awakening in America! Pour out your refreshing, purifying Spirit, bringing the hope of Jesus to the millions who don’t know you and are living unaware of your loving care, peace, joy, help, and more.
For those of us who do know you, I pray we may become the purest patriots of YOUR kingdom, eager to serve you in a hurting world.
[1] https://www.azquotes.com/quote/1936?ref=christian-patriotic
[2] https://christianheritagefellowship.com/christian-quotes-from-the-founding-fathers-2/
[3] https://gracequotes.org/author-quote/daniel-webster/
[4] https://lajuett.com/patriotic-religious-quotes.html#:~:text=%22I%20tremble%20for%20my%20country,His%20justice%20cannot%20sleep%20forever.%22&text=%22I%20have%20sworn%20upon%20the,over%20the%20mind%20of%20man.%22
[5] https://www.heritage.org/crime-and-justice/commentary/8-cities-help-explain-national-crime-wave
[6] https://thefulcrum.us/corruption/corruption-perception-index-2023-2667125422
[7] https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2023-11-14/more-than-1-in-6-u-s-adults-teens-have-substance-use-disorder
[8] https://lajuett.com/patriotic-religious-quotes.html#:~:text=%22I%20tremble%20for%20my%20country,His%20justice%20cannot%20sleep%20forever.%22&text=%22I%20have%20sworn%20upon%20the,over%20the%20mind%20of%20man.%22
[9] Ibid.
[10] Ibid.
[11] Ibid.
Art & photo credits: http://www.azquotes.com; http://www.commons.wikimedia.org; http://www.picryl.com; http://www.flickr.com (2), photo of drug addicts by Tim Dennell; http://www.pxhere.com; http://www.flickr.com; http://www.rawpixel.com.
From the Inside Out 