A perspective on morality and the strength of a nation
by Greg Boyko, December 5, 2020
America is facing a cultural crisis. It has been brewing for years. It is a clash between value systems; a clash between worldviews; a clash of independent thinkers against group-think; and a clash against those in positions of power who attempt to define and control the thoughts and behaviors of the masses.
Nations are nothing more than ideas. And nations are strong only when the people of the nation are united in ways that transcend the borders of the nation; when there are common beliefs that go beyond the authority of the government in power. A nation is viable only when the people of the nation, in aggregate, identify as a common people. But when the people begin to identify themselves into smaller and smaller groups, and when each group’s primary sense of identity is derived from ideas and concepts that are fundamentally opposed to the other groups’ ideas, the nation begins to disintegrate. America is no exception. And America is falling apart.
All governments are given their power and longevity by the consent of the governed–even authoritarian governments. If the governed do not consent to be governed (whether it be willingly, begrudgingly, or apathetically), the government will fail. When the governed do not consent to be governed, we see rebellion. And ultimately, rebellion leads to war. This is how America came to be when the colonists in the “New World” rejected the unjust rule of Great Britain in the 1770s.
Consider the ideas upon which America was built: Freedom, Independence, Inalienable human rights, Representation, Division of Power, Decentralized authority, Frontier spirit, and Entrepreneurialism, to name just a few. When a government becomes oppressive, “when a long train of abuses and usurpations … evinces a design to reduce [the people] under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.” (US Declaration of Independence, 1776).
Fortunately, in America, our form of government allows us to eradicate our oppressors without resorting to violent rebellion or war. We live in a democrat republic, and we, the people, choose our leaders.
But this is where it gets tricky. The people of America are no longer united in belief and purpose as we once were. While Americans have always had differences in culture, language, and religion, we are more divided in 2020 than we have been since the Civil War. On America’s founding and throughout the 1800s and most of the 1900s, the majority of Americans were united in the belief that every citizen, no matter their background, was created equal and endowed by their Creator with the right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Indeed, it was disagreement over these freedoms that led to the Civil War. Again today, there are large factions who deny these basic rights through word and action.
Contrary to what many believe, the blame does not lie with any one political party. Insidious ideas whose origins are fundamentally opposed to all that is Good, Right, and Moral have wormed their way into both sides of the political aisle. Ideas that claim a woman’s “right to choose” outweighs an unborn child’s right to life. Ideas of extreme nationalism that claim America is all that matters, all other nations be damned. Ideas that the governed should depend on the government for a universal income. Ideas that would deny refuge to non-citizens seeking asylum because granting refuge would be bad for American citizens. Or ideas that local or state governments can and should have the authority to lock down their jurisdictions, limiting commerce and livelihoods “for the good of the community” to slow the spread of an illness.
Like the positive ideas upon which America was founded, these negative ideas can transcend borders and political parties. But unlike the ideas that founded America, these ideas are borne of selfishness, greed, power, and pride. They are fundamentally at odds with the ideas that are enshrined in the founding documents of the United States of America and with the tenets of basic morality.
Founding father and second President of the United States John Adams wrote that “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion….Our Constitution was made only for a religious and moral people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.” [1] There is a battle for the heart and soul of America (and indeed, of the world), and there is a significant contingent of people whose human passions are unbridled by an objective morality. As Adams warned, if and when this happens “this Country will be the most miserable Habitation in the World” (ibid).
In 2020, there is clearly a cultural division of worldviews. One worldview claims that there is an objective moral standard against which all thoughts and actions can be judged. Another claims that universal objective morality does not exist, and that morality is defined by the society in which we live; that individuals and communities decide for themselves what is just and moral, and that those in power are free to impose their morality upon others. These two philosophies are diametrically opposed. They cannot coexist in a strong nation. [2] This is the cultural and moral crisis that America faces. This is what will tear the nation apart (again). And this is what will lead to the oppression of American citizens, perpetrated by fellow citizens and by their own government.
But what of the protections afforded to American citizens as enshrined in the Constitution, and particularly in the Bill of Rights amendments? Certainly, these protections must guarantee that Americans will remain free and unoppressed by those in power? Sadly, this is not true. Laws get interpreted by the judiciary, and interpretations can change. New laws (sometimes conflicting with prior law) are enacted by legislators whose turnover rate can be significant every few years, and who may be morally corrupt. Policies and procedures are enforced by the executive branch and the countless unelected bureaucrats at the federal, state, and local levels. In short, the protections afforded are only as sound as the moralities of the people interpreting and enforcing those protections.
Morality is the linchpin that holds a nation together. That is why John Adams so famously wrote that “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion.” It is said that it is impossible to legislate morality. So, do we give up on government altogether? While legislating morality is not possible, the laws and the people we choose to enact and enforce our laws do have significant impact on our society. As Martin Luther King, Jr. so eloquently put it, “while it may be true that morality cannot be legislated, behavior can be regulated. It may be true that the law cannot change the heart, but it can restrain the heartless.” [3]
No. We do not give up on government. Instead, we participate in government and public policy fully. We represent the objective morality that is universal. We align ourselves with the Giver of the universal moral code rather than with a particular political party. We call out (and drive out) practices, thoughts, and behaviors that are antithetical to the universal moral code, while at the same time affirming those practices, thoughts, and behaviors that are Good and Right (understanding that Right and Wrong sometimes occupy the same mind). We make the difficult decisions to support leaders who are deeply flawed, not because the leaders always represent what is Good and Right (they don’t), but because we are able to discern the ultimate ends of the policies they support.
Those familiar with Christian teachings know that there is a current battle between Good and Evil. Between God and Satan. Between Light and Dark. But this is a universal truth and not unique to Christianity. It is an idea inborn in every person’s heart. Indeed, Christianity teaches that “God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” [4] and that “when [unbelievers], who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law … they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness…” [5]
In the end, every individual will at some point in their life need to align their worldview with one that acknowledges a universal morality higher than themselves. Otherwise they align with a worldview that affirms the only morality is the one upon which they decide. And when morality is defined by self, you end up with a morality that is selfish, which is no morality at all.
A strong, united America is a moral America. A moral America acknowledges a universal morality. To deny a universal morality is to embrace chaos and evil. This is America’s cultural crisis.
Choose a side.
[1] “From John Adams to Massachusetts Militia, 11 October 1798,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/99-02-02-3102.
[2] Abraham Lincoln and the states of the Union believed in a universal morality. The states of the Confederacy believed that morality should be defined by the states themselves. The result was Civil War.
[3] From “Martin Luther King, Jr.’s address at Western Michigan University,” December 18, 1963
[4] Romans 1:20
[5] Romans 2:14-15
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