- Samuel Adams, letter to James Warren, February 12, 1779
Are our principles being dissolved? Will they overthrow the liberties of America before what common enemy we may have? Will we surrender our liberties to the first invader, whether they are internal or external? Or will we continue to be a virtuous people and remain unsubduable? The main question is, are our principles being dissolved? And if they are, how will we know? The answer seems rather simple. We look and see first if our liberties have been overthrown, or if they are in the process of being overthrown.
It is my belief that the freedom of religion is quietly and slowly being pushed over the edge. Not the religion of Jews or Muslims or Buddhists or Athiests. But rather, the religion of Christians. Step outside the box if you will, and look at it from another angle. There are prayer rooms for Muslims in school. Yet mentioning God or the Bible or Christian beliefs is frowned upon. Creation is dismissed as myth, whereas the theory of evolution is presented as fact. We claim to be tolerant, but if someone thinks differently than us and is a Christian, then we say that they are intolerant. We try to minimize the beliefs of a Christian, and raise up the beliefs of others. In this sense, freedom of religion is slowly becoming less of a freedom.
If we want to remain a virtuous people, if we want to remain safe from invaders, whether internal or external, we need to keep our freedoms as they were when our Founding Fathers determined them. Freedom of religion applies to all. Freedom of speech applies to all. One can not accuse someone of verbally assaulting another, when the other was doing essentially the same, yet was said to merely be exercising their freedom of speech. Freedom of the press applies to all published work. We can say what we want. But, it is up to us to choose to do so virtuously, kindly, without bashing others. Nay, it is our responsibility. Freedom does not come without a cost. And part of that cost is exercising it with decorum and respect.
Thus, we must, at all costs, keep the principles which guide our nation. Moral principles and ethical principals. We must retain our manners, treat one another as ladies and gentlemen without resorting to petty bashing and childlike banter used only by fools. For that is what we are if we cannot respect one another. We are all human, and are all entitled to the same rights under our Constitution. We all deserve the same respect, for we all have the same human dignity. If we can do this, if we can speak together without erupting into a full-blown argument, than we can keep our liberties safe, and be protected from any invader. For then we are truly united, and truly free.
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