Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America

The American Colonist's Library; Primary Source Documents Pertaining to Early American History ^ | 1851 & perhaps earlier | John Adams

[unspun]

Why do I say all this? Not to blow my horn but to be able to state that my actions in relation to others has for a very long time now resulted in very positive face to face communications. I am the first to admit that my formal education is limited but in trusting God and seeking his guidance I find things flow rather easily. And if I can do it anyone can. It always seems to be when I try to rely on my own will solely or someone elses direction that I encounter obstacles. Love.

Excellent point, Tim.  Yet the people opposed to our Christian morals based republic would attempt to stifle the free marketplace of ideas.  They do this through "political correctness" in universites, schools, and the media, and through effectively blackballing Christian/moralists in Hollywood.  Even more despicable, they attempt to drown out from our governmental institutions, any historically and intellectually honest relation of our Christian (and by Christian I also mean Judaic) heritage, the very basis of the free society in which we live.  Many means are used, from the very subtle to the very obtuse.

One means has been to focus on a minsconstrued Jefferson, Madison, and Franklin, as opposed to J. & S. Adams, Henry, Mason, Blackstone, etc.; also to ignore the role of everyman's Biblically informed conscience and intellect, and of course the roles of the clergy, while the hew and cry at the time of our Revolution was actually "No king but King Jesus!" as assuredly as it was "No taxation without representation."  Also, in the earlier generation, the leftists and corrupted libertarians focus upon a misconstrued Locke (Locke as Rousseau) vs. Sidney.  Since then, of course the existentialists, materialists... and now the immaterialist "post-modernists."  (Perhaps there is more novelty and controversy with these people; maybe that is the excuse for all the attention.)

But beneath the revisionism is Marxist-style manipulation and control of the public mind.  Hardly the free marketplace of ideas, there.

[BikerNYC]

Since then, of course the existentialists, materialists... and now the immaterialist "post-modernists."

The materialists and the immaterialists? That just about covers everyone.

[unspun]

The materialists and the immaterialists? That just about covers everyone.

Thanks, I didn't say that; I said "materialists... and now the immaterialist 'post-modernists.'" Involves a play on words, don'cha know.

That which is most material to our lives is not that which is of the material universe.

[unspun]

One means has been to focus on a minsconstrued Jefferson, Madison, and Franklin, as opposed to J. & S. Adams, Henry, Mason, Blackstone, etc.

I was remiss to name James Otis here, who some say was a living mentor to Samuel Adams, John Adams, etc.

Here is a link to an "indictment," written by a loyalist in 1781, of James Otis and certain clergy in America, for being the chief instigators of the American Revolution.

[unspun]

When the founders spoke of "nature's law and nature's God," they were not referring to the libertarian type of natural law as understood today. The natural law they spoke of came from Christian philosophers such as Grotius and Puffendorf and the context was purely Christian. It was later than natural law was changed to mean something else.

Here are some useful links:

From the The American Colonist's Library we have a link to a document reported as follows...

The Principles of Natural Law, J. Burlamaqui, tr. Thomas Nugent (1748, tr. Thomas Nugent 1752) This was the textbook on political theory used at Harvard. It was this book that gave James Otis, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Joseph Warren, and John Adams their understanding of political science.

The Principles of Politic Law, J. Burlamaqui, tr. Thomas Nugent (1748, tr. Thomas Nugent 1752) Sequel to The Principles of Natural Law carrying natural law into constitutional law. Commentary on the ideas of Grotius, Hobbes, Puffendorf, Barbeyrac, Locke, Clarke, and Hutchinson.

Of the Law of War and Peace, Hugo Grotius (1625, Latin) One of the first works on international law.
De Jure Naturae, Samuel Puffendorf (1672, tr. Basil Kennett 1703)

Of course, more may be found elsewhere, including by Web searches.  (The search engine I most often use is ixquick.com.)

[unspun]

bump because I can

[kitchen]

And a worthwhile bump it was.