Posted on 06/11/2012 7:32:42 AM PDT by marshmallow
Three basic truths we must remember if we are to remain free
The following address was given at the Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally held in Eugene, Oregon, on Friday, June 8, 2012.
Good afternoon!
One of my heroes is the great Russian author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, who spent decades recording the horrors and history of Communism until his death four years ago. In 1983, he gave an address that began with this statement:
More than half a century ago, while I was still a child, I recall hearing a number of older people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen Russia: “Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened.”
The Communist revolution was, of course, a violent and bloody one. Like the French Revolution, which took place in the late 1700s, it was openly opposed to belief in God and Christianity. While the leaders of those respective revolutions directly attacked belief in God, their paths to power, tyranny, and terror were made easier because so many men had forgotten God.
The American Revolution is often compared to the French Revolution. In fact, when I was in high school, the two were presented as twins, as if they were essentially the same in character and intent. But they were not.
While the leaders of the French Revolution savagely attacked tradition and order, the American founders were deeply concerned to preserve and respect the rich tradition inherited from the Magna Carta (1215) and the English Bill of Rights (1689). And while the French revolutionaries sought to violently overthrow Christianity and to establish a secular religion with a secular calendar, the American colonists sought independence from Britain in order to peacefully govern themselves as free men.
Many of the American founders were Christians; all of them recognized the transcendent..........
(Excerpt) Read more at catholicworldreport.com ...
Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has happened.”
So true today.
The author makes multiple valid points with this insightful article. As one should expect, it does come with a Catholic viewpoint and it is most glaring in the opening observations of the differences between the American and French Revolutions. The author does not account for the role of the Church as part of how the French government and monarchy came to be despised. This role was significant and to overlook or deny that influence is intellectually unsound and disingenuous, IMO.
The above observation does not take away from the balance of the article for making valid points that deserve due consideration.
Speaking of “catholic viewpoint”, I love the quote from the beginning of Boodock Saints:
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”
Problem is, many ask “what should good men do?”
Bump
You can see a short video that uses a comparison of the American and French revolutions to make its case for what, foundationally, is really going on. A hint: Christians believe that man is basically born in sin while liberals and non-christians believe that man is basically naturally good.
He calls it “constrained vs unconstrained”. Judge a tree by its fruit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dwz_Z62e0s
"Good Men" don't ask. They know. It can be a circumstance where a mom drops a credit card in the grocery store. It could be the opportunity to stand up to a bully in high school. It could be the commitment of dedicated American soldiers to stop genocide. Or it could be the reporting of suspected child abuse. The 911 call on a suspected drunk driver. It could also be as simple as stating an honest belief or refuting a false claim in any conversation.
"Good Men" are people of action, conviction and passion. "Good Men" act benevolently, humbly and honestly. "Good Men" are righteous, imperfect and repentant.
Sadly, these days "Good Men" are hard to find.
I remember my mom coming home from some psychologist and proclaiming that should statements were wrong. What garbage. Should = ought.
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