Wednesday, December 05, 2007

"Replete with references to God"

I'm still a bit astonished that someone who has claimed to have read the Constitution - such as Ron Paul who has made adherence to the Constitution the backbone of his presidential campaign - could in sincerity say that the document is full of references to God when in actuality the complete opposite is the truth.

It's even stranger when we remember that at the time of its creation there were critics who lamented the godless nature of the Constitution. Gary Wills gives two excellent examples of this in Head and Heart

The first is from Timothy Dwight in 1812:

We formed our Constitution without any acknowledgement of God, without any recognition of His mercies to us as a people, of his government, or even of his existence. The Convention by which it was formed never asked, even once, his direction or his blessing upon their labors. Thus we commenced our national existence, under the present system, without God.
And the second is from Chauncy Lee in 1813:

Can we pause and reflect for a moment, with the mingled emotions of wonder and regret, taht that public instrument which guarantees our political rights and freedom and independence - our Constitution of national government, framed by such an august, learned and able body of men, formally adopted by the solemn resolution of each state, and justly admired and celebrated for its consummate political wisdom - has not the impress of religion upon it, not the smallest recognition of the goverment or the being of God, or the dependence and accountability of men - be astonished, O Earth! -- nothing by which a foreigner might with certainty decide whether we believe in the one true God; or in any God.
It appears that today's figures who wish for their government to give sanction to their personal belief in God have created an imaginary past in which such was the case, and created a scapegoat to blame for the loss of that mythical Halcyon age - liberals aka secularists aka the collectivst Left (aka communists). What's more impressive is that they are able to believe their own lies inspite of reality.

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