Every great movement is propelled forward by great men. That’s a fact. These archetypal personalities were cast in bronze eons ago. Their appeal is eternal. Their qualities are sterling. They fought at Lexington and Concord, at Fort Sumpter, at the Alamo and Iwo Jima. At the right moment, they make themselves known. The Almighty sends them.
Unfortunately, our Ship of State is now floundering perilously close to the rocks. Who will lead us out of this political wasteland that America has become? What modern-day heroes have the stamina, brainpower, moral compass, purity of soul and singular focus to return us to that magic moment when our blessed Republic was consecrated in 1787 and 1788? Who can shepard us through a fresh start and sustain us thereafter?
We tend to think of the 1776 Founding Fathers as towering icons of incorruptibility, probity, honor and strength. Unfortunately, they weren’t anything like that. They weren’t Superheroes out of Marvel Comics. They weren’t pinnacles of perfection in mind and deed. They were flawed. Some were seriously flawed. But somehow the aggregate of them all was greater than their component personalities. They rose to the moment and created something magical. Something epochal. Something never before seen in the History of Western Civilization.
The Founding Fathers were venal, jealous, petty, backbiting, not-always courteous, and selfish. They sweated a lot (everybody worked through an extremely hot season) and stunk up Convention Hall. They gambled. They drank – excessively. They womanized. Many suffered from STDs. Some masqueraded as “Gentlemen” although they were flat broke, existing on the charity of others. A few were wealthy, moral and deliberative – struggling to steer the high passions and bitter disagreements of their fellow Convention delegates to postures of high-minded compromise and accord.
At the head of it all sat George Washington, often with his face contorted in despair and uncertainty that a workable “Government” could ever be forged by men separated by such vast chasms of philosophical and antipathetic perspectives. Benjamin Franklin – the elder Statesman of the group – remarked unabashedly that delegates were of such disparate mental and economic “situtations” that any meaningful “entente” might be impossible.
Despite that – and against all odds – in 1789 the United States Constitution was ratified by all the States. Our History as a Country began in that year. We’ve done pretty well since. But after nearly two hundred and fifty years of Congressional legistlation, Supreme Court opinions and Presidential Executive Orders tinkering with and “interpreting” the 1789 US Constitutional languauge, the old girl is a threadbare shadow of her former self. The United States is teetering on the brink of chaos. Mainstream news pundits openly suggest that the US Constitution should be scrapped…….that the First Amendment should be rescinded – along with the Second Amendment. No guns……ever.
What the Hell is going on?
One thing is certain: we need better leaders. Real leaders. And we need them now. Who will they be?
Oddly enough, the men we need now will be modern versions of the 1776 Patriots. As educated, classically world-wise, committed and immune to privation and physical suffering as our original Founding Fathers were. Men worthy of admiration. And the one key thread that will bind them all is faith. Do I mean that they will all be Christian? Absolutely not.
The original Framers of our Constitution were – despite their frailties – spiritual people. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison and John Rutledge (to name but a few) had a special name for their particular faith.
They called themselves Deists.
Most were Masons. They, therefore, had to believe in a transcendant, “Higher Power” or they couldn’t join the club. In order to be a Mason, you have to believe in God……..or Yahweh……..or Allah………or Odin……..or “The Great Architect of the Universe”. You have to believe in a Deity – or the equivalent thereof.
The term Deist is derived from the Latin word for God: Deus. Deism did not develop as a religious-philosophical movement until after the “Scientific Revolution” which began in the mid-16th Century, ie. “Early Modern” Europe. The great philosophers of that period like John Locke (1690) and David Hume (1757) championed this outlook.
Deism is based upon certain foundational principles:
– There is a Supreme Being who Created the Universe;
– This Supreme Being (known by whatever name you deem appropriate) should be venerated;
– The Supreme Being gave humans the ability to reason and the gift of free will;
– Religions should be pure, natural, simple and rational;
– People should eschew superstition, esoteric Dogma, mysteries and so-called “Divine Revelations”;
– All organized, institutional religions have been corrupted by “Priests” who manipulate their offices for personal gain and power;
– The “class interests” and biases of any Priesthood actually works to reduce mankind’s direct spiritual connection with the Creator Being;
– The Creator Being does influence human affairs – there is something known as “Divine Providence” and “Divine Intervention”;
– The Supreme Being sometimes interferes in the affairs of mankind and orchestrates events outside the course of nature in order to bring about a transcendental good; and,
– Men are free to conceptualize their own worship of God without the need or aegis of a Priesthood.
Deism, in essence, replaces the Catholic Church – and organized religions of all stripes – as well as the “Cult of Reason” at the core of Atheism (belief in no God whatsoever) with the “Cult of a Supreme Being”.
In 1776, our Founding Fathers didn’t insist on any specific organized religion to bind their cadre together, rather they settled on a basic philosophical understanding among themselves: there is a Supreme Being which is called God and that “God Favors our Undertaking” (Annuit Coeptis, the motto on the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States).
In the event things go to Hell in a handbasket, let’s hope our Future Revolutionaries – Future Founders – continue our tradition of Deism and not mire themselves deep in any particular faith or allegiance to organized religion. Remember: ours isn’t a country founded on Christianity. It was founded by Deists. People with a healthy “Hands Off” view of Church and State relations. They knew that once priests, ministers, Rabbis and fanatics are neutered a whole class of influence-peddlers are removed. In the future, let’s also hope that any lobbying group identifying with one particular religion or “people” will also be shown the door.
The correct “New Blueprint” is right before our eyes – our original (1787) United States Constitution and Bill of Rights. It enshrines our overabiding faith in Freedom and Independence. It is our kryptonite against all forms of government tyranny and despotism.
Long may it be our guiding star. God Bless America.
