RETAKE: Freedom and Independence: the Finding of Identity
On the 4th of July, 1776, when the Continental Congress declared the American colonies independent from the British Empire, not only were they declaring to the world their freedom, but they were declaring their new found identity. It was not that these United States were to be some sort of sister concern of the British Empire, in such a way that they reflected the identity of Great Britain on another continent. No, this was an embracing of an entirely new identity, one which would necessitate the relinquishing of their old identity a colony of the British Empire. And that is why, in no unclear terms, the Declaration of Independence uses the language of “separation” to declare independence, and to define new identity.
At the crux of freedom and independence is the issue of identity. Who we really are as people, and whether we see ourselves for who we really are, defines whether we are free or not.
If the framers of the Declaration of Independence did not see the people of the then United States (and all men) as— “. . . created equal . . . endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men . . .”— then they would not have risked the formation of a nation separate from Great Britain. It is because they saw themselves as being enslaved to the tyranny of King George III, that they were then compelled to relinquish this old and false identity and say with resolve that, “all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved . . .” It is because they saw their true identity as resting in the freedom provided by God to man, that they were able to embrace this new identity and, “with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence . . . mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”
At the crux of freedom and independence is the issue of identity. Who we really are as people, and whether we see ourselves for who we really are, defines whether we are free or not.
If the framers of the Declaration of Independence did not see the people of the then United States (and all men) as— “. . . created equal . . . endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men . . .”— then they would not have risked the formation of a nation separate from Great Britain. It is because they saw themselves as being enslaved to the tyranny of King George III, that they were then compelled to relinquish this old and false identity and say with resolve that, “all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved . . .” It is because they saw their true identity as resting in the freedom provided by God to man, that they were able to embrace this new identity and, “with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence . . . mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”
The Exchange
In this endeavor for “sacred Honor,” they had to exchange their old identity for a new one. They had to relinquish old ties. The Declaration of Independence lists the atrocities that were being committed and shows that sacred honor was being desacralized. In order for freedom to be secured, the sacredness that was being taken away had to be restored. Thus, it is not that they were seeking a complete autonomy which leaves God out of life. They were not seeking autonomy from the sacred, but independence and freedom from a human government that desacralizes. In true freedom and independence from tyranny, there is a deep and abiding dependence on God. For the fathers of the United States, their new identity and the gaining of independence were both proven by this phrase in the last sentence of the Declaration, “a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence.” In depending on God, they were gaining independence for the United States. An exchange of identity had been made on a national level. The new identity saw the people of the United States as independent politically, but dependent on God essentially.
Eighty-eight years later, in 1864, this dependence on God was reconfirmed when “In God we trust,” was first engraved on money. And one hundred and eighty years after 1776, in 1956, the identity of America as a people dependent on God, would be further crystalized as a joint resolution was passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives, that the very national motto of the United States should be, “In God we trust.” In summary, first an exchange of identity was made in 1776, which caused a colony of the British Empire to become a new nation dependent on God, and then reconfirmations of that identity were made two subsequent times in history, as I have shown above.
For a person to be free his old identity that bound him must be relinquished, and his new identity should be embraced. For a country to be free, their old identity must be relinquished, and their new identity embraced. For that freedom to be perpetuated, the new identity that gave them that freedom, ought to constantly be renewed and reaffirmed, as it was in 1864 and 1956, with “In God we trust.” It is high time for another reaffirmation of national independence by reaffirming national dependence on God. And that has begun happening, to a certain extent, with our current government.
Judeo-Christian ethics and morals—the key that set the nation free from the old shackles of tyranny—has today been molded by liberals and atheistic academics, into new shackles and put on the hands of the Savior who sets free, and on the hands of those people who follow Him. Those people who attempt to shackle Christianity and Christians in the United States, have taken the old shackles and worn it as a garland of freedom. But the garland of freedom is not a garland. It is a shackle of bondage that draws blood, and will claim its pound of flesh. The only hope is the same Christian key that the Founders used: the Truth, who sets men free, Jesus Christ. In the Bible, Jesus Christ is called the Truth. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6)
To see ourselves for who we really are, we need the light of Christ. If we don’t have this Light to see ourselves for who we are, we can never be truly free and independent. We become the people we are meant to be when we have the Light of God shining on us. As God once did, He still shines His light, and calls people out of darkness into that light, so that we may become His people, have identity, and know true freedom. The Bible says of those who have believed in Jesus Christ,
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.” 1 Peter 2:9-11
This nation badly needs the mercy of God, so that people can turn back to God, and find freedom and know their identity; so that all the liberties that this nation was founded on will not be taken away as they have begun to be; so that the fleshly lusts which are rampant in this nation, that wage war against the souls of people, will be overcome so people can step out of the darkness of bondage into the light of freedom.
Am I advocating for a national religion? Certainly not! But the Christian worldview, with Judeo-Christian principles of morals and ethics in operation, is the only system that truly allows for the freedom and independence of a nation in which all people from all nations and religions are welcome. No other religion, philosophy, or worldview allows for this sort of American freedom and independence. At present, the United States which was declared independent on the 4th of July 1776, has drifted far from the foundation that made her free, and has acquiesced to lesser worldviews—lesser not because they are inferior culturally or racially, but lesser because none of them could have ever allowed for this global and historic anomaly that is the United States. While present freedom should be celebrated, those forces which are working to lead this nation away from its founding identity and freedom should be strongly commiserated. And while there are forces working to lead this nation even further away from God, I thank God for the recent changes in government in which we see efforts made to return to God in some measure.
But millions of individuals in the United Stated need to find their identity and be set free. The country as a whole needs to renew and reaffirm the identity that was impressed upon these United States at their founding.
© Kenny Damara, 2014 and 2018.
Eighty-eight years later, in 1864, this dependence on God was reconfirmed when “In God we trust,” was first engraved on money. And one hundred and eighty years after 1776, in 1956, the identity of America as a people dependent on God, would be further crystalized as a joint resolution was passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives, that the very national motto of the United States should be, “In God we trust.” In summary, first an exchange of identity was made in 1776, which caused a colony of the British Empire to become a new nation dependent on God, and then reconfirmations of that identity were made two subsequent times in history, as I have shown above.
For a person to be free his old identity that bound him must be relinquished, and his new identity should be embraced. For a country to be free, their old identity must be relinquished, and their new identity embraced. For that freedom to be perpetuated, the new identity that gave them that freedom, ought to constantly be renewed and reaffirmed, as it was in 1864 and 1956, with “In God we trust.” It is high time for another reaffirmation of national independence by reaffirming national dependence on God. And that has begun happening, to a certain extent, with our current government.
Are we really free today?
The answer to the question would depend on whether people know their identity or not. As individuals, are we really who we ought to be? As a nation, are people collectively really who they ought to be—both according to principles of Christian Scripture upon which this nation was founded, and according to the Charters of Freedom which were framed upon principles of that Christian Scripture?Judeo-Christian ethics and morals—the key that set the nation free from the old shackles of tyranny—has today been molded by liberals and atheistic academics, into new shackles and put on the hands of the Savior who sets free, and on the hands of those people who follow Him. Those people who attempt to shackle Christianity and Christians in the United States, have taken the old shackles and worn it as a garland of freedom. But the garland of freedom is not a garland. It is a shackle of bondage that draws blood, and will claim its pound of flesh. The only hope is the same Christian key that the Founders used: the Truth, who sets men free, Jesus Christ. In the Bible, Jesus Christ is called the Truth. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6)
The Light
What will help national and individual identity to be renewed so that freedom can be celebrated? How can people see the truth about themselves and our nation as a whole? In the Bible Jesus is not only called the Truth, but He is also called the Light. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12 and 9:5)To see ourselves for who we really are, we need the light of Christ. If we don’t have this Light to see ourselves for who we are, we can never be truly free and independent. We become the people we are meant to be when we have the Light of God shining on us. As God once did, He still shines His light, and calls people out of darkness into that light, so that we may become His people, have identity, and know true freedom. The Bible says of those who have believed in Jesus Christ,
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.” 1 Peter 2:9-11
This nation badly needs the mercy of God, so that people can turn back to God, and find freedom and know their identity; so that all the liberties that this nation was founded on will not be taken away as they have begun to be; so that the fleshly lusts which are rampant in this nation, that wage war against the souls of people, will be overcome so people can step out of the darkness of bondage into the light of freedom.
Am I advocating for a national religion? Certainly not! But the Christian worldview, with Judeo-Christian principles of morals and ethics in operation, is the only system that truly allows for the freedom and independence of a nation in which all people from all nations and religions are welcome. No other religion, philosophy, or worldview allows for this sort of American freedom and independence. At present, the United States which was declared independent on the 4th of July 1776, has drifted far from the foundation that made her free, and has acquiesced to lesser worldviews—lesser not because they are inferior culturally or racially, but lesser because none of them could have ever allowed for this global and historic anomaly that is the United States. While present freedom should be celebrated, those forces which are working to lead this nation away from its founding identity and freedom should be strongly commiserated. And while there are forces working to lead this nation even further away from God, I thank God for the recent changes in government in which we see efforts made to return to God in some measure.
But millions of individuals in the United Stated need to find their identity and be set free. The country as a whole needs to renew and reaffirm the identity that was impressed upon these United States at their founding.
© Kenny Damara, 2014 and 2018.
Comments
Post a Comment
Leave a Comment