Religion and Politics: The Manhattan Declaration

Last week, a group of religious leaders released the Manhattan Declaration - a statement reaffirming the essential justice and goodness of upholding and protecting the sanctity of life, traditional marriage between a man and a woman, and of the rights of religious conscience and liberty. Although written from a Christian perspective, the ethos of the declaration conforms to the foundational Judeo-Christian heritage of our traditional American values and morality. The document urges believers and non-believers alike to recognize the evident detrimental societal ramifications caused by the steady erosion of these 3 principles. It is not written simply from a perspective of fidelity to the Christian faith, but from that of the well being of society and of love for all individuals. The declaration also calls on people of conscience to actively promote these doctrines in our American society and further to civilly resist attacks on and abandonment of these doctrines.

This point of view undoubtedly will be assailed from the left as bigotry, intolerance, and imposing church on the state. They incorrectly argue that the principle of separation of church and state that prohibits a state sponsored religion also requires a person to exclude their religious perspective from their politics. This position not only is a misunderstanding of that principle but also fails to grasp that a person’s belief system is their religion. It is their framework for understanding this world, this life, and their purpose or vocation in this life. Further, a person’s belief system intrinsically has an associated code of morality or ethics. This moral code provides an ethical standard by which a person measures the conduct of their lives. For many, this cosmologic and ethical framework arises from their belief in an eternal, omnipotent, and loving God. For others, their belief system arises from their secular understanding of the world. In either case, what they believe is their “religion.” One’s politics can not possibly be separated from one’s “religion”. It is facetious for a “non-religious” person to say that a Christian’s political position which is based in their religious beliefs should not be expressed in the political process and yet insist that their political position that is based in their secular beliefs are legitimately expressed in the political process.

Ironically while many on the progressive left claim to espouse broad tolerance of individual beliefs, they do so only as long as those beliefs conform to their beliefs. As Americans, we rightly pride ourselves in freedom of beliefs and in that sense we certainly live in a tolerant society. However, living in a free, democratic, and tolerant society does not mean that all beliefs should have equal expression in that society. Our American freedom confers the right to any citizen to utilize the political process to incorporate into our society those beliefs they consider beneficial and to exclude those they believe to be detrimental.

The principles and objectives of the Manhattan Declaration will also meet resistance from the right. Some conservatives argue that these issues of sanctity of life, traditional marriage, and religious liberty are peripheral social issues that divide and thereby weaken the conservative movement. They feel debate of these issues only distracts from the more important conservative effort to promote traditional American individual freedoms and the traditional American economic principles of free markets. This stance however, does not recognize that the same liberal ideology underlying the systematic attack on traditional American morality also underlies the attack on traditional American individual freedoms and economic principles. Progressive ideology comprehensively rejects the intrinsic, absolute, and personal nature of individual freedoms, talents, and responsibilities as understood in our Judeo-Christian heritage. Rather than primacy of the individual person and of the individual family, the progressive movement emphasizes the ascendancy of the non-personal collective society. Rather than the absolute and unchanging morality of our Judeo-Christian heritage, the progressive movement champions a changing and relative morality that “fits” with our societal and scientific “progress”. We must understand that the attack on traditional American individual freedoms and economic principles is part of the broader systemic ideological assault on all of traditional American society and must be resisted on all fronts.

We have reached a defining crossroads in our nation’s history. We can sit back and watch the “enlightened” progressive economic and moral principles insidiously supplant our traditional American principles and values; or we can each step up, and actively participate in an unprecedented grass roots political movement that embraces and promotes traditional American free market principles, individual freedoms, and morality. Please read the Manhattan declaration. It is a compelling and lucid statements. Aand, if it conforms to your beliefs, add your signature (http://manhattandeclaration.org/images/content/ManhattanDeclaration.pdf). Forward the document to those who care for traditional America. Write your congressman and senators (contact info found at http://www.conservativeusa.org/mega-cong.htm). Join and contribute your time, energy, and money as you are able to grass root organizations such as the American’s for Prosperity http://americansforprosperity.org/national-site, American Liberty Alliance http://americanlibertyalliance.com//, and other traditional American values based grass roots organizations.

Reclaiming the American Vision of Freedom and Prosperity

Regardless of our political affiliation, Republican, Democrat, or Independent, most of us would agree America faces serious issues with regard to the economy, healthcare, poverty, morality, education, and the aging population. Further, many of us, Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, share a similar vision for our country. It is a vision of America with a strong and sustainable economy in which individuals and families can be secure in their ability to provide for themselves. It is a vision of America based on economic and personal freedoms, allowing individuals to decide what sacrifices they will make, education they will pursue, opportunities and talents they will use, and risks they will assume to succeed. It is a vision of America with the ability and commitment to make us secure from those within and outside our country who would do us great harm. It is a vision of America as a shining model of individual freedom, economic and societal success for the rest of the world. It is a vision of a compassionate America that provides a safety net of basic housing, education, and healthcare. It is a vision of America of our generation passing on not only a better society, economy, and environment to the next generation but also the opportunity for our children and grandchildren to be able to choose how to live out their American dream. Most importantly, it is a vision of American government that fosters, rather than impedes this vision.

There is another vision, that of President Obama and the far left. Theirs is a vision of government taking over more of our economy and lives to provide a “fairer” society. Theirs is a vision of government limiting individual decisions and opportunities and instead providing “equality” of economic outcome, of healthcare, of education, of standard of living. Theirs is a vision of America being just another country, renouncing and even apologizing for the principles of individual and economic freedoms that have made our country great. Theirs is a vision of government abandoning the traditional American virtues and morality and instead espousing broad societal moral tolerance based, not on an absolute standard, but rather on the “enlightened” morality agreed upon by contemporary “intelligent” society. Most importantly it is a vision of American government (tyranny) that imposes this vision on us.

We must recognize the current political upheaval is not simply a debate between the Republican perspective and Democrat perspective within the traditional American economic and political society but rather a well-veiled effort to overthrow our traditional American society. In actuality, it is a struggle between those of us (Republican, Democrat, or Independent) who believe in the goodness and efficacy of traditional American economic principles, individual freedoms, and moral values, and those who would renounce those principles, freedoms, and values and remake America into a European-style social democracy.

Without a doubt, at this time in our country’s history, we find ourselves with significant economic break down and social difficulties. Yet these troubles are not a result of the failure of traditional American free market principles and personal freedoms in a more complex modern world, but instead the result of the erosion and corruption of those principles. Our economic and societal troubles can only be successfully addressed by again embracing the traditional American free market principles, traditional American individual freedoms, and traditional American morality that made our country the greatest of the modern world, the shining light on the hill of liberty, freedom, and prosperity.

Our country has come to a defining moment. We (Republican, Democrat, or Independent), who love freedom and liberty, must recognize the stakes. We must pick sides. We must join the fight. Our children’s and their children’s futures depend on what we do now. Though it may initially strike you as hyperbole, the “Great Generation” fought and died to protect the very liberties and freedom that we risk losing because of a well-organized “progressive” minority and a corrupted political process.

Every individual can make a difference. We must fight those who would denounce and remake traditional America. We must take back the corrupted political system through historic grass roots pressure to force transparency and accountability on the politicians and bureaucrats. Write your congressman and senators (contact info found at http://www.conservativeusa.org/mega-cong.htm); and join and contribute your time, energy, and money as you are able to grass root organizations such as the American’s for Prosperity http://americansforprosperity.org/national-site, American Liberty Alliance http://americanlibertyalliance.com/, and other free market based grass roots organizations.