By Phyllis Schlafly
I’m so glad that the Tea Parties are bringing a new appreciation of the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution to grassroots America. Federal law now requires public schools to teach something about the Constitution on Constitution Day, September 17, but there is no such law about the Declaration of Independence, and most schools are closed for the summer anyway.
On this Fourth of July holiday, we should remember that the great Declaration is not only the statement of our Independence, but it is also America’s great religious document. The Declaration of Independence is the official affirmation by the American people of our belief and faith in God. The Declaration affirms God’s existence as a “self-evident” truth that requires no further discussion or debate. The nation created by the great Declaration is God’s country. The rights it defines are God-given. The Declaration contains five references to God — God as supreme Lawmaker, God as Creator of all men, God as the Source of all rights, God as the world’s supreme Judge, and God as our Protector on whom we can rely. The Declaration declares that each of us is created. If we were created, we must have had a Creator.
The Declaration of Independence declares that each of us is created equal, which means equally endowed with unalienable rights. Many of the men who signed the Declaration paid for their courage with their lives and fortunes, and that’s why we are able to enjoy our freedom and independence today.
It is more important than ever before that young American citizens have an understanding of our nation’s Judeo-Christian heritage. It is a historical fact that our Founding Fathers who wrote our Declaration of Independence and Constitution were men of faith who took their Christian religion seriously.
Contributing Editor Phyllis Schlafly is the founder and president of Eagle Forum.
Used with permission.
