As a nation today, where have we placed our faith?
It was once in an all-knowing Creator. The language of our founding fathers clearly pointed to the belief in a higher authority, a Being greater than ourselves. Our founding fathers understood that we are mere mortal, fallible men. It was an infinite God who wrote the universal laws of nature on our hearts, not an earthly prince. Laws should govern our actions as a nation and secure inalienable rights for citizens.
Whether our founding fathers were Christian or not is irrelevant. They understood that universal truths govern the ethics of our behavior and provide certain key maxims: all men are created equal, and a Creator has given us life and liberty—not the government.
As time passes, more and more people have stepped away from this understanding of natural law. In its place is the pernicious religion of political spiritualism, with heavy doses of media conjecture and nihilism. There are fewer today who ascribe to the same belief system of an omniscient and omnipotent Creator, which was the conviction of many of our founding fathers.
This is most evident over the past year and a half as many in our society have placed their trust and faith in political leaders and doctors, the news media, and social media influencers above and beyond any theological or spiritual construct. Many chose to accept a single narrative about COVID, without questioning the virus’s origin, and accepted widespread violence in our cities in the name of equity. They accepted the political edicts of Dr. Anthony Fauci, BLM, Governor Andrew Cuomo, the CDC, and CNN—never questioning or reasoning why masks were necessary, why it was acceptable to shut down the economy, or why inner-city violence was suddenly acceptable.
Simply put, people have bought into a new political spiritualism that requires you to worship at the feet of political elites—a cult that uses cancel culture to purify its ranks of unbelievers. But in this religion the spiritual fruit that ripens is not hope or optimism, but fear and seclusion. Countless believers fell victim to the seemingly unbearable stress of COVID and the ever-present risk of impending death, the willing acceptance of government control and limited freedoms, and the obeisance of political dictums.
In this spiritual void people filled their lives with Netflix, alcohol, takeout, and countless Zoom calls—with few positive results. People weren’t happier because of it. They needed fresh air, physical activity, and actual human contact. Over the course of a year and a half, many Americans resigned themselves to the fact that they were about to die from COVID and if they lived through the pandemic, they would see how racist they really were.
The most ardent converts were the media themselves as they groveled at the feet of Fauci, BLM, and Cuomo. They believed these fallible men without question and exalted them and their ideals to the status of omnipotent princes. So exalted were they that some graced the covers of Time, People, InStyle, and Rolling Stone, spoke to millions on TV, and won an Emmy. This is all ironic considering the news media’s former journalistic role, where they would investigate claims of scientific cover-up, political impropriety, or widespread violence—not serve as PR agents.
Despite the elevated status of these men and ideals, we see time and again how wrong society was to worship at their feet: the FOIA release of emails, cover-up of nursing home deaths, sexual impropriety, rising death tolls in our inner cities, the continued drip-drip-drip of evidence regarding the origins of COVID and the implications laid at the feet of NIAID leadership. We should hope that this would humble ardent supporters and give pause to opponents alike.
As a society we must return to reason, logic, and natural law to help guide our understanding of issues and drive the steps our leadership must take to combat challenges. We must remain open-minded and maintain a questioning attitude when facing the onset of a potentially difficult situation. Our political elites, however, do not follow reason, logic, or natural law—they follow the path of political spiritualism and regurgitate political talking points that align with their activist donors for fear of cancellation.
Effective leaders don’t govern by spitting out political talking points, or suffering from knee-jerk reactions. They take the time to understand the circumstances, pursue information from all sides, and seek input from their team and constituents. Leaders must listen first, then take action. In a time when soundbites rule, however, most politicians govern by 10-second audio clips and are often hyperpartisan as they pursue immediate action without first listening.
There is also another lesson to be learned. We must reestablish our faith and trust in the Creator, as mentioned by our founding fathers. Psalms, a beautifully poetic and striking book of wisdom in the Bible, provides the impetus to do just that.
Psalm 146:3 states, “Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.” The author is warning the reader to be mindful that the people of this world are finite, fallible, and mortal. Instead, the wise man will place his trust in an all-knowing God, with an understanding of His natural law. This is a stark reminder for people who have laid their political offerings at the feet of Fauci, Cuomo, BLM, and others.
These verses are also a warning and a guide to stay vigilant and discerning, to never blindly accept what fallible men provide. Instead, we are to place our trust and faith in God and allow Him to guide our thoughts and actions. We ought to use our God-given faculties, e.g. reason, as a tool to examine the good, bad, and indifferent of what is spoken, taught, or reported. Citizens must remain vigilant and discerning of what they hear, and cautiously consider what is truth or fallacy.
The words of our founding fathers and Psalm 146 encourage us to reassess and reconsider our approach to the people and information we encounter. We must never blindly accept the apparent truths given by political princes. We must never trade our Creator-endowed rights to life and liberty in payment for political authoritarianism.
As Americans, we have a unique heritage. Our tradition of Judeo-Christian values has created a nation of laws and morals. We are a society built on the dependence upon an almighty God, and the guarantee of His natural law: life and liberty. We have also inherited a special gift: a nation with inalienable rights—something that no man or prince should ever take away.
Instead of worshipping at the feet of political elites and offering our own freedoms as sacrifice, we must place our faith in the almighty Creator once more.