Freedom Principle #1: What’s Right or Wrong?

In our modern-day American Babylon (from Hollywood to mainstream media to other “pop” culture icons) where we are conditioned to believe that anything is acceptable as long as it “makes us happy” or “makes us feel good,” many folks don’t even realize they are being governed by (untrustworthy) human feelings and whims, as opposed to an absolute reality of right and wrong.

And, what is this carefree “anything goes” mentality actually doing to our freedoms as Americans?  After all, as many of us have recently witnessed (from Duck Dynasty to Hobby Lobby) –what feels “right” to one group of Americans may very well come at the expense of the basic “rights” of their fellow citizens.

“Who really cares as long as the so-called “haters” are silenced and poor Sandra Fluke gets her FREE birth control pills,” cries Babylon.

What do we expect from a generation that has never really heard the concept of Natural Law, much less applied it to sound government, good lawmaking, or even basic human relationships?  In a culture that has become so fervent about removing God from our military, every schoolhouse, every courthouse, and every other public forum (and even churches, for that matter), how can we possibly begin to recognize our Creator’s natural order of things (Natural Law) these days, anyway?

Yet, as Cleon Skousen, author of the book, “The 5,000 Year Leap,” describes Natural Law:

…it is eternal in its basic goodness; it is universal in its application. It is a code of “right reason” from the Creator himself. It cannot be altered. It cannot be repealed. It cannot be abandoned by legislators or by the people themselves, even though the pretend to do so…

Our Creator’s “true law” still exists whether we choose to ignore it or not.  However, to our Founding Fathers, this concept of Natural Law was not only recognized, it was monumental.  In fact, they were greatly inspired by the writings of political thinker, Marcus Tullius Cicero, who distinctly described how Natural Law embraces the magnificence of the very first great Commandment—to love, respect, and obey the all-wise Creator.

Cicero once wrote, “God’s law is ‘right reason.’ When perfectly understood it is called ‘wisdom.’ When applied by government it is called ‘justice.’ When people unite together in a covenant or compact under this law, they become a true ‘commonwealth,’ and since they intend to administer God’s law they belong to His commonwealth.” 

Cicero had great optimism for the society that was built on the moral high road of Natural Law. He had hope in the society that eliminated depravity and fully embraced the precepts of a loving and concerned Creator. Our Founding Fathers believed that the United States was that society. So, they framed our very American system based on Natural Law.

As The 5,000 Year Leap explains:

It may be surprising, even to Americans, to discover how much of their Constitution and their lifestyle is based on principles of Natural Law. For example, these concepts are based on Natural Law:

• The concept of UNALIENABLE RIGHTS
• The concept of UNALIENABLE DUTIES
• The concept of HABEUS CORPUS
• The concept of LIMITED GOVERNMENT
• The concept of SEPRATION OF POWERS
• The concept of CHECKS AND BALANCES
• The right of SELF PRESERVATION
• Laws protecting FAMILY and the institution of MARRIAGE
• The concept of JUSTICE BY REPARATION or paying for damages
• The RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS
• The principle of NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION

…Natural Law is the foundation and encompassing framework for everything we have come to call “People’s Law.”

 This is precisely what Thomas Jefferson was talking about when he wrote the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Jefferson’s infamous declaration was based on what Jefferson called “Laws of Nature and Nature’s God,” and America’s foundation of government was rooted in the very idea that we are a society that recognizes the Supreme Creator of the universe and His standard of right and wrong.  Needless to say, it’s no surprise that William Penn once eloquently stated, “If man is not governed by God, he will be ruled by tyrants.”

Our Founders certainly understood that if we, as a people, decide to reject our Creator and drift away from His moral standards (to follow our own human whims), we will inevitably become captives to the evil impulses of other vicious men (whether they come as Islamic terrorists or power-hungry politicians). If we deny the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God, our free nation falls apart at the seams. That’s just how it goes. That’s simply what happens to a people too blinded by Babylon to discern good from evil, right from wrong.

That’s why the very first Principle of Freedom—is to embrace the Divine gift of Natural Law.