The
powers of mind, spirit, and body with which we have been created, and which we
use in religion and politics, belong to us simply because of who we are. Simply
by coming into being as a human we have them. We have the right to keep these
powers permanently – that’s what the
words “endowed by the Creator” mean in the Declaration of Independence.
Any effort to take these powers away from someone
is an effort to rob him of his fundamental human
property.
This
leads us to the two of most challenging questions Americans have ever faced.
1.
How is it that we come into being as
humans in the first place?
2.
And how is it that we come not merely to
have these powers of mind, spirit, and body but also to have a right to them?
In
the Declaration of Independence these
questions, in turn, lead us straight back to the Creator.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that
all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights . . . That to secure these rights, Governments are
instituted among men . . . .”
The
answers to the questions above are the same in the Declaration of Independence – “The
Creator.” Science provides two answers – DNA and governments. Having “a
right to them” and actually “having
them” are two very different things. According to the Declaration of Independence – “governments
are instituted among men to secure rights.” Science agrees with that
answer.
In
order for a government to be established by men, they must share a common vision
about two things -- the kind of government
they want and the definition of “good.” Below is the kind of government the
writers of the Declaration of
Independence had in mind:
1.
A government that pursues the common good.
2.
A government that cultivates and protects
the rule of law.
3.
A government that protects the
sovereignty of the people.
4.
A government that encourages material
prosperity and growth.
5.
A government that provides access to
justice, security, and peace for the citizens.
If
you read my email, The
Creator’s Vision and Values for Humanity, you probably noticed
similarities between the words of Genesis
1 and those of the Declaration of
Independence. Both visions rest upon the meaning of one word – good. That is one of the most important
words in English, as are its equivalents in other languages.
The
Hebrew word TOV is the word
translated “good” in Genesis.
Actions that protect and preserve lives, make lives more
functional
and increase the quality of life are TOV – “good for life!”
We
created the TOV Center to promote TOV as a universal standard
for defining good and measuring human actions. I encourage you to adopt
and incorporate the TOV Standard in your life and your decisions.
Thank
you for reading this. Please share and discuss it with others.
May
your life be blessed with an abundance of TOV,
Jim Myers
Jim Myers
SOURCE:
● Our Declaration: A
Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality by Danielle Allen ©
2014l Liveright Publishing Corporation, New York, NY; pp. 174, 247.
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