entitle them .” This assumes or presupposes that the people involved are not acting arbitrarily but in accord with God and His revealed will .
Principle Two : Absolute truths exist and are knowable .
The Founders declared certain truths to be “ self-evident .” A self-evident truth , by its very existence , rightly claims that those who deny it are foolish . Even if people are deceived and holding to falsehoods unintentionally , they are still believing ideas that are wrong . Today the idea that a biological man actually can be a woman or that a biological woman can legitimately identify as a man is an example of a modern falsehood that must be countered with the truth .
Principles of
Liberty :
Ten Biblical Truths Hidden in the Declaration of Independence
By B . Nathaniel Sullivan
The Declaration of Independence affirms timeless and revolutionary ideals . Many “ Declaration principles ” are rooted in Scripture . Drawing from the words of the Declaration , we will examine ten truths embedded in the document . We ’ ll learn not just how important these are but also how far we ’ ve departed from them and why we must uphold them again in our day .
Principle One : God exists , has established an ordered and moral universe , and holds humanity accountable .
The Declaration upholds the Founders ’ efforts “ to assume among the powers of the earth , the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature ’ s God
Principle Three : God and His laws establish the track on which men and nations must travel to attain happiness , fulfillment , greatness , and to reach their Godgiven potential .
Our Founders knew that people couldn ’ t live fulfilled lives merely by following whims and impulses . Rather , they must “ assume among the powers of the earth , the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature ’ s God entitle them .” Consider the word entitle . The Declaration ’ s architects believed that those things to which people are entitled are granted and governed by “ the Laws of Nature and of Nature ’ s God .” Today people look to the government for everything to which they believe they are “ entitled .”
Principle Four : God has created human beings equal in value , and He intends for them to be treated with dignity and respect .
Here we focus on the statement that “ all men are created equal , that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights , [ and ] that among these are Life , Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness .” Why did the Founders say this but not abolish slavery ? To be fair , we must evaluate our Founders not in light of our own culture but in light of theirs . America ’ s “ Founders were born into a society that permitted slavery .” 1 Despite this , some swam against the tide as they expressed resistance and even opposition to the practice .
Thomas Jefferson , himself a slave owner , was one such man . He became the principal writer of the Declaration , and in his original draft , he took the King of England to task for his role in the slave trade . While this portion of Jefferson ’ s draft was cut and did not appear in the final copy , the ideal that “ all men are created equal ” became one of the most powerful ever upheld by a nation . Through the years , “ all of the greatest advocates for human equality in America — Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass , Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Suffragettes , Martin Luther King Jr .— pointed to this passage in the Declaration to give force to their demands for justice .” 2
14 THE RENEWANATION REVIEW