 The Cincinnati Enquirer |
Editorial Page
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Tuesday July 7, 1998 |
Edwin Locke misses the mark by a wide margin ("Why we all celebrate July 4th" July 4) in his analysis of the source of America’s greatness. In his view, Western culture (and America as its greatest product) is best because of three values: reason, individual rights and science and technology. Religious zealots, out to destroy the separation of church and state according to Mr. Locke, are a threat to our continued greatness. I beg to differ with his reasons for our greatness and the ultimate threat to America.
Those generally credited with establishing this nation, including the framers of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence and our early leaders, were by and large men of Christian faith who were unashamed of their beliefs. Many of the early writings can still be viewed in museums in Washington, D.C. with their frequent references to Almighty God. George Washington himself, hopefully still a hero to most Americans, |
was a devout Christian who gave credit to God and warned of the dire consequences should the nation depart from His ways. I believe that our many foundational cracks are a direct result of modern America’s clear departure from those values and beliefs.
Reason, rights, and science and technology have their place as attributes, but they are not our foundation. History is littered with the corpses of civilizations that have done well for a while, yet failed in the end. America is dangerously close to adding itself to that list. Washington, Lincoln, John Adams and a host of others would be termed "religious zealots" and "far right" extremists in today’s society, and probably would not be permitted to lead. The solution lies in a return to our real roots. Secular humanism is the problem, not the solution. David R. Lippert
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