Essay Says Founders Saw Religion, Morality as Essential to U.S. Self-Government

An essay posted on Magnolia Tribune argues that the survival of the U.S. constitutional system depends on a moral people largely shaped by Christianity, citing Alexis de Tocqueville and the nation’s Founders.

The piece cites Tocqueville’s “Democracy in America,” saying the French observer found American institutions ingenious but concluded the republic rested on the character of citizens. The essay says Tocqueville argued religion exercised enormous moral influence even without direct political power.

The essay cites the Founders to support its claim. It quotes George Washington’s Farewell Address: “Religion and morality are indispensable supports,” and says Washington warned national morality could not prevail without religious principle. It also quotes John Adams as writing, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People,” and notes that Thomas Jefferson grounded rights in “Nature’s God,” the essay says.

The essay invokes historians and commentators to place the argument in a broader context. It cites Michael Novak as saying the Founding rested on two wings — the Enlightenment and the biblical tradition — and contrasts that with the French Revolution, which the essay says rejected religion and descended into violence. It also references sociologist Jonathan Haidt’s argument that societies bind through a shared god, shared blood or shared enemies.

The Magnolia Tribune post concludes by quoting Ronald Reagan’s remark, “America is great because America is good,” and argues that the Constitution can preserve liberty only if the people possess the character to preserve it, the essay says.

Source: Original Article