When John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were wrestling with the other founders as to the role and size of government, they were not concerned with morals and principles. Yes, there have always been unprincipled and immoral men, but at the time our government was being formed, morals and principles were assumed. It was just a given that people generally believed in biblical principles, regardless of their faith in Jesus Christ. Our founders were working to form a way to manage government and give rights to the people. They did not have to discuss same-sex marriage or the killing of millions of babies in the womb, because people generally held to the decent and right principles set forth in the Word of God.
Today, our government has to spend a lot of time dealing with morals, because the world has worked so hard to keep God and His plan and simple decent morals out of government. Instead of spending time sharpening each other on matters of Constitutional government, in a partisan manner in which our founders intended, our politicians spend a great deal of their time governing morality.
Adams and Jefferson were ardently opposites on the role of a federal government. They agreed on the given morals that should be inherent in any government, and so they were able to have ongoing healthy differing opinions which truly did keep our government and our elected officials razor-sharp. They disagreed until the very day on which they both died, and yet kept a strong respect and admiration for one another. We should hold this example of tight friendship, solid respect and a fervent differing of opinion up to the faces of our governing officials.
A Blank Canvas
13 years ago
