Moral and religious restraints are the only feasible solution
Insight as to what is happening in America today and why can be gained from a letter by John Adams to the military in 1798, warning his fellow countrymen:
“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion … Our Constitution was made only for a moral and re-ligious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
John Adams was a signer of the Declaration of Independ-ence, the Bill of Rights and our second president.
Benjamin Franklin echoed this truth:
“Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need for mas-ters.”
President George Washington noted:
“Religion and morality are the essential pillars of civil society.”
James Wilson, former U. S. Supreme Justice concluded:
“Human law must rest its authority ultimately upon the au-thority of that law which is divine …Far from being rivals or enemies, religion and law are twin sisters, friends, and mu-tual assistants. Indeed these two sciences run into each other.”
Gouverner Morris of Pennsylvania, frequently credited as being the penman of our Constitution and author of its Pre-amble, opined:
“For avoiding the extremes of despotism or anarchy … the only ground of hope must be the morals of the people. I be-lieve that religion is the only solid base of morals and that morals are the only possible support of free government,”
Faith-based houses of worship have seen their attendance decline as crime has increased. The Millennial Generation is spoken of as “the greatest generation ever lost.” Without them having a moral compass, anarchy is potential. They fail to discern that peaceful protest is a wellestablished right, but violence and rioting are not peaceful protests.
Those who disparage morals and religion as a viable factor in dealing with the violence in our nation offer the alterna-tive of new laws. There is no law that can make one person love another.
There are laws against every major violation perpetrated recently and they did not keep them from happening. Sure, obedience to law would have prevented the tragedy. Without internal personal restraints there will be no obedience to law. Admirable moral and religious restraints are the only feasible solution.
Robert Winthrop, former Speaker of the U. S. House, gave this somber warning:
“Men, in a word, must necessarily be controlled either by a power within them or by a power without them; either by the Word of God or by the strong arm of man; either by the Bible or by the bayonet.”
Application of the ageless Golden Rule would have pre-vented the current escalation of violence.
The faith-based community in America offers a reasonable assistance to bringing America together. It must not be mute in this hour of great need in America.
Three times in our illustrious his- tory, America has sunk into a moral milieu that threatened its very existence. Three times there has been a great spiritual awakening that turned the tide and renewed the land.
In the event there are any members of the faith community that don’t know what to do, try this option:
“If My people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” II Chronicles 7: 14
The Rev. Nelson Price is pastor emeritus of Roswell Street Bap-tist Church in Marietta and a former chairman of the Shorter University board of trustees.