Get the outside grills ready. It is the fourth of July weekend. PARTY! What are we celebrating? Who cares? Give me another beer. I have heard that type of sentiment expressed more than once. It is all about the three day weekend. It does not matter why my employer gave me an additional day off. The only pertinent component is that I am off. Please do not bother me with the details.
Independence Day will probably mean more to me this year than it ever has in my lifetime. As I watch our freedoms erode right before my eyes, the sinking feeling grows heavier in my heart. It is not an enemy from outside the country attacking us and holding us captive. Rather, it is us. We have made choices and decisions on many different levels of personal responsibility that have not been good. This has led to other unhealthy and detrimental decisions at the governmental and corporate levels which now sets the stage for us to implode as a society.
Some comments on social media recently have shown a complete lack of understanding about the future of a nation when it turns its back on God. One statement said this: "Gay marriage was approved and the world hasn't ended." That may possibly be a short-sighted viewpoint. There will be many repercussions from this particular ruling and it will take time for all of them to play out. In regard to freedom, there could be many concerns.
We have been told over and over that provisions will be made to protect religious liberty. It seems to me that we heard those assurances during the "Obamacare" discussions. Look at the results of that promise. It has taken numerous lawsuits to attempt to preserve those rights and we have lost frequently. What leads us to believe that the ruling regarding "same-sex marriage" will be any different? Attempts will surely be made to force ministers and churches into cooperating with these ceremonies. Freedom cannot be taken for granted.
Five un-elected officials on the U.S. Supreme Court have changed the landscape of American politics. Legislating from the Bench is standard operating procedure in modern times. It makes sense now why the Supreme Court is so often a discussion during presidential campaigns. The president gets to appoint Justices to the Supreme Court. It is not an unbiased court and it matters who gets appointed. That is why there is such a litmus test for confirmation of judges. It impacts the opportunity to legislate from the Bench in a way that one desires. The balance of powers is shaky at best.
Take some time to celebrate this weekend. More importantly, take some time to pray. Give thanks to God for the freedom we enjoy. Pray for all the men and women who have sacrificed to provide these freedoms. Pray that we may one day strive to live up to the ideal to become "one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
Independence Day will probably mean more to me this year than it ever has in my lifetime. As I watch our freedoms erode right before my eyes, the sinking feeling grows heavier in my heart. It is not an enemy from outside the country attacking us and holding us captive. Rather, it is us. We have made choices and decisions on many different levels of personal responsibility that have not been good. This has led to other unhealthy and detrimental decisions at the governmental and corporate levels which now sets the stage for us to implode as a society.
Some comments on social media recently have shown a complete lack of understanding about the future of a nation when it turns its back on God. One statement said this: "Gay marriage was approved and the world hasn't ended." That may possibly be a short-sighted viewpoint. There will be many repercussions from this particular ruling and it will take time for all of them to play out. In regard to freedom, there could be many concerns.
We have been told over and over that provisions will be made to protect religious liberty. It seems to me that we heard those assurances during the "Obamacare" discussions. Look at the results of that promise. It has taken numerous lawsuits to attempt to preserve those rights and we have lost frequently. What leads us to believe that the ruling regarding "same-sex marriage" will be any different? Attempts will surely be made to force ministers and churches into cooperating with these ceremonies. Freedom cannot be taken for granted.
Five un-elected officials on the U.S. Supreme Court have changed the landscape of American politics. Legislating from the Bench is standard operating procedure in modern times. It makes sense now why the Supreme Court is so often a discussion during presidential campaigns. The president gets to appoint Justices to the Supreme Court. It is not an unbiased court and it matters who gets appointed. That is why there is such a litmus test for confirmation of judges. It impacts the opportunity to legislate from the Bench in a way that one desires. The balance of powers is shaky at best.
Take some time to celebrate this weekend. More importantly, take some time to pray. Give thanks to God for the freedom we enjoy. Pray for all the men and women who have sacrificed to provide these freedoms. Pray that we may one day strive to live up to the ideal to become "one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
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