On
Religion (notes
from “The American Enterprise” October/November 2003
Many
political observers have argued that religion is important not only to
keeping cities humane but to keeping self-governing democracy itself in
balance. Alexis de Tocqueville warned that, “despotism may govern without
faith, but liberty cannot. Religion…is more needed in democratic republics
than in any other. How is it possible that society should escape destruction
if the moral tie is not strengthened in proportion as the political tie
is relaxed?”
This
was a deep concern of our nation’s founders. “We have staked the whole
of our political institutions on the capacity of mankind to govern themselves
according to the Ten Commandments of God,” stated James Madison.
“Of
all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion
and morality are indispensable supports,” wrote George Washington.
John
Adams acknowledged, “Our Constitution was designed only for a moral and
religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the governance of any other.”
Scottish
historian (mid 1800’s) Sir A.F. Tytler wrote:
A democracy…can only exist until the voters discover they can vote themselves
largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always
votes for the candidate promising the most benefits…with the result
that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed
by a dictatorship. The average age of the world’s great civilizations
has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence:
”
From bondage to spiritual faith
” From spiritual faith to great courage
” From courage to liberty, to abundance, to selfishness
” From selfishness to complacency, to apathy, to dependency
” From dependency back to bondage
Having
read the above, now read the following and see what Professor Joseph Olson
of Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota, wrote about
the 2000 Presidential election between Al Gore and George Bush.
Population
of counties won by Gore 127 million — by Bush 143 million.
Square
miles of country won by Gore 580,000 — by Bush 2,427,000.
States
won by Gore 19 — by Bush 29.
Murder
per 100,000 residents in counties won by Gore 13.2 — by Bush 2.1 (not
a typo).
Professor
Olson adds: “The map of the territory Bush won was (mostly) the land
owned by the people of this great country. NOT the citizens living in
cities in tenements owned by the government and living off the government.”
Professor
Olson thinks the US is now between the apathy and complacency phase of
democracy although he believes that 40 percent of the nation’s population
has already reached the dependency phase.