“With a Firm Reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence”
By James Banakis
July 24th, 1016
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth recently stated in a directive, “Our rights as citizens are not granted to us by government, but instead by God” This set off a storm of mockery and contempt by secular leftist political commentators, most notably CNN correspondent Barbara Starr. Starr said that Hegseth’s belief is an example of MAGA Christian Nationalism. She attempted to brand his comments as a crazy fringe fairy tale, and equate it with white supremacy, nationalism, and patriarchal social orders.
During this our 250th anniversary of our independence, few of secular commentators who discuss this semi quincentennial equate it with the spiritualty of the founders. Spirituality is what fueled the Revolution.
First Great Awakening, was a great religious revival that swept the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s. It highlighted expressive, personal faith over formal, rational doctrine. The movement helped unify the colonies and planted seeds for the American Revolution. It was the basis for freedom of religion in the 1st Amendment. That first amendment ensures that all Americans are free to exercise their own beliefs, but the country was founded on the principles of the God of the Bible.
George Washington liked to quote his favorite bible verse, Micah 4:4, as how Americans were free to exercise their rights, “But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid.” In 1789, Washington issued the Thanksgiving proclamation as a National Day of Prayer, our first national holiday.
Today, the anti-religious, secular free thinkers believe the 1st Amendment means separation of church and state. There is no mention of the separation of church and state in either the Declaration of Independence of the Constitution. It means in fact, the absolute opposite. It places religion along with free speech, and the right to peaceably assemble as a protected god given right.
Our founders were highly influenced classical antiquity, Enlightenment philosophers like John Locke, Montesquieu, Adam Smith and their contemporary, Thomas Paine. Almost to a man, the founders embraced the God of the Bible as they sought to live out these ideals. The result was the most successful revolution in the history of the world.
In the American and French revolutions, we encounter totally different journeys toward freedom: two incompatible perceptions of human nature and the nature of political societies. A republic—if you can keep it—or the dawn of universal reason and enlightenment. The French secular project didn’t need a king or God. The French, much more radical and reactionary sought to redo their culture from the ground up.
On November 10, 1793, at the climax of the French Revolution, Notre Dame Cathedral came under assault. It was viewed as the opposition of liberty, equality, and fraternity. The priests were expelled, the saints desecrated, and the altar removed, replaced by the Goddess of Reason. The cathedral was renamed the Temple of Reason. This was the logic of the radical Enlightenment. The result was fear, terror, mob uprising, and ultimately Napoleon taking absolute control, thus reversing any positive gains made by the revolution.
The American revolution by contrast continues to endure because of the creation of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. The finest among us always strive. They strive because there is an allconsuming need within them to find beauty, perfection and excellence that the rest of us are unable to visualize. It happens in great art, music, poetry, oratory, and expressing ideas with the written word. I believe this is what happened in Philadelphia 250 years ago.
The founders were able to soar into the future and communicate to the human heart for generations to come.
According to G.K. Chesterton the appreciation of perfection, individual liberty, and beauty is what sets mankind apart from all other life forms on this planet. This realization is what formed the basis of his conversion from an atheism to Christianity.
Chesterton wanted to create an entirely new, original philosophy of life, only to realize that the conclusions he reached were merely historic, orthodox Christianity. He depicts the historic Christian faith not as a tedious set of restraining rules, but as a stirring and intellectually liberating adventure.
You don’t need to be a Christian to enjoy reading Chesterton whose humorous wit, profound insights reflect today as true as when they were written 100 years ago. He equates atheism with hopelessness, and hopelessness with the collapse of societies.
Rereading two of his books recently I realized that the reliance of the protection of divine providence was what set off our republic from all other revolutionary movements. Being American means having the freedom to believe in whatever you wish. It is important to understand however that the reason we have that freedom is because of our founding documents.
Today the impulse to mock with indifference the wisdom of the founders is the refrain of the cultural left. During this year of commemoration of the Declaration of Independence, it is important to remember how Jefferson ended his document to King George and to all posterity:
“With a Firm Reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”
All 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence
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Jimmy Banakis is a life-long restaurateur. He was an honorary batboy for the White Sox in 1964. He attended Oak Park River Forest High School, Nebraska Wesleyan University, and Chicago-Kent Law School. He claims the kitchen is the room he’s most comfortable in anywhere in the world. He published an extremely limited-edition family cookbook. He’s a father and grandfather, and lives in Downers Grove Il.
Comments 23
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Mr Banakis again a very precise and elegant distillation of the Truth. Thank you for taking the time to write this.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . ”
The commies always forget the second clause in that sentence.
” . . . a wall of the separation between church and state,” is a phrase taken from Jefferson’s letter to the Danbury Baptists assuring them that the Congregationalists would not be allowed to establish a national church. It in no way prohibits ” . . . the free exercise thereof.”
I agree. As you point out, in 1802, in a letter to the Danbury Baptists, Thomas Jefferson formally immortalized the concept of separation of church and state. As Jefferson said then, the First amendment establishes a “wall of separation between church and state.” And here is the irony much to the displeasure of the commies: over the next two centuries the US developed a vigorous and robust religious life – “the free exercise thereof” – far exceeding that in other western countries – such as England and France – with no such “wall”.
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100%! Our founders were brilliant in making a vision for our country based on enlightened *values*, which gives us a living & breathing framework to evolve our country with time but still adhere to the big picture vision & values.
Governments (aka politicians) are false idols. Paraphrasing something I found: “The scriptures heavily condemn false idols, warning that putting anything before God is spiritually and morally destructive.” Place your trust in and worship God, not destructive politicians. Mine trust is in divine providence.
Thank you,Jimmy
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We are being assaulted from the left and the right. They are bankrupting us.
Amendment I.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…
“of religion”…NOT “from religion”.
All those that don’t understand the difference should go back to their 3rd grade english class.
I’ve written and said this before and will continue doing it. The biggest threat to America is not China, Russia, Iran, North Korea; it’s the legacy media that refuses to hold Democrats accountable in the same way they do the Republicans.
What
What Hegseth stated is correct. I guess this heathen, ie sexual assault, serial fornication, alcohol abuse, and financial mismanagement of his nonprofit has found Jesus.
BTW I am in total support of the patriarchal social order. 100%. Take that you woke women.
Politics is downstream from Culture and Culture is downstream from Faith / Religion . We have excised Religion from the Republic and looking at the front page of any daily newspaper, the result slaps us in the face very morning like a three day old mackeral
The French revolutionaries ending up consuming each other. The socialists in this country will end up the same way as reality hits home. When the socialists finish consuming each other, the voters will finish them off. Since the American education system does not teach history anymore, those who do not learn from history will be condemned to repeat it.
Outstanding!
Nicely done!
Anyone who considers themselves both Christian and patriotic is categorized as a Christian Nationalist by the Left. It also helps to be older, white, and male.
I think it was back in the 60’s that I first heard the term “DWEM’s.” Dead, White, European Males. The idea was that they wrote nothing of any value now. I never realized the brilliance of the Founders until I obtained the 54 volume set of the Great Books of the Western World, published by the University of Chicago. It included a suggested program for reading them. It was supposed to take 15 years. It took me about 20 years. I read them while riding the train to and from work. Best education ever. It made me realize that probably 90% or so of College graduates since maybe the 50’s or 60’s are not educated.
At the first Continental Congress, all rose to their feet for the opening prayer, except Washington, who knelt
Everything in moderation, even moderation. How do all you patriots out there think the founders would have felt about the surveillance state we’ve concocted, Patriot Act, FISA court, section 219, effectively melding US and Israeli “intelligence”? I’m all for religion, but these big churches are tax dodges, ditto most “foundations”, private universities, non profits to. Tax them!
The originalists on the SC have shredded the Constitution along with the executive and legislative branches. Until we can end the legalized bribery by donors and PACS, insider trading and institute term limits and harsh ethics penalties, this will all continue until the money runs out.
All this blather about Antifa and the radical left and we have WH, Congress, and the courts rub by the red team. The last thing either of these two sham parties wants to do is be in the majority, because then they have to govern!
Washington wrote a letter to the Jews saying how much he respected them and that he thought they were great Americans and deserved to be able to practice their faith here. I don’t think he meant that our government would be taking orders from and engaging in war on their behalf.
I was just watching a YouTube clip where Charlie Kirk was talking to PBD about Oct. 7. He mentioned three possibilities: A stand down order, traitors in Israeli govt, or double cross of some sort. Speaking of any of these will get one branded an ist, ite, or phobe. Kirk could have been POTUS, he was brilliant. He wasn’t killed because of his views on trans rights. The car he was transported in was steam cleaned, crime scene was paved over days later, and SD cards were removed from the cameras before he was even tended to.
Thoughts?
Thoughts? How about no longer commandeering the comment section of JKNews? How about posting once, addressing the writer’s subject, and otherwise shut the F up? You think you can do that asshole?
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
The fact that these leftists weren’t shouted down and given the derision they deserve shows the appalling lack of education in this nation today.
Hegseth was paraphrasing what our forefathers placed near the beginning of one of our founding documents.
It’s an indication of what these clowns think of the United States and of the people whose work, blood, and lives led to the founding of our nation.
Traitors. Every last one of them.
John….. CNN correspondent Barbara Starr is indeed an idiot (at best) and a deliberate provocateur at worst.
She represents quite well the current crop of fake journalists who have zero grasp on history and civics! With even a modicum of education she would know our country was based in Christianity and that no where in our Constitution or Declaration of Independence is there a mention of the separation of church and state.
Also, like all progressive socialists (ie the democrat party) she either fails to comprehend the genius of our founding fathers or she is being overtly and deliberately obtuse as a strategy to destroy our country.
To summarize…..she is a useful idiot for the socialists!