By James Banakis

July 24^th, 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 250^th 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 1^st 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 1^st

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.