The Founding Fathers Believed in God
The Declaration of Independence is one of the great documents of American history. It was adopted by men from the first thirteen states on July 4, 1776. The second paragraph (section) of this important article says:
We hold these truths to be self-evident [clear, not needing further proof], that all men are created equal, that they are endowed [furnished, provided] by their Creator with certain unalienable [unchangeable] Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.
As we read these words, we learn several things about the founders of this nation.
(1) They believed they were created by God. They did not accept the false idea of evolution, which suggests we are just “accidents” that somehow ended up on the Earth.
(2) The “fathers” of our nation felt that this truth about creation implied that all people should have equal standing before God, and that the law should protect them. It took our ancestors a while to see that if this truth is honestly followed, no person should “own” another person.
(3) Because God made us in His very image (Genesis 1:26), each of us is entitled to “life” (the right to live free from the threat of danger¾ young or old), “liberty” (the freedom to make decisions for ourselves), and the pursuit of (seeking after) “happiness.”
These truths are the very foundation of a free nation. Our nation’s leaders were wise enough to know that without belief in God, people usually will not be led to respect the lives and property of others.
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