Sermon on the United States Constitution
May 30, 2010 - By Joan Zaglool
When my children were still at home it was the custom to discuss the day's events at the dinner table. Each of my children were asked what they had learned in school that day, or if something interesting had happened to them. On that premise, I come to you to express myself as the child and you who are the parents.
I had the opportunity to take an on line course on the US Constitution. Today everyone is yelling "this is totally Unconstitutional!" I thought I'd better find out just what they meant when they said that. I decided to take the course, but I had no idea it would become, as Dr. Phil puts is so eloquently, "a defining moment" for me. Learning about our constitution touched me so deeply that when I shared this with my friends in Adult Sunday School and with Father Mike, Father Mike asked me to share it with you.
I learned that America is unique, unlike any other nation in the world, because it was born out of a revolution. It is the only nation in the world that celebrates its birthday, July 4, 1776. There is no other nation in the world that was born out of a revolution. This revolution gave birth to America and America gave birth to the United States Constitution, or as Dr. Spalding, one of the professors put it, Revolutionism resulted in Constitutionalism.
All the Founding Fathers were students of Greek and Roman Philosophy, as well as the English philosopher, John Locke. I am absolutely NO EXPERT on Greco-Roman Philosophy, but I have learned that it is grounded in Human Nature. The founders believed that Biblical and natural-law standards always prevailed and that Human Nature could not be changed. These beliefs rests in Matthew 7:17- 20, "Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. Thus by their fruit you will recognize them." With this revelation, it was an ah-ha moment. I realized that IF the Constitution was grounded in human nature and Natural Law, then it was a living, breathing document.
Here is a document that is only, 5,400 words long! It is the culmination of Western Political thought. Each word in the Constitution has meaning. No words should ever be deleted from it, and if words are to be added it will be as an amendment to the document and must be ratified. Just think; 5,400 words. Now think of how many words there are in the new Healthcare Bill, which is over 2400 pages long. A 5,400 word, 4 page handwritten document, is still used today to govern the most prosperous and free country in the world. And this document is totally grounded in Natural Law with the belief that the ultimate ruler is God.
The United States Constitution is a document of laws, because the founding fathers had just spent nine long years separating themselves fro
m a nation that was ruled by one ruler, King George of England. They knew that a strong, prosperous nation was a nation ruled by laws, NOT by men. They feared being ruled by one man because they knew that man's constant struggle was between reason on one hand
and passion on the other.
Studying the Constitution and the men who wrote it has taken my life on a spiritual journey. Each day another piece of the puzzle has been revealed to me, and through my learning process, I have begun to put all the pieces together.
One piece of this spiritual journey was when I learned our Founding Fathers believed that to have a strong government, it must be a virtuous one. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are based on the Bible and on faith.
As stated in the Declaration of Independence, "When in the Course of Human Events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them", AND
"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."
At the end of the Declaration of Independence is the Founders' pledge, "And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."
The founders truly believed that religion and faithful adherence to the Bible was the only way to a strong government and country. This is when I realized what "Separation of Church and State" meant; separation of church (a specific religion), but NOT a separation of God and State.
The Founding Fathers were religious men who studied and read the Bible and prayed regularly. Religion was an integral part of being a colonist. From my reading, I believe Samuel Adams would be considered a "Right Wing Religious Fanatic" today. The Founding Fathers were not about controlling people. They believed that it was faith that made strong citizens. Citizens with a stron
g faith and knowledge of the Bible would speak the truth and be charitable towards their neighbors. They so much believed this, that in 1775, 1 year before the Declaration of Independence, they ordered some 20,000 English bibles from Holland and Belgium, to be distributed among the colonies. They felt it was imperative that Bibles be made easily accessible to the common man, not just a select few. After the Revolutionary War, when the first Constitutional Convention was convened around 1785, they commissioned more Bibles be printed with the Constitutional Convention printed on the inside cover. These Bibles were to be distributed to all schools throughout the new 13 original states to teach American children how to be honest and virtuous citizens of the new Republic.
Another leg of my journey began when I learned that the three founding fathers considered to be the most secular of all the founding fathers were in fact, very
religious men. Benjamin Franklin, a professed Deist fell back to organized religion when his own life suffered moral decay. As the governor of Pennsylvania, he provided state funds to build churches throughout the state of Pennsylvania so the citizens could worship. When the first Constitutional Convention convened in June of 1785, the new country was in such disarray, that Benjamin Franklin called for prayer and I quote, " that hence forth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business."
Thomas Jefferson signed all official documents "In the Year of our Lord, Christ". The only official document in which he signed only, In the Year of Our Lord was the United States Constitution. When Jefferson became our third president, he moved the fledgling nation's capital to Washington. It was here that Jefferson had a chapel built. Some 2
000 people worshipped weekly at this chapel and each week a different chaplain from a different religion conducted the services. Thomas Jefferson also wrote a book called "The Life and Words of Jesus", which he had printed in four different languages. Congress gave that book to all new congressmen when they came to congress for the first time. Thomas Jefferson believed that the words of Jesus Christ were important words to follow while in Congress. This tradition was discontinued in 1924.
George Washington, had a rigorous discipline of Bible reading and prayer which he practiced every day until he died. His wife's daughter, Nelly Custis, wrote that doubting his Christian faith was as absurd as doubting his patriotism. The pas
sion of Washington's heart was to praise God. He called the Revolutionary Army Christian soldiers defending the dearest liberties of their nation. The Washington Memorial in Washington DC has the words "Laus Deo" imprinted at the very top of the memorial. No building in our nation's capital can be taller than the Washington Memorial. The Latin words "Laus Deo" mean "Praise Be To God." They are facing skyward to the Father of our nation. Dep
osited within the cornerstone of the Washington Memorial is a Holy Bible. Such was the discipline, the moral direction and the spiritual mood given by this founder and first President of our unique democracy, "One Nation, Under God."
The United States Constitution is written on the premise that human nature is constant. James Madison, known as the father of the Constitution, believed that a government is the greatest of all reflections of Human Nature. The founders believed that men are not angels. Men are not perfect, BUT men are capable of self governess, IF they create a government that takes into account man's proclivities to human nature. The Republic was founded on natural rights as bestowed upon us by God. Natural law is given to you and to me through the power of reason , moral rights and moral wrongs.
Individuals are endowed by their Creator with life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The pursuit of happiness, to the founders, was synonymous with virtue. To be happy is to be virtuous and your pursuit of happiness should be directed toward
s virtuous things. As a result, Americans are charitable and believe in self actualization, or being free to fulfill their own individual potential.
The Founders believed that government was to be limited in purpose, but powerful in specific purposes. Government was to be responsible TO the people BUT NOT responsible FOR the people. The founders felt it was vitally important that its citizens knew, that their government was a Republican Government, and that self government is the soul of a Republican government. Thomas Jefferson said that the Constitution was the "Architecture of Liberty" and the "Empire of Reason." Because man always struggles with reason and passion the Founders believed that without virtue you could not have a strong nation.
The Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are considered to be the two greatest documents written by the hand of man in all the world. All countries that yearn to be free, point to these two documents. The foun
ders had to think about where they got their rights, and they knew that their rights came from natural rights given to them by God. In order to secure those rights they had to create a
government of laws, NOT OF MAN. These ideas all go back to classical antiquity, Greek, Roman and even English philosophers.
No man is above the law, so the United States Constitution are basic principles of law. So basic are these laws, that there are those who believe that as a citizen of the United States of America, you should carry a copy of your Constitution with you at all times, so you will always know what your rights are.
Our country is a Republic first and a democracy second. In a Republic, the supreme power rests in all its citizens. A democracy is where the people hold the ruling power, but they vest the passions of the people through representatives whom they elect. The PEOPLE vest the powers to the government through three branches, the Legislative, the Executive and the Judicial Branch.
These separations of power were intended and deliberate by the Founders. They knew that those in government would fluctuate between reason and passion at any given time, and it was their intention for these branches to struggle with issues to ensure that the core principles found in our Constitution were honored and upheld.
All three branches are responsible for upholding our Constitution. The Legislative Branch makes the laws for the people by the people . The Legislative branch is listed first and nearly 2/3s of the lines describing the three branches are dedicated to the Le
gislative Branch. This implies that our Founding Fathers believed it to be the most important and most 
powerful branch. The Executive Branch, listed in Article II, is our president and his administration. It is the President's responsibility to defend our Constitution and to ensure that the laws are faithfully executed. Article III is the Judicial Branch. Because it is listed last, this implies that it is the least important and the least powerful. It makes judgments in court cases which deal in the interpretation of our Constitution.
The Founders intended that ALL its citizens be involved in understanding and interpreting their Constitution. They believed that religion, knowledge and morality is necessary to good government. Without those three virtues, our founders strongly believed that government would be subject to deceit and corruption. Remember, the colonists had just spent a good ten years fighting off a government monarchy that wanted to control every aspect of their lives by military might and heavy taxation.
In closing I want to read you a poem from "The American Patriot's Almanac." "The Landing of the Pilgrim Fathers" was written by an English Poet, Felicia Dorothea Hemans. As the almanac states, this poem is still a good reminder of why many settlers came to these shores. And when you pray, remember America. Remember that freedom is not free. Like your relationship with God, it must be nurtured through the practice of your faith, through your due diligence in seeking historical knowledge of your country, and through living a virtuous life by extending your hand to others. It is a commitment to your God, your Founding Fathers, and to the Constitution they gave you and me, that we might always live free.
I had the opportunity to take an on line course on the US Constitution. Today everyone is yelling "this is totally Unconstitutional!" I thought I'd better find out just what they meant when they said that. I decided to take the course, but I had no idea it would become, as Dr. Phil puts is so eloquently, "a defining moment" for me. Learning about our constitution touched me so deeply that when I shared this with my friends in Adult Sunday School and with Father Mike, Father Mike asked me to share it with you.
I learned that America is unique, unlike any other nation in the world, because it was born out of a revolution. It is the only nation in the world that celebrates its birthday, July 4, 1776. There is no other nation in the world that was born out of a revolution. This revolution gave birth to America and America gave birth to the United States Constitution, or as Dr. Spalding, one of the professors put it, Revolutionism resulted in Constitutionalism.
All the Founding Fathers were students of Greek and Roman Philosophy, as well as the English philosopher, John Locke. I am absolutely NO EXPERT on Greco-Roman Philosophy, but I have learned that it is grounded in Human Nature. The founders believed that Biblical and natural-law standards always prevailed and that Human Nature could not be changed. These beliefs rests in Matthew 7:17- 20, "Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. Thus by their fruit you will recognize them." With this revelation, it was an ah-ha moment. I realized that IF the Constitution was grounded in human nature and Natural Law, then it was a living, breathing document.
Here is a document that is only, 5,400 words long! It is the culmination of Western Political thought. Each word in the Constitution has meaning. No words should ever be deleted from it, and if words are to be added it will be as an amendment to the document and must be ratified. Just think; 5,400 words. Now think of how many words there are in the new Healthcare Bill, which is over 2400 pages long. A 5,400 word, 4 page handwritten document, is still used today to govern the most prosperous and free country in the world. And this document is totally grounded in Natural Law with the belief that the ultimate ruler is God.
The United States Constitution is a document of laws, because the founding fathers had just spent nine long years separating themselves fro
and passion on the other.
Studying the Constitution and the men who wrote it has taken my life on a spiritual journey. Each day another piece of the puzzle has been revealed to me, and through my learning process, I have begun to put all the pieces together.
One piece of this spiritual journey was when I learned our Founding Fathers believed that to have a strong government, it must be a virtuous one. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are based on the Bible and on faith.
As stated in the Declaration of Independence, "When in the Course of Human Events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them", AND
"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."
At the end of the Declaration of Independence is the Founders' pledge, "And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."
The founders truly believed that religion and faithful adherence to the Bible was the only way to a strong government and country. This is when I realized what "Separation of Church and State" meant; separation of church (a specific religion), but NOT a separation of God and State.
The Founding Fathers were religious men who studied and read the Bible and prayed regularly. Religion was an integral part of being a colonist. From my reading, I believe Samuel Adams would be considered a "Right Wing Religious Fanatic" today. The Founding Fathers were not about controlling people. They believed that it was faith that made strong citizens. Citizens with a stron
Another leg of my journey began when I learned that the three founding fathers considered to be the most secular of all the founding fathers were in fact, very
Thomas Jefferson signed all official documents "In the Year of our Lord, Christ". The only official document in which he signed only, In the Year of Our Lord was the United States Constitution. When Jefferson became our third president, he moved the fledgling nation's capital to Washington. It was here that Jefferson had a chapel built. Some 2
George Washington, had a rigorous discipline of Bible reading and prayer which he practiced every day until he died. His wife's daughter, Nelly Custis, wrote that doubting his Christian faith was as absurd as doubting his patriotism. The pas
The United States Constitution is written on the premise that human nature is constant. James Madison, known as the father of the Constitution, believed that a government is the greatest of all reflections of Human Nature. The founders believed that men are not angels. Men are not perfect, BUT men are capable of self governess, IF they create a government that takes into account man's proclivities to human nature. The Republic was founded on natural rights as bestowed upon us by God. Natural law is given to you and to me through the power of reason , moral rights and moral wrongs.
Individuals are endowed by their Creator with life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The pursuit of happiness, to the founders, was synonymous with virtue. To be happy is to be virtuous and your pursuit of happiness should be directed toward
The Founders believed that government was to be limited in purpose, but powerful in specific purposes. Government was to be responsible TO the people BUT NOT responsible FOR the people. The founders felt it was vitally important that its citizens knew, that their government was a Republican Government, and that self government is the soul of a Republican government. Thomas Jefferson said that the Constitution was the "Architecture of Liberty" and the "Empire of Reason." Because man always struggles with reason and passion the Founders believed that without virtue you could not have a strong nation.
The Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are considered to be the two greatest documents written by the hand of man in all the world. All countries that yearn to be free, point to these two documents. The foun
government of laws, NOT OF MAN. These ideas all go back to classical antiquity, Greek, Roman and even English philosophers.
No man is above the law, so the United States Constitution are basic principles of law. So basic are these laws, that there are those who believe that as a citizen of the United States of America, you should carry a copy of your Constitution with you at all times, so you will always know what your rights are.
Our country is a Republic first and a democracy second. In a Republic, the supreme power rests in all its citizens. A democracy is where the people hold the ruling power, but they vest the passions of the people through representatives whom they elect. The PEOPLE vest the powers to the government through three branches, the Legislative, the Executive and the Judicial Branch.
These separations of power were intended and deliberate by the Founders. They knew that those in government would fluctuate between reason and passion at any given time, and it was their intention for these branches to struggle with issues to ensure that the core principles found in our Constitution were honored and upheld.
All three branches are responsible for upholding our Constitution. The Legislative Branch makes the laws for the people by the people . The Legislative branch is listed first and nearly 2/3s of the lines describing the three branches are dedicated to the Le
The Founders intended that ALL its citizens be involved in understanding and interpreting their Constitution. They believed that religion, knowledge and morality is necessary to good government. Without those three virtues, our founders strongly believed that government would be subject to deceit and corruption. Remember, the colonists had just spent a good ten years fighting off a government monarchy that wanted to control every aspect of their lives by military might and heavy taxation.
In closing I want to read you a poem from "The American Patriot's Almanac." "The Landing of the Pilgrim Fathers" was written by an English Poet, Felicia Dorothea Hemans. As the almanac states, this poem is still a good reminder of why many settlers came to these shores. And when you pray, remember America. Remember that freedom is not free. Like your relationship with God, it must be nurtured through the practice of your faith, through your due diligence in seeking historical knowledge of your country, and through living a virtuous life by extending your hand to others. It is a commitment to your God, your Founding Fathers, and to the Constitution they gave you and me, that we might always live free.
