We Are a CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC!

By: American Decency Staff

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." The pledge has been recited countless times; yet, how many even know what a Republic is?  Benjamin Franklin, upon being asked what kind of government we had after signing the Constitution replied, “A Republic, if you can keep it.” 

Franklin apparently feared that we might lose our Republic; it would seem as though we have. The schools have “dumbed down” our children and have changed our history.  No longer do they know we are a CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC, if you ask anyone, MOST will say we are a democracy. We are a CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC, not a democracy; and there’s a world of difference between the two.

Regardless of where you stand on the issues, you should be very concerned that lawlessness reigns while the law of constitutional government is being ignored. Our government is based on a separation of powers that holds checks and balances for the safety of our nation.  Unfortunately our government seems to be more interested in the false interpretation of “separation of church and state” than they are of the very real issue of “separation of powers.”

This very thing has brought lawlessness to the land. When judges make law instead of rule BY law, there’s lawlessness in the land.  When the executive branch uses his pen to make law, bypassing Congress, there’s lawlessness in the land.  If “we the people” think that, by democratic vote, we can make law which runs contrary to the laws of the land (THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA) then there’s lawlessness in the land.

Perhaps a simplistic definition of “Republic” and “Democracy” would be as follows:  A Republic is representative government ruled by law (the Constitution).   A democracy is direct government ruled by the majority (mob rule).   A Republic recognizes the inalienable rights of individuals while democracies are only concerned with group wants or needs (the public good).

We’ve seen such lawlessness, which defies both republic and democratic rule rear its ugly head most recently in the marriage issue. When the Federal Attorney General strips away State sovereignty and the State Attorney General strips away the rights of the people with no repercussion, you are left with lawlessness. Judges are to rule BY the law, not throw off their black robes, and impose their own philosophies, personal preferences, cultural ties, or political agendas. When these things happen, you have lawlessness.

Recently in Virginia an Attorney General and an activist judge, appointed by President Obama, put their personal feelings and opinions above the marriage laws of Virginia that affirm marriage as the union of one man and one woman.  In 2006 the people of Virginia, with a 57% vote, amended their constitution upholding natural marriage.

Judge Arenda Wright Allen stated in her opinion: “Our nation's uneven but dogged journey toward truer and more meaningful freedoms for our citizens has brought us continually to a deeper understanding of the first three words in our Constitution: we the people. We the People have become a broader, more diverse family than once imagined. . . . We have arrived upon another moment in history when We the People become more inclusive, and our freedom more perfect.”

There was only one piece of evidence offered in this case and it was an amicus brief written by professors which stated that marriage between a man and a woman is best for children. Yet this judge “rejected Liberty Counsel’s request to file an amicus brief, rejected the evidence presented in the professors’ amicus brief, and instead cited amicus briefs filed in another case that has nothing to do with the Virginia marriage laws and which were not filed in this case.”

Virginian Delegate Robert G. Marshall stated, “Legislating through the courts against the will of the people is lawless disregard for our representative form of government,”

Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel, had this to say regarding Judge Wright Allen’s lawless act: “This decision is outrageous and legally flawed. Judges would be well-served to read the U.S. Constitution and not invent or rewrite it.  The Constitution cannot be changed by the stroke of a judge’s pen, nor does it bow to a judge’s personal ideology. The overwhelming majority of Virginia voters who make up ‘we the people’ voted to affirm natural marriage. Same-sex marriage, as a policy matter, sends the message that children do not need moms and dads. There is ample evidence that children fair best when raised with a mother and a father. Same-sex marriage is not the equivalent of natural marriage. Judges should be careful to render decisions grounded in the Constitution and the rule of law. Otherwise, judges and courts will render themselves impotent when the people lose confidence in the judicial system.”

No matter which side you take, on any controversial issue, the lawlessness of our system should greatly bother you. It should raise your ire that our balanced powers are unbalanced and that the separation of the powers are not so separated. As the delicate balance of powers tilt we could be watching the fall of a nation.

Lawlessness of the heart is what has led to lawlessness in the land. It’s only God who can replace the lawless stony heart with a heart of flesh that loves Him and desires to do His will. It’s the grace filled heart that truly desires the best for every man, woman, and child. Instead of giving way to personal preference, we must once more give way to Biblical preference. If we desire to see our nation’s powers separated and balanced once more it must return to the foundation it has forsaken and the God whom it has ignored. Let us pray for God’s grace to transform the lawless heart into a grace-filled loving heart.  Then as America blesses God, may God bless America again.

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photo credit: Mr.TinDC via photopin cc

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