Human Nature And The Declaration Of Independence

Human Nature and the Declaration of Independence

I would like to show that the view of human nature that is shown in The

Declaration of Independence is taken more from the Bible and that that view is

in disagreement with two of the three esays given in class. The Biblical

perspective of man is that he was created by a divine Creator with a specific

plan in mind and made in the image of his Creator. Men are entitled to the

pursuit of happiness but also required by the Laws of Nature and Nature's God to

be the just attendants of the land and of the governed. The Nature of man is

sinful so that they must be governed but those who govern must be accountable to

God just as the founding fathers were. God is Sovereign over men as the final

Judge.

The Declaration of Independence is a document co-written by the

founding fathers in order to declare their independence of the Crown of Britain.

They belived this to be within their rights indowed upon them by their Creator.

Believing that they were under religious persecution and certain forms of

"absolute tyranny" from Britian the founding fathers felt it was necessary to

break the bonds that connected them to the monarchy. Not only did they feel they

had the God given right to do that but they also based their arguments on the

workings of governments of the time and contemporary theories of government of

writers and political-social thinkers of their time.

The three essays that were given to us in class, Politics by Aristotle,

Of Commonwealth by Thomas Hobbes, and Of the Limits of Government by John

Locke are all very intersting essays on how government is supposed to funtion.

Although the founding fathers probably read all three of these essays and

simialar philosphical thought went into the writing of The Declaration of

Independence I think that the only essay of the really used by the founding

fathers was Of the Limits of Government by John Locke. Unfortunately the

version of this essay given to us in class was truncated and consisted actually

of two different essays written by John Locke. . Thomas Hobbes [1588-1679] is

the founder of the theories of Hobbism which calls on absolute monarchy in order

to deal with what he calls inherently selfish, aggrandizing nature of humanity.

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...place to God, and afterwards to the laws."

It seems pretty clear to me when I readThe Declaration of Independence

and when I read quotes from the founding fathers and their contemporaries that

it was the work of strong Bible believing men that first made the monumental

leap in breaking union with Britian. Unfortunately their words and lives have

gone by the wayside in our hearts and minds.Instead of learning about George

Washington's famous words of Christian faith or how he emerged unscathed from

battle with his uniform riddeled with bullet holes our History books teach us

all about how he could not lie when he chopped down the cherry tree. If men such

as Hobes and Aristotle could have even welled up enough courage in their cold

and timid souls 200 years ago to break the tyrrany of the British, I strongly

believe that our country would have quickly decayed in immorality and greed.

"So whither you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory

of God."

(1Cor 10:31)

- Christianity and the Constitution p.51,53 ; America's Providential History

p.156 ; Myth of Separation p.195-96