I had held some negative views about our American
Revolution. Should we have fought this war over “taxation without
representation?” Didn’t England have a right to tax us? Didn’t they have a
right to recoup the money that had spent on fighting the French Indian War to
protect their colonies?
It seemed like they did! Why then go to war over such a
minor matter and then to celebrate our great patriotic “achievement?”
I was conflicted until I saw a video by historian David
Barton, who claimed that our Declaration of Independence had listed 27 reasons
to declare our independence from England. “Taxation-without-representation was
only one of these reasons, and it was listed as the 17th reason out of 27!
I was surprised by Barton’s claim, even incredulous. I had
been taught to believe that Taxation-without-Representation had been the
primary reason! Usually, no other reasons were mentioned, leaving me with the
impression that our revolution was all about power and money. I therefore read
the Declaration and found that Barton was correct!
This typical portrayal of the USA has made many of us
cynical about the foundations of this nation. Barton had explained that,
starting in the 1920s, historians began to deconstruct America, reducing our
history to merely a matter of money and power. The guiding principles of truth
and justice were entirely left out. Consequently, I have met many college
students who emphatically declare that America has been the worst nation in the
world and had to be radically changed.
As a UC Berkeley student (1965-68), I had been one of them.
I had been convinced that America was so evil that I had left for three years,
resolved to never return! Why? I had become blinded by the increasing influence
of deconstructionism that America was evil.
This masochistic auto-immune response was noted by Pope
Benedict XVI. Western culture has turned against itself and its own Christian
heritage in a vain attempt to purchase self-validation as we drifted into the
lifestyles of the affluent:
• “This case illustrates a peculiar western self-hatred that
is nothing short of pathological. It is commendable that the West is trying to
be more open, to be more understanding of the values of outsiders, but it has
lost all capacity for self-love. All that it sees in its own history is the
despicable and the destructive; it is no longer able to perceive what is great
and pure…Multiculturalism, which is so constantly and passionately promoted,
can sometimes amount to an abandonment and denial, a flight from one’s own
heritage.” (Quoted by Jean Bethke Elshtain, First Things, March,
2009, 36)
We validate ourselves by turning against ourselves and the
traditions that had nurtured us. We take-a-knee to those who hate us in a vain
attempt to prove to them and ourselves that we are “good people.” We will even
cut and burn ourselves to alleviate our sense of shame.
Why? We have morality written into our DNA and know that
there is something terribly wrong within. We know that we need to be loved and
forgiven, but we search for self-acceptance in all the wrong places. Therefore,
Jesus taught:
• “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and
lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and
my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
No comments:
Post a Comment