When site published, the content will be centered in the page
|
Vertical Divider
|
Vertical Divider
Dr. Ross is an author, speaker, and co-founder of PowerfulSeniors.com. He lives in Indiana.
Email: Dr.Ross at: Dr.Ross@RonRossToday.com ISSUE 954
WHAT MAKES AMERICA BEAUTIFUL? PART 1: THE SONG The poet who penned the words of "America the Beautiful," Katharine Lee Bates, was born into a modest Massachusetts family in 1859, the youngest of five children. Her father died when she was a baby. At that time, boys were more likely to get an education than girls. But her brothers worked so she could attend school. At the age of 26, Katharine became a professor of English at Wellesley College. She also taught Shakespeare and wrote poetry. In June 1893, Katharine boarded a train to teach for a summer at Colorado College. The trip included the glorious Niagara Falls, the World's Fair in Chicago, amber waves of Kansas grain, and majestic purple mountains in Colorado Springs. Katharine remembers, "One day, some of the other teachers and I decided to go on a trip to 14,000-foot Pikes Peak. We hired a prairie wagon. Near the top, we had to leave the wagon and go the rest of the way on mules. I was very tired. But when I saw the view, I felt great joy. All the wonder of America seemed displayed there, with the sea-like expanse." Like today, America in the late 1800s was politically divided. Issues of land use, immigration, racial tension, and economic inequality split the nation. Though the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1870, ensured that people could not be denied the right to vote because of their race, women couldn't vote for another 50 years. Then came the Panic of 1893 — the depression lasted four years. It hit every sector of the economy: Wall Street brokerage houses collapsed; over 600 banks and 16,000 businesses failed; unemployment reached 20%, and thousands of farmers lost their land. The political and economic climate was gloomy when Katharine Lee Bates reached the summit of Pikes Peak. Nevertheless, inspired by beauty from the Atlantic to the Rockies, she wrote the first draft of her iconic poem, "America the Beautiful." She saw her country battered but "undimmed by human tears" and prayed God would "crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea." She wrote about the beauty of the land and brotherly love. She recognized the pilgrims' march for freedom and patriots' sacrifice for country. Her poem noted the need for self-control and law: "Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law!" Looking ahead, she saw the need for God's help and grace: "America! America! God mend thine every flaw … God shed his grace on thee." Have things changed since Katharine wrote those prayers? Some cities are gloomy, not gleaming. Our people are divided, freedoms jeopardized, and government bloated. Our national origin is painted as evil, our history distorted, our memorials destroyed, and our three branches of government and founding documents hang in the balance. Indeed, "every flaw" has not been mended. Yet, whenever we hear chords of "America the Beautiful," we sing and pray together, "America! America! God shed his grace on thee." God answers our prayers. America is still beautiful — magnificent in many ways. Like Katharine Lee Bates, I choose to see beauty in America and honor this great nation. Therefore, in each successive column, I will look at the good we've done, the advances we've made, and the flaws we've mended. I will spotlight the "patriot dream that sees beyond the years" and celebrate what makes America beautiful. ©2021 Ronald D. Ross ISSUE 955
WHAT MAKES AMERICA BEAUTIFUL? PART 2: THE SPIRIT OF LIBERTY Why did so many people leave home and country to sail in tiny wind-driven ships across uncharted seas to arrive in a country with little knowledge of what they would find upon arrival? Edmund Burke, an Irish statesman and philosopher of the late 1700s, concluded it was "the spirit of liberty."[1] Was he right? Yes, because no one wants to be shackled, silenced, or coerced. The free people's spirit of liberty is what makes America beautiful. To be enslaved is not something we Americans can fathom. We were born into freedom, and we live each day as unrestricted men and women. We say what we think, go where we want, do what we like, pray the way we prefer, and all the while, respect the laws of man and God. The courageous predecessors of liberty (Abraham Lincoln called them "forefathers") had first-hand knowledge of bondage, suppression, and servitude. In the early 1600s, a small band of Pilgrims decided to live free or die. They boarded the Mayflower, a tiny ship with a crew of 30 and 102 passengers, and headed for an unexplored and unsettled land. They brought only a few possessions but did sustain a lavish faith and an overflowing thirst for freedom. Their journey across the Atlantic took 66 days from their departure on September 6 until they arrived at Cape Cod on November 9, 1620. Imagine getting off that crowded little ship and realizing, "What? No Holiday Inn?" The Pilgrims had to find food and water and literally make their own bed. Their November arrival meant they faced unprepared a harsh winter in which half of them died. That's freedom – and it isn't easy. All people are born with a spirit of liberty. Ask anyone anywhere which would they prefer: someone to plan every aspect of your life or be who you want to be? Emma Lazarus, the Jewish activist and writer of the poem inscribed on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty, has Lady Liberty refer to "the huddled masses yearning to breathe free." The "yearning" is divinely infused into each of God's children. Over 180 times, the word free and variations of the word (freedom, freely, etc.) can be found in the Bible. The Psalmist cried, "Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free." (Psalm 118:5 ESV) I recall joining Andy Williams to sing with gusto, "Born free, as free as the wind blows, as free as the grass grows, Born free to follow your heart." As I sang it, I felt the yearning of Emma Lazarus, the thirst for freedom of the Pilgrims, and gratitude for all who sacrificed that I might live free. This Spirit of Liberty makes America Beautiful, but it can be lost. Suppose we allow an ever-expanding government to suppress our speech, restrict our religion, monitor our movement, twist our history, cancel our culture, and burden our grandchildren with debt? In that case, our (their) liberty will turn to bondage, and America will be no longer beautiful. The Spirit of Liberty is costly and demanding, but the alternative is frightful. The late great broadcaster, Paul Harvey, said, "After 4000 years, the elusive eagle of individual liberty has been captured and placed in our hands." God, help us keep America Beautiful. ©2021 Ronald D. Ross ISSUE 956
WHAT MAKES AMERICA BEAUTIFUL? PART 3: EQUALITY - NOT EQUITY America is beautiful because of the strong foundation upon which it is built: equality. EQUALITY OF HUMANITY is the eternal, unchanging truth that motivated our founding fathers and ultimately united our fifty states. In 1776 all of Europe was ruled by monarchies. Kings and queens enjoyed absolute power and hereditary tenure. Royalty and the elevated aristocracy could do what they wanted, while lowly serfs had to do what they were told. Serfs were second-class, uneducated peasants who lived their entire lives under indentured servitude and debt bondage. It wasn’t slavery, but it looked and felt a lot like slavery. The class structures were fixed and indisputable. There was no hope to rise beyond the status handed to a child at birth. In the late 1700s, the longstanding class structures of European royalty were challenged — mostly by persecuted Christians — who wanted to live and worship as free men and women. These brave souls left their homelands and fled to the Americas. A common refrain was, “We are weary pilgrims; to this wilderness, we bring a Church without a Bishop, a State without a King.” Together, they declared that “all men are created equal,” an idea contrary to the traditional cultures of highborn Europeans. “Really?” the upper-class nobility asked, “Are serfs of Europe and all peoples everywhere — Hispanics, Africans, Asians, rich, poor, educated or illiterate, etc. — equal in value and born to live free?” This idea was, indeed, revolutionary. What did the kings and queens of Europe think of the rebellious riffraff? They labeled them extremists, fanatics, and revolutionists. They sent armies across the ocean to crush the revolt. But the revolutionaries — though inadequately armed, poorly trained, and vastly outnumbered — sent the snobbish Brits back to their “little island,” defeated, bedraggled, and embarrassed. Fleets of warships and squadrons of battle-tested soldiers did not deter nor defeat the colonial patriots. The power of a simple truth, the equality of humanity, made the patriots brave beyond life as they fought to the death for freedom. They were right, and their cause was just: all men ARE created equal. OK, genetically, we are not all created equal. Some are tall, some are short, some are musical, some are creative, and a few are math whizzes. But all people are of equal value. A child born in poverty in North Korea is just as valuable as the child born to an African chief or one born to a family of political power or great wealth. They are equal before God and deserve equal rights before the law. Many believe we are facing disastrous days ahead if equity replaces equality. Today’s corrupted definition of equity calls for institutions of society (governments, businesses, associations, academia, entertainment, etc.) to dispense divisive, unequal treatment to achieve equal outcomes. Equity is a disincentive for personal achievement that fosters mediocrity. Alexis de Tocqueville observed, “Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude.” In 1776 “America the Beautiful” was a dream. That dream came true. Today deceptive and well-funded forces are at work to cancel our freedoms and redefine equality. Americans must understand that, as with democracy and socialism, there’s an ocean of difference between equality and equity. ©2021 Ronald D. Ross ISSUE 957
WHAT MAKES AMERICA BEAUTIFUL? PART 4: OPPORTUNITY Those who live in the gloomy shadow of socialist, communist, Marxist, or theocratic tyranny see America as the land of opportunity. They see "the shining city on a hill" as the last best place on earth where individuals can pursue their destiny. This well-known history of freedom and opportunity makes America beautiful. Back in the early 1900s, my grandpa saw America’s beauty of opportunity. His parents died in his early teens and left him with an aunt in Missouri. One day he decided to run away and find a new life for himself, so he worked his way to Colorado on freight trains. Once there, to buy food and shelter, he laid railroad tracks in the Royal Gorge and did various other work. Fifty years later, after a few failures and some notable business successes, Grandpa retired. In his later years, he wanted everyone to know about end-time events as revealed in the Bible, so he started writing a newsletter and producing a radio show. Though he had only a grade-school education, he wrote and published a booklet titled, "Where Do We Go from Here?" The government neither got in Grandpa’s way nor did they do anything to help him succeed. He lived in at a time and in a place where he could seek his own fortune unfettered by government bureaucracies. Recently, I met with a 55-year-old gentleman who immigrated here from England. He told me, "I came here because I couldn't do what I wanted to do in Great Britain." Like Grandpa, only a century later, this Scotsman sees America as a land of opportunity. So do most of the thousands of immigrants (illegal and legal) who enter America every day. They come seeking freedom, fortune, and opportunity. Most do not see the USA as a bully or oppressor but as a protector of liberties and a place to fulfill their God-given potential. Haitian immigrant Mia Love said, "My parents immigrated to the United States with $10 in their pocket and a belief that the America they had heard about really did exist as the land of opportunity." What was her response to her parent's belief in the opportunities afforded American immigrants? She became the first black person elected to Congress from Utah. She is now a widely read political commentator. Unfortunately, the beauty of opportunity can be soiled by public unrest, divisive race-baiting, cancel culture, speech censorship, over-regulation, and media dishonesty. Perhaps the biggest threat to opportunity in America is the collusion of a single political party with a few massive international corporations. When you take power from the people and give it to a small number of wealthy, over-educated, power-hungry overlords and supersized global corporations, the vicious ugliness of tyranny raises its head. Opportunity and liberty turn into "shut up, sit down, and obey." President Calvin Coolidge warned us nearly 100-years-ago, "This country would not be a land of opportunity, America could not be America if the people were shackled with government monopolies." Freedom-loving, opportunity-seeking, morality yearning citizens must stand up when told to sit down and speak up when ordered to shut up. If you and I and a few million other patriots resist the drift toward ugly socialism, the beauty of opportunity will be restored. Will Roger's noted, "America is the land of opportunity, and don't forget it." ©2021 Ronald D. Ross ISSUE 958
WHAT MAKES AMERICA BEAUTIFUL? PART 5: OVER 400 NATIONAL PARK SITES Those who live in the gloomy shadow of socialist, communist, Marxist, or theocratic tyranny see America as the land of opportunity. They see "the shining city on a hill" as the last best place on earth where individuals can pursue their destiny. This well-known history of freedom and opportunity makes America beautiful. Back in the early 1900s, my grandpa saw America’s beauty of opportunity. His parents died in his early teens and left him with an aunt in Missouri. One day he decided to run away and find a new life for himself, so he worked his way to Colorado on freight trains. Once there, to buy food and shelter, he laid railroad tracks in the Royal Gorge and did various other work. Fifty years later, after a few failures and some notable business successes, Grandpa retired. In his later years, he wanted everyone to know about end-time events as revealed in the Bible, so he started writing a newsletter and producing a radio show. Though he had only a grade-school education, he wrote and published a booklet titled, "Where Do We Go from Here?" The government neither got in Grandpa’s way nor did they do anything to help him succeed. He lived in at a time and in a place where he could seek his own fortune unfettered by government bureaucracies. Recently, I met with a 55-year-old gentleman who immigrated here from England. He told me, "I came here because I couldn't do what I wanted to do in Great Britain." Like Grandpa, only a century later, this Scotsman sees America as a land of opportunity. So do most of the thousands of immigrants (illegal and legal) who enter America every day. They come seeking freedom, fortune, and opportunity. Most do not see the USA as a bully or oppressor but as a protector of liberties and a place to fulfill their God-given potential. Haitian immigrant Mia Love said, "My parents immigrated to the United States with $10 in their pocket and a belief that the America they had heard about really did exist as the land of opportunity." What was her response to her parent's belief in the opportunities afforded American immigrants? She became the first black person elected to Congress from Utah. She is now a widely read political commentator. Unfortunately, the beauty of opportunity can be soiled by public unrest, divisive race-baiting, cancel culture, speech censorship, over-regulation, and media dishonesty. Perhaps the biggest threat to opportunity in America is the collusion of a single political party with a few massive international corporations. When you take power from the people and give it to a small number of wealthy, over-educated, power-hungry overlords and supersized global corporations, the vicious ugliness of tyranny raises its head. Opportunity and liberty turn into "shut up, sit down, and obey." President Calvin Coolidge warned us nearly 100-years-ago, "This country would not be a land of opportunity, America could not be America if the people were shackled with government monopolies." Freedom-loving, opportunity-seeking, morality yearning citizens must stand up when told to sit down and speak up when ordered to shut up. If you and I and a few million other patriots resist the drift toward ugly socialism, the beauty of opportunity will be restored. Will Roger's noted, "America is the land of opportunity, and don't forget it." ©2021 Ronald D. Ross ISSUE 959
WHAT MAKES AMERICA BEAUTIFUL? PART 6: FREE SPEECH What happens to a society that is allowed free expression? Over 250-years ago, a few brave men were willing to give their "last full measure of devotion" to find out. Over two centuries of free speech in America has demonstrated the following about what those men called "an inalienable right." First of all, free speech accelerates the discovery of truth. A few centuries ago, many of the "smart people" claimed the potato caused leprosy, syphilis, early death, sterility, and more. So, in 1748 the French parliament banned the eating of potatoes. Do you suppose some government health official declared, "Don’t ask questions, do what we tell you: Don't eat potatoes!" It took a while, but eventually enough people questioned the authority of the experts and proved the potato a safe food. Down through the ages, free speech has debunked many myths and facilitated the discovery of many truths. Second, free speech elevates the significance of the individual over the collective. It allows dissidents to express their opinions even though their words or writings may make group members or government leaders uncomfortable. Free speech means both the majority and the autocrat must respect the individual with differing beliefs and opinions. Third, free speech preserves our Constitutional form of government. In America, for over 200 years, we've been allowed to criticize our government. This freedom was demonstrated with great vigor during Donald Trump's presidency. For four years, the news media colluded with the Democrat party and Big Tech to smear, shame, and insult him even beyond his presidency. Free speech has been used to challenge the status quo: Free speech empowered the anti-slavery movement. Free speech forced an end to the Viet Nam war. Free speech was the tool most effectively used to inspire the Civil Rights Movement. But today, the merit and immutability of free speech are being tested: Many posit that truth is only opinion, that the collective is more important than the individual, and the Constitution is malleable and intellectually and morally repugnant. Global powers in the early 21st Century are implementing various ways that severely limit or shut down free expression. A good friend in Texas gets sent into Facebook jail whenever Facebook censors don't like his posts. Teachers and professors get fired for teaching the intellectual discipline of critical thinking. Then there's the insidious and pervasive censorship of language by the malicious WOKE movement. A new threat to free speech now faces those who attend high school or university. Narrow-minded educators, radicalized school boards, and high-volume cancel culture activists want to silence colleagues and muzzle students and parents who question their despotic left-wing agenda. They don't want to debate – they want to indoctrinate. The way towards greater freedom and economic, scientific, and social progress is an open marketplace of ideas. Not the government, not the schoolteacher, not the college professor, not anyone for any reason can deny or take away your right to free expression. Free speech helped make America the most advanced and prosperous civilization in history. Now, you and I must bravely and publicly declare our love of country, our yearning for self-determination, and our commitment to the Constitution. We must not be bullied into silence by pointy-headed intellectuals and brain-washed activists. We have a God-given right to free speech, so let’s speak up and keep America beautiful. ©2021 Ronald D. Ross ISSUE 960
WHAT MAKES AMERICA BEAUTIFUL? PART 7: GRATITUDE The Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock 401 years ago, November 6. Those brave souls endured two long months at sea. Upon arrival, they were weary and hungry yet determined to create a new life in a new land. Nearly half of their fellow travelers died during their first winter because of exposure, disease, and starvation. They persevered by fortifying their trust in God and forging a friendship with the Wampanoag Tribe of natives. The following year, after a successful harvest, 53 Pilgrims and 90 Native Americans joined in the first day of Thanksgiving in America. This event in history has been repeated regularly over the centuries. Nearly all Presidents have called the nation to prayer and thanksgiving. President George Washington proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving on October 3, 1787. He wrote, "Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor… especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness … for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence … for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed … and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us." President Lincoln's proclamation made on October 3, 1863, asked his fellow Americans to be grateful for "the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies" and for the "watchful providence of Almighty God." In his proclamation for a National Day of Thanksgiving made on October 25, 1887, President Grover Cleveland reminded Americans of "the goodness and the mercy of God which has followed the American people during the past year … let all secular work and employment be suspended … with prayer and songs of praise give thanks to our Heavenly Father for all He has done." President Woodrow Wilson's proclamation, made October 23, 1913, included these lines: "The season is at hand to turn in praise and thanksgiving to almighty God for his manifold blessings to us as a nation … Righteousness exalteth a nation and peace on earth goodwill toward men furnish the only foundation on which can be built the lasting achievements of the human spirit." In his 1987 Proclamation, President Regan reminded us, "Acknowledgement of dependence on God's favor was, in fact, our fledgling Nation's very first order of business. When the delegates to the First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in 1774, they overcame discord by uniting in prayer for our country. Despite the differences among them as they began their work, they found common voice in the 35th Psalm, which concludes with a verse of joyous gratitude, "And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long." These presidential proclamations, and many more, reflect the essence of our national motto: In God We Trust. Psalm 33:12 proclaims, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." From our Bill of Rights to our bountiful land, Americans have been richly blessed. Let us always remember the foundation upon which our country was forged, and let us resolve to keep America beautiful with a trusting spirit of gratitude for God's abundant blessings. ©2021 Ronald D. Ross ISSUE 961
WHAT MAKES AMERICA BEAUTIFUL? PART 8: GENEROSITY Cheerful giving has been a hallmark of American culture. The USAID budget for 2021 is $41 Billion. More than that, Americans will give the greater portion of global giving to Christian causes worldwide that will total nearly $484 billion in 2021 and grow to $1,000 billion in 2025. When needs arise anywhere in the world, Americans respond. Direct Relief is an organization that this year donated and distributed over 800 midwife birthing kits to facilitate 40,000 safe births across ten countries. It also distributed more than 9 million insulin doses for children with Type 1 diabetes across 24 countries; and more than 687,000 doses of naloxone, a drug that reverses opioid overdoses, to organizations throughout the U.S. It operates without receiving government funds but is supported by $174 million in cash donations and $1.7 billion in contributed goods, primarily prescription medications and medical supplies and services. Samaritan's Purse is a well-known donor-supported ministry that quickly responds with cash and people help wherever disaster strikes. It is an evangelical Christian humanitarian aid organization that provides aid to people in physical need as a key part of its Christian missionary work. The organization's president is Franklin Graham, son of Christian evangelist Billy Graham. And there are more – many more non-governmental donor-supported humanitarian and disaster relief agencies based in the U.S.A. Our world-class generosity has its origins in the faith and actions of our founding fathers. George Washington helped shape our country, led the Continental Army, and served as our first president. But his philanthropic spirit set the stage for a generous nation. He regularly provided food to those imprisoned for debt, and he made hundreds of donations to churches and charities, many given under the condition of anonymity. Benjamin Franklin is another prominent philanthropist. He was the first known individual to offer a matching grant when he challenged legislators to match money raised from contributors for the Pennsylvania Hospital. Washington and Franklin are only two of thousands of patriots who gave generously to establish the foundations of our present form of government. Their legacy continues as Americans give freely to individuals, associations, and institutions that help the hurting, feed the hungry, and lift the fallen. Warren Buffett and Bill Gates led the list of Forbes magazine's top 25 American philanthropists. From 2014 – 2018, the top 25 collectively contributed $51.5 billion. On a much smaller scale but no less significant is this story told me by the assistant pastor of an inner-city church: "One Sunday after church, a visitor to our services told me she needed $327 to pay her past-due utility bill or they would be shut off on Monday morning. I told the senior pastor, we have only a little over $400 in the bank, and I'm supposed to give you your pay today – a check for $375. The senior pastor told me, 'Give her the money she needs. My utilities are paid through the end of the month.'" This generous pastor isn't alone; America was built on Judeo-Christian values, one of which is generosity. Over the years, compassionate Americans of every background have harkened to scriptures on generosity. America, the most generous and prosperous nation in history, testifies to the truth of Luke 6:38: "Give, and it will be given to you." Our cornucopia of generosity truly makes America beautiful. ©2021 Ronald D. Ross ISSUE 962
WHAT MAKES AMERICA BEAUTIFUL? PART 9: STRONG FAMILIES “Family” — a popular subject for comedians like George Burns who said, “Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.” Although every family is unique in many ways, generally, they share common characteristics that inspire jokes like this: “The other night I ate at a nice family restaurant. Every table had an argument going on.” It’s easy to laugh at family jokes because there’s a consensus that no family is perfect. How could there be when we live in such an imperfect world? But despite inevitable arguments, miscommunication, competition, personality clashes, and an endless parade of problems and challenges, “family” is still the backbone of our nation. Strong families are the building block of strong communities, which, in turn, build a strong and prosperous nation. Resilient, two-parent families are the greatest force for freedom and prosperity the world has ever known. Lee Iacocca said, “The only rock that stays steady, the only institution that works is the family.” In recent years, family life in America has been deteriorating, in large part because the importance of the nuclear family is mocked, and fatherless families are on the rise. Fathers.com reports: “… children from fatherless homes are more likely to be poor, become involved in drug and alcohol abuse, drop out of school, and suffer from health and emotional problems. Boys are more likely to become involved in crime, and girls are more likely to become pregnant as teens.” It’s tough to halt the deterioration of a culture, but it’s worth the fight. As the foundational concept of a strong nuclear family weakens in America, it’s increasingly apparent that America needs some strength training to win this fight. We need to understand and promote the necessity of strong families. Strong families foster love and security. Children thrive on both mother’s and father’s love. They need to hear life-lifting affirmations for successes and life-correcting admonitions for mistakes. When love is expressed and demonstrated, children gain the confidence to explore the world beyond themselves. Strong families grow strong children. The warm, caring atmosphere of family life makes learning about and coping with daily life easier. Together, families learn to deal with disappointments and difficulties. Strong families grow moral children. Good parents don’t hope their kids will learn to be good citizens. They teach them right from wrong, good from evil, and selflessness from selfishness. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Strong families teach respect for others. It’s not easy to instill a respectful attitude in a child. Discipline, firmly and calmly delivered, best happens in the security of home. Strong families teach individual responsibility. Children get a sense of social responsibility as they contribute to family life and daily chores. They learn personal accountability as parents hold them responsible for their actions. Strong families facilitate creativeness. Creativity is today’s home-version of the frontier spirit. A child’s mind expands exponentially when at creative play. Wise and engaged parents inspire their children to be resourceful and think creatively. America is a tapestry of strong families, communities, and states, beautifully woven together across our land. It has been said, “The family is one of nature’s masterpieces.” Let’s protect that masterpiece. ©2022 Ronald D. Ross ISSUE 963
WHAT MAKES AMERICA BEAUTIFUL? PART 10: THE INDIVIDUAL According to the late great radio news broadcaster Paul Harvey, our Constitution establishes not three but four branches of government. Harvey wrote that the Constitution “…provided for the authority of the president, a congress, a court, and the individual.” Paul Harvey was right! The concept of individualism affirms the needs and desires of individuals over those of a group. The Founding Fathers called these needs and desires RIGHTS and codified them in the Bill of Rights. Representing “We the People,” the Founding Fathers trusted the “individual” to freely speak, worship, assemble, seek justice, and more. The founders’ wisdom established a new structure of government where ultimate power rests with people, not government. Individualism values independence and self-sufficiency over group social structures. Individuality inspires citizens to discover self, embrace life, and pursue dreams. Take a quick look at the major differences between interdependence (group-thinking, socialism) and individualism (free-thinking, capitalism). Interdependents speak of “us,” while individualists refer to self (I or me). Here are more differences: weakness vs. boldness, dependence on others vs. self-dependence, occupational choice vs. occupational assignment, collectivist rights vs. individual rights, government ownership vs. personal ownership. Does individualism work? A quote from an article in Simply Psychology reveals, “In a worldwide study of 116,000 employees of IBM…the most fiercely independent people were from the US, Australia, Great Britain, Canada, and the Netherlands, in that order. In contrast, the most interdependent people were from Venezuela, Colombia, Pakistan, Peru, and Taiwan.” Where would you rather live? The US or Venezuela? The Netherlands or Pakistan? The Constitution and its brilliant Bill of Rights fashioned individualism and defined freedom. Then what happened? Boatloads of brave souls emigrated here. Together and individually, they created the greatest, freest, richest, most generous, and most envied culture in history. Warning: Do not take the individualism promulgated by our Founding Fathers for granted. Threatening our personal freedom from within is a persistent, pernicious, and unrealistic culture that seeks to silence Paul Harvey’s fourth branch of government — the individual. This controlling force demands we identify particularly with political, ethnic, or social groups and “do as we are told” — for the good of the collective. In pursuit of utopia, they ridicule faith in God, destroy family, and stifle individuality. They profess that the color of our skin — or some other innate cultural characteristic — defines us, not the content of our character. Are you an individualist? You are if you believe in yourself, your family, and your right to base your identity on how you think, who you are, and what you do, regardless of what others think. Together, “We the People” are the fourth branch of government; but, first and always, we are individuals. We must never swap our soul for a role or exchange our common sense for communal actions. We refuse to abandon obvious reality for ambiguous fantasy. Free people never surrender the responsibility to think for themselves and do what is right. Always remember, it was individuals who banded together to win our freedom. It was individuals who dreamed together to create our Constitution. It was individuals who reasoned together and drafted our Bill of Rights. It was individuals who worked together to make our country great. Now, “We the People” — the individuals — the most powerful branch of government — must stand together to preserve our beautiful America for the sake of our children and grandchildren. ©2022 Ronald D. Ross Recommended reading: Snippetz Feature Article on Paul Harvey ISSUE 964
WHAT MAKES AMERICA BEAUTIFUL? PART 11: THE INFLUENCE OF CHRISTIANITY Take a walk across America, and you’ll find a most interesting array of culturally unique churches. There are historic big-city downtown churches and cathedrals with stained-glass windows, wood-frame churches with hard pews, and massive mega-churches with extensive stage lighting, powerful audio, and comfy chairs. You’ll find Christians gathering in warehouses and schools and homes and bars and hotels and civic centers — and in one building built into the red cliffs in Sedona, Arizona (the Chapel of the Holy Cross). The atmosphere of worship varies widely in churches. Some have pipe organs, and many have rock-style praise bands with music so loud they pass out earplugs. Some sing only acapella, while others prefer country-style music that features guitars, violins, and old-fashioned hymns (there are around 5,000 “Cowboy Churches”). Not to be outnumbered by the cowboys, there are several thousand predominantly black churches in America led primarily by black clergy. There are churches for almost every racial and cultural preference. The First Chinese Baptist Church of Los Angeles has thousands of members. In Austin, Texas, you’ll find the Austin Korean Presbyterian Church. Have you ever heard of the Adonai Christian Center? It’s a largely Hispanic church in Queens, New York, with nearly 2,000 members. Together and individually, these Churches positively impact society in ways mostly unseen and unheralded by the media. Following are a few of the wonderful things churches and their loyal members provide for all Americans — believers, non-believers, and seekers of truth: Church members teach job skills, help immigrants learn English, provide foster care, offer tax preparation assistance, help disaster victims, shelter the homeless, visit prisoners, provide after-school programs, strengthen marriages and families, lead youth groups, operate Christian schools, provide day-care centers, and much more. In their daily walk, Christians “salt the earth” as they stand against racism, defend human rights, promote godly living, call out evil, vote regularly, worship often, forgive others and strive to live out their beliefs intentionally. Billy Graham pointed out, "The highest form of worship is the worship of unselfish Christian service." This magnificent and diverse assortment of churches makes America beautiful and makes your neighborhood a safer and friendlier place to live. A wise observer of American culture once said, “You don’t want to live in a community that has no churches.” This beautiful diversity of religion was made real through our Constitution’s First Amendment, forged almost exclusively by sincere practicing Christians. That’s why Christianity’s estimated 380,000 churches peacefully share community space with Jewish synagogues, Hindu Temples, and Muslim Mosques. What’s so amazing about the impact of Christianity on society is that no church, denomination, church leader, or church member claims perfection. We’re all just a bunch of sinners saved by grace. It’s the sweet, sweet sound of God’s amazing grace that makes us want to live a little better and do what we can to make America and the world we live in a tad more beautiful. ©2022 Ronald D. Ross ISSUE 965
WHAT MAKES AMERICA BEAUTIFUL? PART 12: CREATIVE CULTURE America was founded as the land of freedom and opportunity for all. Today, a band of self-righteous well-funded culture thieves prowl the American landscape. They strive to change the meaning of words, halt free-thinking, limit freedom of speech, destroy art, abolish the traditional family, redefine gender, and deny well-established historical truths. Their weapons are bullying, censorship, threats, shaming, and linguistic and historical “correction.” It’s called Cancel Culture, and almost everything is wrong with this evil and insidious movement. However, there is an innate, undeniable, immovable barrier for Cancel Culture — I call it Creative Culture — it is everything that Cancel Culture is not. Cancel Culture believes the collective (the group) is the ideal for social management. Creative Culture says the individual comes first, the group second, and the government last. Cancel Culture says don’t shine brighter than others; give everyone a trophy. Creative Culture says do your best to be the best you can possibly be. Cancel Culture says do what you’re told, stand politely in line, and wait until you’re called. Creative Culture says follow your dreams, explore your uniqueness, stand up and be counted. Cancel Culture says think like us, do it our way, and obey our ever-changing canons. Creative Culture says challenge the status quo, escape the group-think prison, honor the Bill of Rights. Cancel Culture clamors define what’s funny. Creative Culture encourages humor, loves to poke a little fun, and knows when a joke is a joke. Cancel Culture cultivates mediocrity and uniformity. Creative Culture says be your best: be you-nique. Cancel Culture looks backward to magnify the ugly and twist the truth. Creative Culture looks both ways to discover beauty and honor truth. Cancel Culture is pessimistic, malevolent, and unforgiving. Creative Culture is optimistic, benevolent, and tolerant. Cancel Culture demands submission without question. Creative Culture never stops asking why. Cancel Culture appoints an elite cabal of the powerful or wealthy and often protects them with a two-tier justice system. Creative Culture seeks equality, honors individualism, and strives for equal justice under the law. Cancel Culture trusts and promotes only their cohorts. Creative Culture trusts the trustworthy. Cancel Culture lives in a fairy-tale hallucination: wave a magic wand (or smoke a bubbling bong), and utopia finally appears. Creative Culture knows from history that utopia is at best a pipe dream. Creative Culture is powered by individuals and sustained by freedom of expression. It is the most powerful and productive resource in society — the mother of invention and progress. Stifle or cancel creativity, and civilization slowly rots on the vine. Only 250 years ago, America’s Founding Fathers turned the established structure of society upside down. They fought courageously against a government by the governors (kings, princes, and privileged). They bravely created a new form of government — a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. It was the most creative idea for societal order ever implemented. From America’s earliest days, her citizens were liberated to explore their uniqueness and pursue their destiny. They solved problems, won wars, fostered innovation, penned books, wrote songs, created art, fed the hungry, discovered medications, built cities, and educated children. They accomplished all of this and more with “God and conscience on their side.” America will remain beautiful only if she preserves her divinely given Creative Culture. ©2022 Ronald D. Ross ISSUE 966
WHAT MAKES AMERICA BEAUTIFUL? PART 13: BASEBALL Baseball and its cousin, softball, are played in every town and city across the U.S.A. Boys and girls start playing T-ball at age 4, and many play ball for the rest of their lives. There are all age and skill levels for baseball and softball. There is the Men's Senior Baseball League that has over 3,000 teams and 45,000 members who play organized baseball in local leagues. And the National Senior Games includes softball too. Baseball has long been known as our national pastime, perhaps because the game has a lot in common with our homeland: It's hard to play. It's difficult to hit a fastball or catch a high fly ball in the bright sunlight. Any batter at any skill level can strike out. Watch a girls' softball game, and you'll see how hard it is for a batter to hit a nasty late-breaking pitch. Baseball is most difficult to play at the professional level, where a batter must hit a ball coming at him at well over 90 mph. Baseball is like America: liberty is hard work. It demands early training in the fundamentals of operating a constitutional republic and continual vigilance to sustain it so it can be passed on to the next generation. It takes a team. Baseball is a team sport. The pitcher needs a batter, and both need an umpire. Someone must play in right-field, another has to pitch, and the team must work together. It's like America: you can't have a free country by yourself. You need a team (citizenry) that yearns for freedom, then plays by and enforces the same rules. It teaches personal accountability. Each player must know and follow the rules of baseball; the umpires are present to hold accountable those who break them. It's like America: we have a constitution and laws, and those who seek to undermine them are held responsible by the courts. It promotes equal opportunity. In baseball, every player gets an "at-bat." Even as bad a batter as I was in little league, one time, I stepped up to the plate, took a swing, and hit a double. Like baseball, America is the land of opportunity — a place where any citizen can play. It rewards personal development. The better players get to play more, and at the professional level, they get paid more — sometimes a lot more. Both baseball and America are meritocracies — places where everyone with skill and imagination can compete to reach the highest level. It promotes racial equality. Like most sports, in baseball, there is no racism; the best-skilled person is chosen to play or coach without regard to race, religion, or any other social label. The idea of equality was written in the Declaration of independence, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Major League Baseball is the oldest major sports league in the world. America has been on the field of play for almost 250 years. One is a game — the other is a responsibility. Now, each of us must step up to the plate to preserve our Judeo-Christian culture, protect our God-given rights, and pass on to our descendants “America the Beautiful.” ©2022 Ronald D. Ross ISSUE 967
WHAT MAKES AMERICA BEAUTIFUL? PART 14: LIBERTY AND JUSTICE Forty-seven states in the U.S. (all but Wyoming, Vermont, and Hawaii) require the Pledge of Allegiance to be recited in public schools, with varying exemptions for students or staff who wish to opt out. I wonder if those who want to opt out would fight for the promise that concludes the Pledge: “with liberty and justice for all.” According to Dictionary.com, the first definition of liberty is “freedom from arbitrary control.” That definition insinuates everyone has a license to do whatever they want, including wickedness, decadence, and irresponsibility. That is not liberty; true liberty is much more than personal autonomy and unrestricted action. The liberty proclaimed in our founding documents, and the Pledge of Allegiance refers to humanity’s divine right not to be enslaved by another person or a tyrannical government; however, more is required than a proclamation or declaration. True liberty requires an elevated level of moral and ethical civility that sees each person as a child of God — worthy of rights given by God and defined and enforced by a godly government. Popular pastor and author John Ortberg remind us, “Real freedom is not the external freedom to gratify every appetite; it is the internal freedom not to be enslaved by our appetites.” True liberty is much more than living without the chains of slavery. Liberty requires each citizen to protect and respect the rights of others — even the rights of those whose ideas vary dramatically. Liberty is freedom constrained by self-control. Then, what is true justice? The simplest definition of justice is “getting what you deserve without favor.” Injustice is getting what you don’t deserve because you are favored. This is “social justice.” True justice requires godly laws to be written and enforced without regard to the offender’s race, gender, ancestry, religion, economic status, wealth, poverty, political affiliation, etc. True justice does not allow for “social justice.” If someone steals something, true justice wants to know the objective facts of the crime. Social justice wonders was the thief oppressed? Did he come from a troubled home? Was he rich or poor? What was the race of the alleged criminal? Social justice diminishes the very idea of equal justice. Unless it is afforded equally, no preference should be awarded or retaliatory action taken against an individual or group. True justice requires every person has an equal opportunity to become all God has made them to be. Choice of profession (work/occupation), or profession (beliefs one holds), or personal associations (people one spends time with) are up to the individual. Period. True liberty requires individuals to be responsible and accountable for behavior that infringes on the rights of others. That’s why liberty is inherently coupled with justice. America is beautiful because it was founded on principles of liberty and justice for all. Our form of government was designed NOT to restrain (enslave) the people but to restrain the government from despotic power. Now, as always, it is imperative we seek first truth — truth followed by compassion, not truth perverted by compassion. We must determine to maintain true liberty and true justice. Only then can we fulfill the promise of the Pledge that in America, there is “liberty and justice for all.” Only then can we preserve America the Beautiful. ©2022 Ronald D. Ross ISSUE 968
WHAT MAKES AMERICA BEAUTIFUL? PART 15: TREES Are there more or fewer trees in America today than in the 1920s? According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), America has more trees now than 100 years ago: "Forest growth nationally has exceeded harvest since the 1940s." America has over 1,000 species of trees that make our nation both beautiful and strong. America was built with trees. Early settlers used vast forests of large trees upon arrival in the New World for shelter, fortresses, fences, and paper. Eastern White Pines were especially valuable as tall and stable sailing masts for ships. Trees provided food. An English Puritan immigrant named John Endecott, who arrived in 1629, served as first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1630 Endecott planted a pear tree imported from Europe and, according to tradition, declared, "I hope the tree will love the soil, and when we have gone, the tree will still be alive." The tree still survives and yields fruit annually. Trees provided a place for public gatherings. No large buildings existed early in the development of America, so religious services and public debates were held under the canopy of large trees. William Penn, a founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, understood the value of trees; he declared that one acre out of five be spared when clearing trees for farmland and cities. Trees helped the colonists defeat the British in the War of Independence. King George III needed tall pine trees for his Navy. He declared all pine trees larger than a 12-inch diameter belonged to the British Navy, causing the colonists to riot — an early foreshadowing of the Revolution. Many colonists used tree images as a symbol of resistance. After the Declaration of Independence was signed, the sale of tall pines to England was halted so they could be used to build American Navy ships. Because the British Navy's aging and battle-fatigued masts were easily broken, the colonial Navy had an edge, especially during the 1783 battle of Yorktown, the final battle of the Revolution. Americans love trees. We enjoy state and national parks where great forests are protected for the ages. The Oak — known for strength, diversity, and beauty — is our National Tree; and each state has a designated State Tree. One of President Trump's enduring legacies could be more trees. In 2020 President Trump affirmed America's commitment to promoting conservation by announcing the United States would join the World Economic Forum's "One Trillion Trees Initiative" to plant, grow, conserve, and restore trees in America and around the world. The goal is to protect and restore one trillion trees by 2030. The Trillion Trees Act is based on a July 2019 Swiss report that concluded planting one trillion trees across the world could sequester 205 gigatons of carbon. That's roughly the equivalent of two-thirds of all manmade carbon since the Industrial Revolution! President Franklin Roosevelt said, "Forests are the lungs of our lands, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people." Trees clean the air, nourish the body, and soothe the soul: Stately columns, glorious canopies, leaks of glittering sunshine, leaves and needles and twigs floating gently down, tender blossoms, nourishing fruit — all with the sky and stars above. With over 228 billion trees, America ranks fourth among the world's nations in "tree-wealth." Is it any wonder that America is beautiful? ©2022 Ronald D. Ross ISSUE 969
WHAT MAKES AMERICA BEAUTIFUL? PART 16: HUMOR I was purging files recently and spotted an article titled “Is Human Evolution Finally Over?” Published by a British newspaper in 2002, the article quotes Professor Steve Jones of University College London: “If you want to know what Utopia is like, just look around — this is it.” Jones professes that our species has reached its biological pinnacle and is no longer capable of changing: “Things have simply stopped getting better, or worse, for our species.” Horsefeathers! Being a writer/creationist — not a scientist/evolutionist — I disagreed wholeheartedly with Jones. Compelled to reply, I quickly drafted a response to his malarky. Here’s how it started: “Professor Jones, this news hits me hard because I was going to start a diet in hopes of losing a few pounds. Forget it! I’m sticking with my sweet roll for breakfast, a DQ peanut buster parfait for lunch, and buttered popcorn for supper. It’s not my fault I don’t eat better; I’ve stopped evolving. And your theory explains why I’m unable to drag myself to the exercise bike and why I can’t turn off the TV and read a book instead: I’m already the best I can possibly be. My wife, constantly trying to improve me, will be disappointed when she finds out this is as good as it gets. On second thought, maybe this isn’t such bad news after all. Now, I have an excuse for every flaw.” I responded to the professor with satire — a peaceful but powerful form of humor often used to espouse a counterpoint of view. You see, humor is more than just entertainment; it brings cultural norms, values, and practices into focus. Humor exposes problems and contradictions — and sometimes initiates change. Neuroscientist and author Scott Weems discloses, “My first thought when I think about humor is it’s a great way for us to have evolved so we don’t have to hit each other with sticks.” Humor is as All American as apple pie — it’s baked into our national DNA. America’s founding fathers were not only charged with courage but also steeped in wisdom and wit. For example, George Washington noted: “A pack of jackasses led by a lion is superior to a pack of lions led by a jackass.” Ben Franklin complained: “God heals, and the doctor takes the fee.” And Samuel Adams explained: “One useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three is a Congress.” Americans love to laugh together, but that’s not to say we don’t grieve together too. “For everything there is a season … a time to weep, a time to laugh.” Although this world is full of pain, our Creator still gave us a funny bone so we can laugh as well as cry. Seeing His intelligent design, is it any surprise that what tickles our funny bone best is “truth”? Humor is truth revealed in a surprising way, more quickly and directly than we’re accustomed to. Mark Twain defined humor as “the good-natured side of a truth” and also said, “Humor is mankind’s greatest blessing.” Twain understood truth is at the heart of humor, and humor is a blessing. As free speech is unfairly targeted today, Americans cherish our First Amendment rights more dearly, without which humor could be canceled and truth denied. America — founded in freedom, blessed with humor — how beautiful is that! ©2022 Ronald D. Ross ISSUE 970
WHAT MAKES AMERICA BEAUTIFUL? PART 17: SENIORS And I don't mean high school or college seniors. I mean REAL seniors: men and women who have fought wars, built intertstates, survived pandemics, explored space, invented technology, created the internet, and, most importantly, nurtured strong families. Some unenlightened people call us geezers, fogies, or fossils. The more lucid call us elders, senior citizens, war babies, or baby boomers. Many of us can still run at least as fast as we used to walk. Some of of us remember using an outhouse, walking to school, starching a petticoat, or watching black-and-white TV. I'm so old I remember party lines, penny loafers, and stick shifts. At school, we learned history, math, science and how to get along with others. We knew what "under God" meant when we quoted the Pledge of Allegiance, and we always stood for the "Star Spangled Banner." Most of us revere the Ten Commandments and value the Bill of Rights. And none of us (well, almost none) were ashamed to be called a Christian, an American, or a patriot. I’m describing “America the Beautiful,” a shining city on a hill — one nation under God, blessed by God. Now, we watch with dread as our children and grandchildren buy into "hope and change." We weep as our country suffers the consequences: lawlessness, open borders, CRT, run-away inflation, twisted justice, etc. Billy Graham warned us: "'Hope and change' has become a cliché in our nation, and it's daunting to think that any American could hope for change from what God has blessed." Seniors recognize America isn't as beautiful as she was a few decades ago. Riots damaged our shining cities, politicians marred our venerated Constitution, teacher unions forgot our children, crooks corrupted elections, churches shirked spiritual mandates — and quiet outrage and malaise set in. But we Geezers haven't given up. We’re not over the hill, we’re at the top of the hill! In a 2018 study, The New England Journal of Medicine reported, that at age 60, you reach the top of your potential, which continues into your 80s. Another study reported that “crystalized intelligence,” a measurement of accumulated knowledge based on vocabulary tests, doesn’t tend to peak until people are in their late 60s or early 70s. The fact is, we have one more chapter to live, and we're ready to take back what has been stolen from our progeny. We want to revive our churches, retell our history, restore our statues, restate our values, and refurbish the image of America. We will work to reclaim the inalianable rights our Founding Fathers recognized: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Ronald Reagan, a senior himself, said, "Let us resolve … that young Americans will always find a city of hope in a country that is free. And let us resolve they will say of our day and our generation that we did keep faith with our God, that we did act worthy of ourselves, that we did protect and pass on lovingly a shining city on a hill." Seniors — we're not a mob; we're a movement. We're not an army; we're a cause. We’re not a party; we’re “the people” — and we're out to right the wrongs and make America beautiful again. ©2022 Ronald D. Ross ISSUE 971
WHAT MAKES AMERICA BEAUTIFUL? PART 18: RENEWAL In 1775, England’s King George III sent the world’s strongest military to American soil. It took eight years and thousands of patriots’ lives to purge the land of invading forces. Fifty years later, the war of 1812 was fought. The twentieth century saw two world wars, followed by numerous short and long-term “conflicts” — all costing America both blood and treasure. In 1929 a different kind of battle raised its ugly head: The Great Depression lasted almost a decade and threatened America’s existence. From each of those crises, Americans rebounded and saved our nation for posterity. But what about today? Have you watched the news lately: unchecked riots, two-tiered justice, institutional corruption, open borders, rising crime, woke infiltration, insane inflation, a shrinking workforce, etc. This economic, political, and spiritual degeneration affects citizens through distrust, confusion, and hopelessness. America faces the biggest test in history: Can we renew the zeal for freedom, the rule of law, and the sense that God is sovereign? Sometimes I despair, “It’s all over; America is breathing her last breath. My children and grandchildren are doomed.” Then I remembered that previous generations also worried about their descendants. George Washington declared, “The time is near at hand which must determine whether Americans are to be free men or slaves.” President Clinton said, “Our democracy must be not only the envy of the world but the engine of our own renewal. There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America.” Ronald Regan called us to do something about it: “The time has come to turn to God and reassert our trust in Him for the healing of America — our country is in need of and ready for a spiritual renewal.” There’s that word — renewal. It stems from the word “renew,” which means restore to a former state (i.e., continue, reaffirm, repeat, restate). Renew does NOT mean “transform,” which means to make a thorough or dramatic change (i.e., alter, convert, reconstruct, mutate). Billy Graham understood the difference between renewing and transforming when he said, “Hope and change have become a cliche in our nation, and it’s daunting to think that any American could hope for change from what God has blessed.” By any analysis, America has been richly blessed, but do you know why? It’s the fulfillment of a promise: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” (Psalm 33:12). America has always been a godly nation: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among them are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Thomas Jefferson penned those immortal words in the Declaration of Independence, where he referred to the “Laws of Nature and Nature’s God” — the framework on which America was conceived and our Constitution drafted. The Founding Fathers created a blueprint for blessing, but John Adams warned, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” John Adams was right! Today, America’s moral compass spins out of control, as social and economic experiments in “fundamental transformation” wreak havoc on our country. It’s time for all Americans to return to the one true north: “In God We Trust” — a truth we must renew, over and over again. ©Copyright 2022 Ronald D. Ross ISSUE 972
WHAT MAKES AMERICA BEAUTIFUL? PART 19: HER FOUNDATION You've probably heard that a house built on a firm foundation can withstand the storms of life, but one built on shifting sands is easily destroyed. We are about to find out what kind of foundation the United States of America is built upon – one of rock or one of sand. The Founding Fathers almost unanimously believed humanity's origin was Divine. For over 200 years, that idea was the foundational assumption of the vast majority of Americans. Today, the two loudest and most persuasive voices (Big Media and Academia) deny divine origins, disparage Scriptures, and defame believers. The result is that most of our youth and many adults do not believe they are a special creation of God or that there's a court in heaven supreme over any court on earth. Here's why: Though "Under God" was inserted into the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954, God, Jesus, and prayers were tossed out of public schools in 1962. The so-called civil libertarians (they are neither civil nor do they believe in liberty) were concerned that Christians were imposing their beliefs on students. Once God was out of the way, the "progressives" moved in and have been enforcing their philosophies on students ever since, mostly beneath the radar of trusting parents. They continue to chip away at the foundation of the greatest country and freest people in the history of humanity. The result is our foundation grows weaker as the destructive forces increase their influence. The destroyers deny God, preach humanism, and strike the foundation of natural law, Biblical truths, and common sense. They have "converted" many Americans to believe it's wrong to offend someone who doesn't agree with them. Billy Graham said, "My heart aches for America and its deceived people." Can the foundation be restored before it collapses? Are there enough Americans willing to grab the truths of eternity, the tools of liberty, and make the sacrifice of patriots and take a stand? Perhaps we have been so wearied by fear, harangued by pointy-headed intellectuals, and silenced by screaming radicals that we cower in the shadows and cover our eyes as our society disintegrates. What do you think? Do you believe you are the dumb luck of a few odd chromosomes colluding and showing up nine months later? Do you think men can have babies, or it's OK for grade-school children to change their gender? Those are only a few notions at the root of humanistic and progressive ideologies. The focus is only on humanity, while divinity is denied. In general, secular humanists consider all religions to be superstitious thoughts that have held back humanity's progress. Do those concepts seem strange and downright silly to you? That's because they are. Then you might want to join the growing band of believers, patriots, and common-sense folks who are quietly grabbing hold of eternal truths. They bravely head out to repair what has been damaged, plug the leaks in the footing of freedom and prudence, and restore America to the land of the free and the home of the brave. America needs your help; her foundation must be re-established. Thomas Jefferson asked, "Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God?" ©Copyright 2022 Ronald D. Ross ISSUE 973
WHAT MAKES AMERICA BEAUTIFUL? PART 20: CHRISTMAS You've probably heard stories about the first Thanksgiving on American soil, but how did the Pilgrims celebrate the first Christmas in America? I'm sure they did, and it was likely around December 25; however, no one knows the precise day and month of Christ's birth. Though I wasn't there, I'm certain Christmas celebrations in the late 1600s were nothing like today. There were no holiday lights down Mainstreet, no lavish exchange of gifts, and no songs about Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer. For the first 200 years of Christmas in America, churches were packed, sacred songs were sung, and the sole focus was on the miraculous birth of the virgin-born Son of God. No raucous corporate Christmas parties, just reverent church services followed by dad-led family scripture readings — reminders of God's greatest gift to humanity. As a child, my brother and I were beyond excited to open our gifts, but we had to "hold our horses" until Dad read the Christmas story from Luke chapter 2. At the time, it seemed like a very looooong story. As time passed, capitalism's ugly underbelly and atheists' anti-Christian lobbying distorted and trivialized what was once a holy day; it was diminished to a mere holiday. It's now a crass clutter of merrymaking, an extravaganza of spending, and a pointless parade of holiday productions. Nevertheless, the babe, born in a manger over two millenniums ago, had a powerful impact on the development of our nation. For centuries, many Europeans who refused to attend state-required churches were often sent to prison. That's why, in 1620, 120 brave Pilgrims took a two-month stormy journey to start a new life on an unexplored continent. As the years, decades, and centuries passed, many other freedom-loving souls made the same journey. The land of the free and the home of the brave became known worldwide for its liberty, opportunities, prosperity, generosity, and Christianity. In the 1950s, Gallup surveys showed over 90% of America's adult population identified as Christian, confirming that our nation was founded on Judeo-Christian truths. Sadly, Pew Research recently projected Christians could lose their majority status by 2070. Ask yourself: how beautiful will America be if politicians, judges, educators, media, entertainers – and even some clergy — persist down this path? What will happen if atheists continue to secularize, minimize, and compromise the message (Christmas), the man (Jesus), and the people (Christians)? Could freedom turn to enslavement? How low can we go? The first attempt to stop Christmas happened soon after the birth of Jesus. King Herod of Judea tried to cancel Christmas: he demanded that all baby boys two years old and under be murdered. It didn't work. Today, the woke-folk continue Herod's battle. They don't kill little boys with swords but poison their minds with atheistic materialism and a godless worldview. They will fail; Jesus can't be canceled. The babe of the manger is still alive, and humanity will always yearn to breathe free. Despite culture wars, America remains the brightest light in an ever-darkening world. As we celebrate Christmas and bow to the newborn King, His light in us will reflect all that makes America beautiful. Note: this is the final essay under the theme "What Makes America Beautiful." If you would like a free copy (PDF) of all 20 articles by Dr. Ross, email your request to: Dr.Ross@RonRossToday.com. ©Copyright 2022 Ronald D. Ross |
Vertical Divider
|
