OPINION:
Individual freedoms enshrined in our founding documents are a key differentiator between the U.S. and other nations. Frankly, freedom is the top reason why so many disaffected persons flock to our shores. After al, no one is eagerly seeking to gain admittance to tyrannical countries such as China, North Korea, Russia or Iran.
Freedom was the driving force behind our founders’ breakaway from the oppression of King George III and the British Empire. Since freedom is a gift from God, it presupposes faith in God. Reading about our founders, one sees that the thirst for freedom is a common theme among them. Digging deeper, we see that their search for freedom — despite all odds, threats and opposition — exposes a fearlessness and an underlying faith. The founders had security, but they valued freedom more.
An individual who is fearful cannot be totally free, as fear inhibits the exercise of freedom. Since fear takes over where faith leaves off, a strong faith is critical to the unbridled exercise of freedom. The reason is obvious: If human dignity and freedoms come from God, then it follows that loss of faith in God means loss of faith in those freedoms that derive from him.
Each of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence was at one time or another the victim of manhunts and driven from his home. Seventeen lost everything they owned. Yet not one of them defected or went back on his pledged word. They ultimately gave us a free and independent country whose liberties should never be taken for granted.
Our founders were God-fearing men. That should be a lesson for all of us today.
MIKE HADRO
Manassas, Virginia
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