By David Hegg
I love July 4 and all it stands for. I remember lying on my back in a massive park in Boise, Idaho, watching the magnificent fireworks display that ended our 1976 Bicentennial celebration. As a young college student, I was proud of our nation, proud of our heritage, and even prouder that I could have a part in the next generation of American achievement.
But I fear independence as a personal right is slowly undermining the freedom intended initially by the forefathers who dared put power in the hands of the public.
Independence as a national value was never intended to cancel out the need for personal interdependence among our country’s citizenry. Our democracy was built on the supposition that for America to be great, we must be good, with “good” being measured by standards of decency and love of neighbor arising from the Judeo-Christian world.
Today, independence is not seen as freedom from foreign dominance as much as it is understood to grant individual freedom from external restraint. Under this nuanced sense of independence, everyone must recognize my “independence” and refrain from putting any boundaries on my beliefs or my self-defined rights.
Remember the famous third-grade retort when a classmate started to do something you didn’t appreciate? “It’s a free country, and I can do what I want.” Back then, it was humorous. Today, it is dangerous.
We are losing a sense of mutual interdependence based on mutual restraint in areas that would both harm my neighbor and derail our concerted effort to preserve the freedoms we all need. We are seeing an army of discontents who have hammered their frustrations into swords designed to hack away at any freedom that dares attempt to restrain their behavior. All around, the resounding cry of “it’s a free country and we can do as we please” really means, “If you try and stop us, you’ll be branded a bigot, and an enemy of human rights.”
On Independence Day, we celebrate the valiant efforts of those who fought to free us as a nation from British rule. As we enjoy family and food, we take time to remember what such enjoyment really costs. But amidst the joy, be aware that we are once again fighting to preserve the very freedoms we gained through toil and trouble in our fight for independence.
Today, religious liberty is under attack. Today, moral standards are being either rewritten or torn down. Today, tyrannical demands are being placed on businesses, churches and families without regard to their freedoms under the Constitution. Why? Primarily because they dare to uphold standards of morality, religious preference and practices established centuries ago, as well as an allegiance to constitutionally protected rights considered outside the bounds of politically correct living today. They dare to proclaim individual independence and freedom do not mean everyone can do what is right in their own eyes.
I maintain that the whole concept of “independence” has been derailed by special interests attempting to robe themselves in patriotism. It is not patriotic to undermine our nation’s moral values. It is not patriotic to reinterpret our governing documents to outlaw beliefs, ideas and practices that have been foundational to our nation’s strength and health. It is certainly not patriotic to scorn and persecute those who still believe “In God We Trust” has a fundamental place in our society.
Yes, we are a pluralistic nation. Yes, we are a people with many different worldviews. But our freedom has always been built on our ability to stand together against common enemies trying to enslave us. Let us never forget that our national independence will depend on our mutual dependence. We can and will differ. For the sake of our children and our children’s children, let us carry out our differences differently from those whose only desire is to divide us, conquer us, and then spend their lives cheering our demise.
Local resident David Hegg is senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church. “Ethically Speaking” appears Sundays.
