02 November 2016

Re-Post: What I Believe

With a critical national election just days away, it seemed the right time to post this again, with a few updates:

I am a follower of Jesus Christ, politically a Conservative Libertarian first and, these days, with barely any Republican remaining. One blogger used to describe himself as an "anarcho-capitalist". I'm not there yet, but not as far from it as I used to be.

I believe in God, the strength of America, the brilliance of our Founding Fathers, the valor of our military, and the need for Leadership in all forms and on every level. 

I am not an advocate of censorship as I feel everyone on the Far Left has a God-given right to be painfully stupid -- as I have a right to expose said stupidity.

I believe in the rightness of God's instructions to us, and that we will most often screw things up by trying it our way, first.

I am a staunch believer in "original intent" -- that the founding documents, the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence should and must be interpreted in the light of what the Founders intended when those documents were first composed. They explained themselves in The Federalist Papers, and in letters written in their later years. There should NEVER be any doubt as to what the 18th-Century English means, in those documents.

I staunchly refuse to believe in "living" documents, which would somehow metamorphose over time into an unrecognizable mutant form which bears little or no resemblance to the original.

I believe that the United States of America are the greatest assemblage of talent, intelligence, and Providential blessing ever seen on the earth -- and that that description in no way applies to the Congress of the United States.

I believe in the sovereignty of the People, and of the individual States, and that the general government, based in the District of Columbia, is -- and rightly ought to be -- subservient to the People, and the States.

I believe that there is yet hope for America, although the path may be over unfamiliar and perhaps intensely uncomfortable ground.

I believe in the American people: that those who remember our Founding, and the blood that has been shed to preserve this Nation are primarily just and fair, and that with God's help we can once more turn this country around and make it a beacon of freedom and hope in a dark world.

I'm also aware that there are now many, many in this nation who do not believe these things. If we succeed in setting things on the right path again, then those with other ideals would be far happier in other lands. We must educate them, or encourage them to seek their happiness elsewhere.

I believe we can do what we've been talking about. And I believe it's going to be hard -- and worth every effort.

12 comments:

Suz said...

Any thing worth having is hard to get and worth every effort to obtain.
Any thing easy to get is not worth much in the long run, and is appreciated hardly at all.

Mom's "pearls of wisdom"

Suz

Toirdhealbheach Beucail said...

I think I remember this post the first time around. Still a good one.

drjim said...

And I'll stand beside you on this ANY day of the week/month/year!

LindaG said...

I agree with everything you said here, Reverend. Not sure about the Conservative Libertarian, I'd have to look into that; but I agree that the Republican party all seem to be mostly Rinos now.

Be safe. God has definitely blessed you.

Rev. Paul said...

Suz, I can only agree. :)

Thank you, Jim. That means a lot.

Linda, I struggle to come up with an accurate way to describe my politics. Perhaps "Jeffersonian Constitutionalist" is closer.

Rev. Paul said...

Sorry, TB - didn't mean to forget you. I've posted it a couple of times since 2011 or '12, so it may indeed be familiar. But I did change a few things, as politics have ... well, drifted ... since then.

LindaG said...

Jeffersonian Constitutionalist I understand. I believe the in the Constitution as you do. Sadly, our oldest boy is one who thinks it should be a 'living document', and made more.. current.

I don't understand how he can think that, or that it would be good, as you explain quite well, here.

Rev. Paul said...

Linda, that's a bit scary. As your oldest, he's been the longest-indoctrinated of the crew. You have your work cut out for you.

LindaG said...

And we thought he was more conservative. had a lot of responsibility at a young age because hubby and I were both in the military then. Even went to Florida with a church youth group after one of the hurricanes there.

But he met a liberal girl, went to local community college, and I won't bore you with the rest.

We do indeed have our work cut out.

Blessings.

Well Seasoned Fool said...

Your points are valid. Thank you for sharing.

To me, this Internet thing is the most wondrous invention of my lifetime. It gives the common person a better way to engage the community, find common grounds, and lose the feeling of only shouting in the wilderness.

I hope it isn't too little, too late to right the ship of state.

Steve Ronin said...

AMEN.

Rev. Paul said...

Linda, it's not a boring story; merely another sad one. But he knows better, I suspect, and will return to what he learned when younger, once the liberal influence is removed.

WSF, thank you. And I agree that the 'net is wondrous, once one has sorted the valid from the nonsense. That can be a chore all by itself. And the "shouting in the wilderness" part is true, even with the Web ... sometimes. But may your hope become a reality.

Steve, thank you, too.