Liberty and Safety

        There was a quote by Benjamin Franklin in light of this crisis with the Corona Virus. He said: “They who give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” This is profound from where it came from. You see, he was a signer of the declaration of Independence which made him a traitor to the crown of King George III, and if he were to be caught by the British, he would have been hanged. Signing the declaration of Independence was a sentence to death, and he did it full heartedly relying on God to protect him and others who signed that oath to God. The signers of the declaration faced hardships by the British: some lost their properties, some were put into prison in Florida, and some lost loved ones, but they all made the sacrifice for liberty. Patrick Henry said it best in his famous speech: “Give me liberty or give me death!”

Have we lost that American Spirit in America today? Have we lost the spirit of the pilgrims that went to Jamestown and Plymouth? The same spirit that declared to the world that we were relying on God and that all men are created equal who have inalienable rights by God of which is life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Have we lost the same spirit of the frontier when men like Daniel Boone, Davy Crocket, and Johnny Appleseed founded this country under harsh conditions? Have we lost the spirit of America that expanded from coast to coast starting with the Louisiana Purchase of which Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark to explore? Have we lost the spirit of the fighting men and women of the Civil War that fought to free all Americans from slavery? Have we lost the Spirit of Martin Luther King Jr who with so many whites and blacks fought to free all Americans from segregation in the south?

 

Who are we America? Are we cowards or are we brave? Are we selfish or loving? Is our heart pure or corrupt? We spit in the face of those who fought for liberty over the years in this country just because we want a little safety. Franklin was right: we don’t deserve safety or liberty—if we are so willing to give it up so easily. Ronald Reagan said it best when he said: “Freedom is never more than a generation away from extinction.” Americans fought the Nazis during World War II to save Jews and other men and women of Europe from tyrants that wished to rule with an iron fist. How long have we been since we were really tested? The test is simple: do you want to live free or to live as slaves? Americans since the founding have answered this question with their own blood. War of independence, Civil War, World War I, World War II, and even Iraq and Afghanistan most recently were examples of Americans fighting for freedom. Where is that pioneering spirit that built this country? Where are the brave men and women who stand up to tyranny in all its forms?

 
        This pandemic has taught Americans one thing: freedom is fragile and that you can’t sacrifice freedom for safety. John F Kennedy faced the Soviet Union in the midst of a cold war with nuclear weapons during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and still maintained liberty for America. How far have we gone from the pioneer spirit that made this nation great? We are not great because of our own wisdom and might, but because of the covenant that we made with God at the founding: the same vow that still holds true today, and that vow needs to be renewed in every American. That we are one nation under God with banners that said to tyrants: “there is no king but king Jesus.” If we don’t fight for liberty, who will? If we don’t stand up for righteousness and virtue that God laid out in nature and nature’s God through the bible then we don’t deserve the liberty we take for granted. Return to God, America, and He’ll return to you. God willing—He will deliver us from ourselves.