America's Founding Ideas, and Islam

There is a whole lot of chattering speculation out there to the effect that America is in decline; that America has past the ‘tipping point’ and will drop from its place as the shining city on a hill and descend into dark and godless socialism, or even worse, a socialism made darker by the infiltration and appeasement of Islam. On the brighter side, there are also daily, even hourly reminders via email and internet postings of millions around the world who see this potential decline and descent, including the Islamist dimension, very thoroughly and clearly, and are fighting in every way they know how to reverse it.

At this site, we have characterized the broad current struggle as a war—a war against liberalism and godless intellectualism and a malignant theology-- that is every bit as serious and consequential as World War II and the Civil War and even the Revolutionary War. It is harder to fight because the enemy seems to be within America’s borders and even sitting in America’s White House. Americans don’t want to kill their own—literally or figuratively—so the struggle to win this war will ‘try men’s souls’ perhaps even more than those prior wars.

The good news is that America will win this war, as it has all the others. It may not yet be clear how it will be won or how long it will take to be won; most despairingly, it may not yet be clear what cost--in human misery, death and destruction—will be paid to win it. But it will be won, and that fact, if better understood, will speed the victory and lower the cost.

This war will be won because America is an idea, or set of ideas, that is grounded in truth. Truth doesn't change, and truth is never defeated. Truth acts as a leaven in human thinking; the understanding and appreciation of truth inevitably advances, though setbacks occur along the way.

It’s always important to remember that set of ideas:

• There is a Creator.

• There are inalienable (or ‘unalienable’ as actually written in the Declaration of Independence) rights that come from the Creator.

• Inalienable rights include the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

• All men are created equal.

At the founding of America, the clearest then-prevailing understanding of these ideas established the principle of limited government, and abolished the idea of hierarchies based on birthright or class. Less clear at the time was how the idea “all men are created equal” could be reconciled with slavery or with the less than equal treatment of women.

The truth was, and is, that “all men are created equal” cannot be reconciled with slavery or with the less than equal treatment of women. The Civil War represented a devastating price paid to learn the higher meaning of this founding principle as it related to slavery, but it was paid and it was learned. The less than equal treatment of women also had to be abolished, but Americans were able to do it at less cost in terms of violence and war. And yes, we know the abolishment of slavery has not completely rid the nation of racism, and the advancement in the treatment of women hasn’t yet achieved perfect equality in every dimension. But where Americans are today on both of these topics is incalculably improved over where Americans were at the founding of the country. And Americans’ progress in these areas has led the world.

Now looming over America and humanity as a whole in the current atmosphere of struggle or war is the challenge to learn the higher meaning of another American founding idea.

It is the American idea of the Creator, particularly as that idea is distinguished from the Allah of Islam.

In very simple terms, the Creator who has endowed man with inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; the Creator who has created all men and women equal—is NOT the Allah of Islamic theology. The Creator acknowledged in the founding of America is the true and only God (and yes, we know the convulsions that statement brings to the secular intellectual—but it is a simple, inescapable truth). The human condition and civilization experiences progress when it confidently recognizes this fact; it goes to hell in a handbasket when it denies it or loses sight of it.

The calling of the era is for a greater understanding of theology and how it impacts humanity. People need to read the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount, and read the Koran. They need to consider what the path of history has shown as to what happens when men and women are seen to be made in the image and likeness of the God of the Bible vs. what happens when men and women are seen as beings who must submit to the Allah of Mohammed’s writings. They need to see the greatness and goodness of America in its true light as the outcome of Judeo-Christian theology; they need to see the tyranny, oppression and bloodshed that are the outcome of Islamic theology. It is not difficult to see which conception of God offers the most goodness and hope for humanity; the difficult task is to enable humanity—including Muslims—to escape the clutches of Islam.

There is tremendous progress being made in America in responding to this challenge. Newt Gingrich understands it and will make sure it is a part of America’s national discussion between now and November 2012. So will former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum in his probable bid for the Presidency. Andy McCarthy continues to be a relentless and fearless voice of clarity on the subject. Limbaugh, Hannity and Levin all understand aspects of it. House of Representatives member Peter King surely is onto the challenge, as is Allen West.

Many, many people today want to run from this topic and hope some concept of tolerance will make it go away—just as many, many people in the early 1800’s wanted to run from the topic of slavery and hope some legislative compromise would contain it and ultimately make it go away. But truth doesn’t work that way; there ultimately is no compromise between truth and untruth; there is no middle ground to be found.

Americans will continue to rise to the truth of their founding ideals. Our fervent prayer is that the cost to win the war over who and what is the true Creator will not be a bloodbath but an awakening; more like the mostly peaceful rising that threw off the unequal treatment of women than the devastation that had to be endured to overcome slavery. But one thing we know: America’s founding ideas will prevail; truth will prevail.

Paul Gable

March 18, 2011