What We Believe
God FirstJesus said, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest
commandment." (Matthew 22:37-38.) We believe that all personal,
familial, social, and national interests must be subordinated to the
interests of serving God. In truth, any actions inimical to the
interests of serving God will also ultimately prove to be inimical to
the best interests of the individual, the family, the society, and the
nation.
The Word of GodWe believe that the Bible is the
revealed Word of God and should be our guide in all personal, social,
and national decision making.
The Sanctity of LifeJesus said, "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:39.)
We
believe that life is precious. Both physical life and personhood begin
with conception and end with death. From beginning to end life must be
treated in a manner consistent with the commands of love, respect, and
dignity.
God and the United States of AmericaWe believe
that the establishment, prosperity, and preservation of the United
States of America have been possible only through the work of divine
providence. Our continued prosperity and even survival remain
dependent upon this providence.
Separation of Church and StateThe
founders were passionately devoted to the protection of individual
liberties. They were cognizant of the fact that historically the two
greatest institutional offenders of these liberties were the Church and
the State. Accordingly, the Founders sought to prevent the formal
alliance of these two institutions, for such a union would likely prove
fatal to the preservation of individual liberties. However, whereas it
was the Founders' intent to prevent an alliance between the institution
of the Church and the institution of the State, it never was their
intent to separate religion from the State, nor to remove God from
government. In his first inaugural address, President George
Washington referred to "an indissoluble union between virtue and
happiness" and "that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be
expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and
right, which Heaven itself has ordained...."
The separation of the institutions of the Church and the State is essential for our happiness and success.
The union of "true religion" and the State is equally essential for that happiness and success.
Freedom of ReligionWe
respect and affirm the Constitution's mandate that "Congress shall make
no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof...."
We believe this means that Congress cannot
make laws specifically to regulate the practices of any particular
religion or denomination (provided that these practices are not
abhorrent to the prevailing values of the community, e.g., human
sacrifices, polygamy, etc.). No one may be denied any rights nor
entitlements because of one's religious views. However, we vehemently
oppose the idea that this Constitutional mandate requires the
elimination of all religious practices by the government itself. To
the contrary, many Founders accepted Christianity as "true religion"
and believed that its incorporation into the values and practices of
government was an indispensable support for good government and a
prosperous, happy society. "Our Constitution was made only for a moral
and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any
other." President John Adams, October 11, 1798.
The Role of the Federal GovernmentThomas Jefferson wrote, "That government is best which governs least, because its people discipline themselves."
Governments
function by making and administering laws. Laws, by their very nature,
limit personal liberties. Obviously, some laws are necessary. It is
important to realize, however, that the more laws we have, the fewer
freedoms we will enjoy. Big government and a free people are mutually
exclusive. The Founders understood this. They sought to create a
limited government that would unleash the creative and productive
energies of the people while imposing a minimum of regulations upon
them. The best interests of the people are best accomplished by the
people themselves -- not by distant and detached legislators and
bureaucrats.
Furthermore, the vitality of the people is best
preserved by an awareness on their part that their prosperity and their
future are in their own hands. Tragically, we have abandoned the
wisdom of our Founders. In recent decades we have seen the Federal
government grow to monstrous proportions. It is no idle coincidence
that the problems facing our nation have also grown during this period.
We
must realize that government is the cause of our gravest threats, not a
cure for them. And yet, like drug addicts, we crave the very thing
that is destroying us.
In honoring the principles and ideals of
our Founders, the Christian Patriots will work to return God to
government, to reverse the growth of big government, to unshackle the
creative energies of America, and to free our people to pursue life,
liberty, and happiness
as they see fit.
"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." II Corinthians 3:17
The Foreign Policy of the United StatesGeorge
Washington wrote, "I wish well to all nations and to all men. My
politics are plain and simple. I think every nation has a right to
establish that form of government under which it conceives it shall
live most happy; provided it infracts no right, or is not dangerous to
others; and that no governments ought to interfere with the internal
concerns of another, except for the security of what is due to
themselves."
We believe this to be a prudent basis for our foreign policy. The essence of this policy can be expressed in these principles:
Above
all, we are entitled -- and will work most aggressively -- to protect
our national interests. We intend to do no harm to others, but neither
will we tolerate any threat from others.
We Seek to Live in Peace With All PeoplesWe realize that political, economic, and social practices which work in one country may not be well suited for another.
As such, we will tolerate practices and institutions in other nations which we may believe are ill-advised.
However,
should foreign governments threaten the legitimate interests of other
nations, or prove to be oppressive to their own people, we will stand
ready to assist in the defense of those threatened. It will be our
firm commitment to offer such
assistance through peaceful means and
to resort to arms only as a last resort. We firmly believe, however,
that it is the responsibility of the people of a nation to address
their internal grievances themselves. Of late, we have spent too many
American lives and too many billions of dollars attempting to do for
others what they should be doing for themselves. These
ill-conceived endeavors have borne few positive results while earning the animosity many.
The
best service we can offer the world is that of an inspirational
example. We seek to create such a model of peace, prosperity, and
contentedness that other peoples and nations will want to follow our
example instead of attacking our interests. The United States once was
the City on the Hill which motivated others to ascend to new heights.
We need to become that City once again.
Jesus said, "Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and
glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16.)
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