Dear Editor:
On July 4, 2017 America was 241 years old. During this time, American soil has not been assaulted by outsiders but three times – (The British in the War of 1812, The Japanese at Pearl Harbor in 1941 and the Muslim Radicals at New York, in Washington and in rural Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001). Just because America remains the most resilient nation militarily, economically, financially and spiritually, she can still be taken down. Lately, the environment (earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes and forest fires) have definitely made a chink in her armor. Most of these effects have been physical. America can also be slain by its own inside absurdities. Some of these are questionable social engineering, sanitizing its own history and forsaking its spirituality.
Sir William Jones, a great English jurist, said with great truth and beauty that we (America) “live in the midst of blessings till we are utterly insensible of their greatness and of the source from whence they flow. We speak of our civilization, our arts, our freedom, our laws, and forget entirely how large a share is due to Christian spirituality.”
Loving America means thoughtfully and prayerfully involving ourselves in the republic. Now is not the time for Americans to extract themselves from the politics of our time. We are the bearers of truth and even in times of peril we must continue to offer truth. The ability for information to be shared so quickly and from places that had no voice before seems to have scared away some faithful from the public square. We should be steadfast to meet those in pain and distress, not defend our decisions to shy away with worries that American spirituality is in a tailspin. Understand that careers and reputations could be at stake for standing for the truth. This should not be a surprise, as we are asked to offer our lives. We should continue to offer the fortitude and the respect to not dismiss the past as irrelevant. The trajectory of our nation was created through centuries of imbalance of equality. If we want to be true patriots we must show to our neighbors that we hear them and love them because they are America. They are the America worth loving. We Americans must realize immediately that our great nation is not in perpetuity, but can be destroyed either physically (environment, war) or philosophically by adjusting our social make-up or spiritual dogmas.
Dale Bain
Millbrook
