Of one thing we must be certain. Those who are to depend upon democracy as their system of government must be an educated and moral people. Not “moral” in the sense that they must adhere to a code forced upon them, but rather that they should adhere to a code at all and conduct life from that point – a point that must be defended, and in its defense, thought out.
We must be guided not by emotion and tribalism, but by thought and debate, and an understanding of our commonality – an understanding that says “we’re on this ship together, and if your part of the ship sinks, so does mine.”
Without this piece of thoughtfulness, it would be better to become a system such as that which governs China – which is beginning to enjoy new wealth and “freedom,” but a freedom that falls within a very strict space defined by the government and not by the people. The government decides the boundaries – not a government elected by and accountable to the people, but a government guided by a singular ideology that determines what is best for the governed. To live within these boundaries is correct. To step outside of them is error that must be dealt with. The overall good of the society as determined by the government is the desired end. Individual freedom does not fit. It is possible, but only while it is in agreement with the overall good of society. There is crime. There is cheating and bribery and graft. And if it’s discovered, it is dealt with harshly and finally. But in general, your “freedom” is simply “freedom to do that which the government allows.”
Is there an in-between? I’m always reminded of the Adams quote, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” While I understand that Adams most likely meant a “Christian” people, he left the opening for one to ponder this: “could being ‘moral and religious’ simply mean to be ‘governed by the principle that there is something greater than oneself,’ and ‘to do that which is of least harm to the most people’?” While I still maintain that Christianity, in its purest form, is the best means to accomplish this, I am at least willing to explore a common ground that says we should be thinking outside of ourselves both in our concept of what is right and wrong and in how we treat others.
Tocqueville, in his introduction to Democracy in America, says “Christianity, which has declared all men equal in the sight of God, cannot hesitate to acknowledge all citizens equal before the law. But by a strange concatenation of events, religion for the moment has become entangled with those institutions which democracy overthrows, and so it is often brought out to rebuff the equality which it loves and to abuse freedom as its adversary, whereas by taking it by the hand it could sanctify its striving.” Tocqueville’s is an observation of the state of events in his day, and yet it’s an indictment of our existence even now over 150 years later.
The bottom line is that we must be thoughtful in our governance if we want to continue our form of government. We cannot claim some kind of morality that equates with an objective good if we don’t understand that which makes it objective. The “Christianity” that Tocqueville decries over a century and a half ago – a Christianity that resulted exactly in the evils of the 19th century American people and more so continued its influence even to this day – is one that is misguided by careless shallowness. It is plagued by a refusal to commit to deep thought about the inconsistencies in itself. It claims to love life and freedom, yet vehemently opposes the liberties of the poor and the sojourner. It claims to stand for values and morality, yet vigorously supports the immorality of a bombastic narcissist.
And so it is hard to believe by observation that Christianity is a faith of thoughtfulness. God has revealed himself through both creation and the historic events and words recorded in the Bible. Thus, it is through thoughtful study and careful observation that we can come more to understand both that which makes us an educated and moral people, and that which tells us that our morality is right.