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Adhere to a few 'absolutes'
Pastor's corner
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I am excited about freedom. This weekend we join Americans around the world in celebrating our country’s 233rd birthday. The founding fathers came to America many years ago in search of freedom and opportunity. Then, one day, they gathered and signed the Declaration of Independence. What a day that must have been!
Fast forward 233 years and these words are still fresh in our minds: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
As I write today, I am concerned about what we will leave for those coming after us. What will our 333rd celebration look like? Will we, in the interest of maintaining political correctness, have completely eroded our moral absolutes? Will we, in the interest of maintaining our moral absolutes, have completely disregarded and oppressed all who dare oppose the majority ideals?
I believe it can be a very difficult balancing act to reconcile the principles we have on paper with our everyday actions.
I am happy to say that I believe that in America, I can still hold fast to my Christian principles without oppressing those who do not share my values. I still believe that there are some absolutes that Americans ought to adhere to. These absolutes were expressed very well in the Declaration of Independence, “... that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
The first absolute is the right to life. I believe every American has a right to life. I am dismayed at how little value we place on life today. I will not get into a philosophical discussion of the meaning of life, but I will say you have not begun to live until you have accepted Jesus as Savior.
The second absolute is liberty. I will “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free ...” (Galatians 5:1)
I will also remember an expression my high school history teacher used to illustrate this point.
“My right to swing my fist ends where the other person space begins.”
I commit myself to standing firm in my liberty and doing my part to not infringe on the liberties of others. This includes firmly holding my Christian values while respecting the views of others.
The third absolute is the pursuit of happiness. This is often much more difficult to define. But I believe the Declaration gives every American the right to dream the American dream.
Subsequently, a black Georgian had a dream. A “skinny kid from Chicago” became president. And now, every American can say, “Yes we can!” Happy birthday, America!

Scott is the pastor of Baconton Missionary Baptist Church.
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