WHY DO YOU NEED TO KNOW YOUR CONSTITUTION?
“Every member of the State ought diligently to read and to study the Constitution. By knowing their rights, they will sooner perceive when they are violated, and be the better prepared to defend and assert them.”
John Jay, Author of Federalist Papers and a U.S. Supreme Court Justice
Welcome to our first article on “Knowing Your Constitution.” I was challenged to undertake this topic as an opportunity to confess my mistakes in teaching Government and exposing the inability of public schools to properly educate our young people of the greatness of our Constitution and the honor they should have for the “founding fathers.”
We are at a major inflection point in this country. Our country is either going to turn toward the higher calling of an honorable, just and righteous nation or fall into a corrupt, dishonest, hate filled, disintegrating cesspool of socialist/communist ideology. We must choose to either work on God’s side or oppose His standards.
What must we do? First, make relationship with God and His Word a priority in our lives. We must know what He feels is right and just. Second, raise up our children to love God, the Word, the Constitution and our Country. Only then can we learn to love God, love neighbors as we love ourselves. (Matt. 22:37-39 and Mark 12:30-31)
As a Christian high school teacher, I must confess that I am disappointed in myself as to the legitimacy of teaching government. Being educated in a liberal college and being required to teach from liberal leaning high school texts, I often missed the subtleties of liberal ideology. This was especially true when it came to the dishonoring of the founding fathers as only rich, greedy, slave owing atheists. (These are the same lies that liberals use today to discredit anyone who opposes them.) Many teachers just teach the books and materials as truth without further study.
Secondly, while I was teaching, Government was a social studies requirement for ninth graders. They were fresh out of middle school and really just figuring out high school. They were not interested in government, the Constitution, rules of law, or the functioning of the Supreme Court. I always believed that Government should be required at the senior level when they are more near the time of participating in their government and using their voting rights.
So, what to do? I believe government should be addressed throughout elementary and secondary education. Those of you who homeschool should make the Pledge of Allegiance and the three parts of the government made known along with the ABC’s. Parents must take a role in teaching government and love for our country to our sons and daughters so that we don’t end up with more unemployed, uneducated, flag burning rioters in our streets.
Founding Father, Dr. Benjamin Rush, taught that public schools had three purposes: To teach students to love and serve God. To teach students to love and serve their country. To teach students to love and serve their families. He put country before family because he understood that if we ever lost control of our country, it would become the great enemy of our families.
This monthly article will help you to understand the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitutional rights of each citizen. Knowing and understanding our Constitution is the key to preserving not only America’s liberties and freedoms, but also our own individual liberties and freedoms.
You can also study other courses on the Constitution. Holy Spirit Livin’ provides online classes of Constitution Alive! at their facilities. https://sites.google.com/view/holyspiritlivin/homeHillsdale College https://online.hillsdale.edu/ also provides free lessons.
If you want to buy materials and study on your own, go to Patriot Academy for the Constitution Alive! course, which now costs $39. Otherwise, grab a copy of The Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution and let’s study together. I don’t have a doctorate degree in the Constitution, but as a fellow citizen, we can certainly discuss and research questions about the Constitution. Submit questions and/or comments below.
(Next month: The signers of the Declaration of Independence and what it would cost.)
kln
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the
world, and not according to Christ.
Colossians 2:8 ESV