[quote]Chushin wrote:
[quote]apbt55 wrote:
[quote]Tiribulus wrote:
The doctrine of providence specifically mentioned in the DOI is a distinctly Christian doctrine, especially under that name.
Once again, the very protestant, very Calvinistic Westminster Confession of Faith of 1646 firmly held by George Whitfield, the most famous preacher of the era and God’s humble servant in the “great awakening”:
[quote]Chapter V
Of Providence
I. God the great Creator of all things does uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by His most wise and holy providence, according to His infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of His own will, to the praise of the glory of His wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy.
II. Although, in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the first Cause, all things come to pass immutably, and infallibly; yet, by the same providence, He orders them to fall out, according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently.
III. God, in His ordinary providence, makes use of means, yet is free to work without, above, and against them, at His pleasure.
IV. The almighty power, unsearchable wisdom, and infinite goodness of God so far manifest themselves in His providence, that it extends itself even to the first fall, and all other sins of angels and men; and that not by a bare permission, but such as has joined with it a most wise and powerful bounding, and otherwise ordering, and governing of them, in a manifold dispensation, to His own holy ends; yet so, as the sinfulness thereof proceeds only from the creature, and not from God, who, being most holy and righteous, neither is nor can be the author or approver of sin.
V. The most wise, righteous, and gracious God does oftentimes leave, for a season, His own children to manifold temptations, and the corruption of their own hearts, to chastise them for their former sins, or to discover unto them the hidden strength of corruption and deceitfulness of their hearts, that they may be humbled; and, to raise them to a more close and constant dependence for their support upon Himself, and to make them more watchful against all future occasions of sin, and for sundry other just and holy ends.
VI. As for those wicked and ungodly men whom God, as a righteous Judge, for former sins, does blind and harden, from them He not only withholds His grace whereby they might have been enlightened in their understandings, and wrought upon in their hearts; but sometimes also withdraws the gifts which they had, and exposes them to such objects as their corruption makes occasion of sin;] and, withal, gives them over to their own lusts, the temptations of the world, and the power of Satan, whereby it comes to pass that they harden themselves, even under those means which God uses for the softening of others.
VII. As the providence of God does, in general, reach to all creatures; so, after a most special manner, it takes care of His Church, and disposes all things to the good thereof.[/quote]I promise you this is that to which Jefferson, though paying lip service himself, was referring in speaking of a “firm reliance on divine providence”. Why would he do that? Because he knew that the preponderance of the citizenry of that day understood God to be that most exalted and holy being revered in the great reformed confessions that expressed a deep conviction of an utterly almighty and unfailing deity. Ya know… like … providence. Look it’s like this. The USA was never a “Christian nation”, but it was a nation firmly founded on the assumption that the social morality of Christianity would be in place to facilitate self governance under our very liberal (the good way) constitution.
Oh yes it was. All you post modern libertines can crow all you want. I can produce a wall of text from founders of all stripes expressing exactly that. That died in the 60’s and so began in earnest the swirl down the bowl that we are now trapped in. Just exactly as planned. Every radical subversive handbook of any repute lists the promotion of promiscuity and the marginalization of traditional faithful families as primary weapons in bringing down this society. Look it up. Social justice? People are so gullible.[/quote]
an eloquant person who gets it.
But what I find funny is aside from a few progressives here the majority that argue are from progressive european nations. They are trying to tell us about our history as though they had and inside look at it. [/quote]
If you want a good yuck, ask Orion how he learned about the US!
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The way anyone who doesn’t live here does, through some other source.