But until the U.S. Constitution was signed and delivered as the great experiment that it was, there was no society, no civilization, that honored life and liberty as a God-given right that was beyond the prerogative of government or a ruling class to control. Nobody was to be born as a serf obligated to pay homage to a feudal lord; no king and no pope would have authority to decree what rights the people would have. That principle was embodied in the Declaration of Independence: "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."
It is not the specifics of the laws to which I refer, but the principles behind them. Other nations have now followed suit, but the USA stood alone and unique at that time.
I assumed since you singled social conservatives out for criticism, you were critical of their political activism more than anybody else. If that was not your intent, I accept that I interpreted your remarks incorrectly. I respect your faith, your commitment to it, and the authority assigned to you due to your faithfulness to your Lord.
But I must quarrel with the old cliche that 'you can't legislate morality'. All laws legislate morality in one way or another including those we've already discussed: don't murder and don't harm your neighbor or his property through intentional acts or negligence, don't unnecessarily endanger others, don't steal, honor your financial obligations, etc. Then there are laws that we approve and enforce purely for aesthetic reasons: taverns, strip clubs, and/or adult bookstores should not be placed near schools; prostitution and/or commercial gambling won't be a legal activity in our state or community, certain minimum ages are established at which people can legally drive, buy controlled substances, have sex, or marry. How do you take morality out of any of such things?
Where you and I might agree however, is that all such legislation should be the prerogative of the state and/or local community. The Founders intended that the purpose of the Federal government was to secure our unalienable rights and enact such laws and regulation as necessary to do that. Otherwise the people would be left alone to form whatever society they wanted to have.
And I think, without realizing it, that you agree with our Founders who knew that the Constitution would protect only a people committed to virtue, morality, and personal faith. We conservatives should continue to emphasize those very virtues, that sense of morality, and the value of personal faith in order to keep our country strong and impervious to enemies within and without.
But within the principles upon which this country was founded, the intent was that no one would have authority to determine what attitude or beliefs another would be required or expected to hold. The change you hope for must be done by persuasion as it violates every principle this country was founded on to demand it by force.
