Natural Law

The topic of discussion for this Freedom Friday is Natural Law or the laws of God. The first fundamental principle of freedom for a society is that the governing laws must be based on Natural Law or the laws of God. The Founders understood that basic rights come from God and not from government. In writing the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."

Our Founding Fathers wanted a government that would overcome the evils of past civilizations. They knew that individual liberty and collective prosperity could only happen among a moral and virtuous people. They understood that their new law had to be based on God's Law. Jesus Christ taught that the greatest commandment is "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment." Jesus added, "And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matthew 22:36-40).

Every law of mankind should be based on these two great laws. We should also use God’s law to measure any other law. In order to build a free, moral and virtuous society, we must embrace Natural Law.