The Constitution of United States of America is a rare work of genius that has guided the country for 225 years. At the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, delegates from all 13 states labored to make a document that could govern a republic.
It was a remarkable gathering of brilliant men, including James Madison and Thomas Jefferson. Madison in particular is known as the "Father of the Constitution." Deeply rooted in the Judeo-Christian belief system, the Founding Fathers understood the connection between religion and morality. This belief in God is the undergirding of the work of the Constitutional Convention.
For nearly two centuries, this same religious mindset governed the United States. But in the last 30 years, this belief system has come under assault by the insidious influence of secular humanism. Whereas our country was founded on Divine Law with its eternal truths, secular humanism touts the falsehood that there is no truth outside of that which persons declare to be the truth. The chaos that ensues from this foolhardy choice is the subject of this book.
David Bowman places George Washington, James Madison and Benjamin Franklin into a time machine and fast-forwards them into the 21st century. There they enter into a chat room and begin talking to young students. The name of this interesting book is "What Would the Founding Fathers Think?"
The three founding fathers are somewhat stunned at what they find in the 21st century. Some of the students in the chat room don’t seem to see that religion is the foundation upon which the nation stands. From this religious understanding, a set of morals and virtues develop. These virtues become habits in the society and allows democracy to function.
The students are very surprised that the founding fathers all argue for a "limited federal government." They all contend that the purpose of the Constitution is to limit the power of the national government. If this does not happen, the federal government will grow in power beyond what is useful for the country. This will lead to an overregulated country in which citizens lose freedom.
As the students continue asking the founding fathers questions, it is clear that all three leaders believe that the country needs to be grounded on a strong family. Here young people learn to work and study, which allows them to make good decisions as they mature.
The beliefs of the founding fathers are listed in the shape of a large layered cake. At the bottom is the understanding of the need for God and religion. The next layer is the development of values leading to an enlightened citizenry. The third tier is the knowledge the people have that they can govern themselves. The successive levels of the cake move upwards from local to state to the national government. Because the foundation is based on religion, the federal government will never been seen as a threat to religious liberty.
In the second part of the book, the author places the lack of religion, or as some people state, "secular humanism," at the bottom of the cake. Then as the cake is built higher it increasingly becomes unstable and is in danger of collapsing. The Founding Fathers wonder where the country is today.
This is an excellent book to discuss these basic issues in what is happening in the United States today as the country increasingly turns away from religion. Bowman also gives a number of remedies for the problems. The drawings are humorous and filled with insight. This title would be very helpful in a middle school social studies class. It is filled with information and enjoyable to read.
This book can be ordered online or purchased in fine book stores like Gloria Deo in Lincoln. I hope you get a chance to read "What Would the Founding Fathers Think?" by David Bowman.
