adequate control

 James Monroe said: " we all know that neither moral nor religious motives can be relied upon as an adequate control" A statement true then and true today. That was just one of the many reasons James Monroe fought for the separation of church and state when involved with the continental congress and the writing of the constitution. He accepted that reality without exception. Although he attended religious services at Episcopal churches (Anglican) the predominant practice at the time, he rarely spoke of his religious beliefs. Many scholars believe he was in actuality a Deist. Deism was quite the popular movement in his time, many "enlightened" leaders of the day subscribed to that theology. It was the "new" thing and like a lot of young people they embraced it. Young people are still doing the same to this very day and most likely, always will. The time someone first brought a guitar into church when I was a teenager comes to mind. It was quite the radical idea. Today entire rock bands and full-fledged concerts (praise services) are the normal thing. 

 Moral and religious values are self-imposed restrictions with the hope that a reward for that self-sacrifice will be forthcoming after death. What Monroe understood, and I agree with him, is that moral and religious motives will take a back seat to commerce. Those must never interfere with the things we want. They mustn't stifle business. One could argue that every "reform" in the church has been predicated by just that. The Catholic Church, at one time, wielded more political power than any other organization on the planet. Indeed, emissaries were sent to every corner of the world to "convert" those that are not in the fold. 

 The biggest rift took place when the Pope refused to grant an annulment to Henry the Eighth. The result was the protestant reformation. Henry simply formed his own religion with the rules that he wanted. The "Church" had denied a want and he was in a position to change that. Martin Luther is attributed with the actual start of the protestant reformation. Did you know he married a nun? Yes, he had a dozen Nuns smuggled out of a convent in herring barrels and married one of them. Definitely a break from any moral or religious motive. It is what he wanted.  

 All of that continues to this very day in the name of progress. The young people latching on to every new concept and idea. Volumes will be written, speeches made, protests organized, and in today electronic world, tweets sent out! All will support the new thought, the new thing, insisting the old must be replaced. The reality being it is the removal of restraint that is being promulgated. Moral and religious motives as James Monroe put it. Freedom, enlightenment, progress, forward thinking, and any number of adjectives will be applied. Consider the prevalent thought today, abortion is healthcare. Refusing to grant a woman an abortion on demand, for no other reason than the termination of a life, is refusing healthcare. That is the most glaring to me, but other examples are easy enough to see. Consider the language, the subject matter, the open display of sexual matters in the general public today. Certainly, a great deal of restraint has been removed in the promotion of "freedom." 

 Now James Monroe and others that may have been Deists, many claimed to be, didn't dismiss the concept of God. They simply changed the name to the Great Architect or some other descriptive phrase. Divine providence was mentioned often as both a source of strength and a source of relief from the trials of the world. Was that a removal of restraint? Yes, I think you could say that. No need to attend regular church services and to affiliate yourself with any specific denomination. If for no other reason it is certainly politically expedient. That was accomplished by what means? In each case it had to be a personal choice, one supported by reason. It's true that the hardest person to convince is yourself! The more educated you become, the more possibilities you are exposed to, the harder that becomes. You do begin to believe, I know better. 

 In all of that lies the issue of America. America was founded upon the Judeo-Christian belief system. Our true reward comes in death. It requires belief. It requires self-restraint. More importantly however it requires you to do the right thing, even when no one is looking. It requires you to follow the rules. Those writing the constitution and the bill of rights were aware that there are no moral and religious rules that are universally followed or accepted. It is just a basic fact. That's why they didn't include any religious doctrine in those documents, no official support for any one set of "rules." They would not provide adequate control! 

 What they are speaking of is conscience. Control stems from conscience. The very reason we keep changing the rules, modifying the conscience. Consider the era before the civil war. During that time about a million people living in the southern states felt the enslavement of Africans was a just thing. Heck, there were slaves in the Bible, although those slaves were often held unjustly. But the thinking was, it was alright. It certainly didn't bother their conscience at all. There was no control. All's fair in love and war! In the past, the not too distant past in fact, there was a stigma attached to having an abortion. That stigma? It was conscience. That is simply what it was. Even today, in support of that "choice" the mental anguish is considered. Today the answer is, it's alright, it's a choice and it is nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to hide. 

 It is the removal of restraint! Do not let your conscience be disturbed by that, it's your right to choose, moral or religious motives play second fiddle to your wants. Unwanted or unplanned events should not interfere. What we are witness to is the modification of the collective conscience. Often called, progress. Each generation in turn will experience that and become uncomfortable with it to varying degrees. How readily you are willing to accept those changes, controls that. That is controlled by moral and religious motives! Remove those motivations entirely and anything goes. There is no adequate control. C. S. Lewis said all of this a bit more succinctly. You are in control, is that control adequate? Maybe, a little help and guidance isn't a bad thing after all.