{"id":49956,"date":"2021-01-28T09:18:52","date_gmt":"2021-01-28T14:18:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ifamnews.com\/?p=49956"},"modified":"2021-01-28T09:18:53","modified_gmt":"2021-01-28T14:18:53","slug":"pillars-and-proclamations-unmentioned-by-president-biden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ifamnews.com\/en\/pillars-and-proclamations-unmentioned-by-president-biden","title":{"rendered":"Pillars and proclamations unmentioned by President Biden"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

President Joe Biden\u2019s inaugural appeal for national unity on January 20, 2021 mentioned George Washington, but failed to mention his prescription for unity. In Washington\u2019s 1789 Farewell Address<\/a> to the nation he had long served (one of his biographers called him \u201cthe indispensable man\u201d), he declared,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The unity of government which constitutes you one people is also now dear to you\u2026. [I]t is of infinite moment that you should properly estimate the immense value of your national union to your collective and individual happiness; that you should cherish a cordial, habitual, and immovable attachment to it; accustoming yourselves to think and speak of it as of the palladium of your political safety and prosperity; watching for its preservation with jealous anxiety; discountenancing whatever may suggest even a suspicion that it can in any event be abandoned; and indignantly frowning upon the first dawning of every attempt to alienate any portion of our country from the rest, or to enfeeble the sacred ties which now link together the various parts.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Washington then identified two \u201cgreat pillars\u201d upon which national unity would forever depend: \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

One might have hoped that President Biden, out of respect for these indispensable pillars, would have at least mentioned the signal event that had transpired a mere four days before his inauguration: the annual Religious Freedom Day and its corresponding Proclamation on Religious Freedom Day, 2021<\/a>. That its author was Biden\u2019s predecessor should hardly have mattered to a newly inaugurated president seeking unity and celebrating what he called \u201cthe triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause, the cause of democracy\u201d\u2014especially when President Trump\u2019s proclamation so eloquently honored America\u2019s great pillar of religion:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faith inspires hope.\u00a0Deeply embedded in the heart and soul of our Nation, this transcendent truth has compelled men and women of uncompromising conscience to give glory to God by worshiping both openly and privately, lifting up themselves and others in prayer.\u00a0On Religious Freedom Day, we pledge to always protect and cherish this fundamental human right. When the Pilgrims first crossed the Atlantic Ocean more than 400 years ago in pursuit of religious freedom, their dedication to this first freedom shaped the character and purpose of our Nation. Later, with the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, their deep desire to practice their religion unfettered from government intrusion was realized.\u00a0Since then, the United\u00a0States has set an example for the world in permitting believers to live out their faith in freedom. On Religious Freedom Day, we honor the vision of our Founding Fathers for a Nation made strong and righteous by a people free to exercise their faith and follow their conscience.\u00a0As Americans united in unparalleled freedom, we recommit to safeguarding and preserving religious freedom across our land and around the world.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Another presidential proclamation made shortly before President Biden\u2019s inauguration was the January 18 Proclamation on National Sanctity of Human Life Day, 2021<\/a>. It addressed George Washington\u2019s second great pillar, morality\u2014of which Rabbi Jonathan Sacks wrote: \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A free society is a moral achievement. Over the past fifty years in the West this truth has been forgotten, ignored, or denied. That is why today liberal democracy is at risk. Societal freedom cannot be sustained by market economics and liberal democratic politics alone. It needs a third element: morality, a concern for the welfare of others, an active commitment to justice and compassion, a willingness to ask not just what is good for me but what is good for ‘all of us together.’ It is about ‘Us,’ not ‘Me’; about ‘We,’ not ‘I.’ If we focus on the ‘I’ and lose the ‘We,’ if we act on self-interest without a commitment to the common good, if we focus on self-esteem and lose our care for others, we will lose much else. Nations will cease to have societies and instead have identity groups.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

America\u2019s moral failure in the Roe v. Wade<\/em> decision prioritized the \u201cI\u201d above the \u201cWe,\u201d and thereby, in the words of Mother Teresa, \u201cdeformed a great nation\u201d and \u201cpitted mothers against their children and women against men\u201d while \u201csow[ing] violence and discord at the heart of the most intimate human relationships.\u201d As if in answer to Mother Teresa\u2019s entreaty to America \u201cto recall you to faithfulness to what you once taught the world,\u201d that \u201chuman life is a gift of immeasurable worth, and that it deserves, always and everywhere, to be treated with the utmost dignity and respect,\u201d President Trump proclaimed<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every person\u2014the born and unborn, the poor, the downcast, the disabled, the infirm, and the elderly\u2014has inherent value.\u00a0Although each journey is different, no life is\u00a0without worth or is inconsequential; the rights of all people must be defended.\u00a0On National Sanctity of Human Life Day, our Nation proudly and strongly reaffirms our commitment to protect the precious gift of life at every stage, from conception to natural death\u2026. As a Nation, we must remain steadfastly dedicated to the profound truth that all life is a gift from God, who endows every person with immeasurable worth and potential\u2026. On National Sanctity of Human Life Day, we celebrate the wonderful gift of life and renew our resolve to build a culture where life is always revered\u2026. I call on the Congress to join me in\u00a0protecting and defending the dignity of every human life, including those not yet born\u2026. I ask every citizen of this great Nation to listen to the sound of silence caused by a generation lost to us, and then to raise their voices for all affected by abortion, both seen and unseen.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

What President Biden did profess in his inaugural address was his commitment to unity, truth, and mutual respect: \u201c[M]y whole soul is in this: Bringing America together. Uniting our people. And uniting our nation.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said this “unity” would be based on \u201cthe common objects we love that define us as Americans,\u201d paramount among which is \u201cthe truth.\u201d \u201cEach of us,\u201d Biden continued, \u201chas a duty and responsibility, as citizens, as Americans, and especially as leaders\u2014leaders who have pledged to honor our Constitution and protect our nation\u2014to defend the truth.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He finally urged, \u201clet us start afresh. All of us. Let us listen to one another. Hear one another. See one another. Show respect to one another.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Biden, we have heard you. We respectfully request that you hear us.<\/em> We are convinced that the unity spoken of by our first president can never be achieved without adherence to the two \u201cgreat pillars\u201d he named, those \u201cindispensable supports\u201d of religion and morality. This is the great truth we are all called to defend.<\/em> As our president, please lead out in cherishing and respecting these foundational pillars. Only thus can any successor of George Washington truly \u201cclaim the tribute of patriotism.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Biden, we have heard you. We respectfully request that you hear us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":50096,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"mc4wp_mailchimp_campaign":[],"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"subtitle":"President Biden, we have heard you. 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Douglas Clark","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ifamnews.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f01991614cc9086457280e0279d7da9c1c6dd2774eca1bf16e9e24005c6feb0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f01991614cc9086457280e0279d7da9c1c6dd2774eca1bf16e9e24005c6feb0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"E. Douglas Clark"},"description":"E. Douglas Clark is an attorney and Director of UN and International Policy at the International Organization for the Family. For two decades Doug has been on the forefront of defending the family at the United Nations as a lobbyist and strategist, leading teams and consulting with policymakers in New York and around the world. His writings include the World Family Declaration and articles in The Natural Family: An International Journal of Research and Policy and Ave Maria International Law Journal. After earning MBA and JD degrees from Brigham Young University, he practiced banking law and served as director of content of the original Law.com.","url":"https:\/\/ifamnews.com\/en\/author\/dclarkifamnews-com"}]}},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifamnews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49956","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifamnews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifamnews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifamnews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifamnews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49956"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ifamnews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49956\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50104,"href":"https:\/\/ifamnews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49956\/revisions\/50104"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifamnews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifamnews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifamnews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifamnews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}