Public Virtue or Morally Bankrupt?

Which is worse: a morally bankrupt society or one of the totalitarian ‘isms’ ie; socialism, fascism, communism or some variation? I submit to you that a morally bankrupt society is worse. It precedes the others and once in place maintains them. The founders looked to society as a weather vane of what should be expected from elected officials. Let’s look at public virtue, define it and point out it’s place in government.

Public Virtue – This is a special quality of human maturity in character and service that is closely related to the Golden Rule, having these characteristics

1. Involvement with public affairs
2. It has to earned and learned from a religious base of experience, not from public affairs. Public affairs are where public virtue is applied and practiced.
3. It is not a permanent quality in human nature, it has to be constantly nurtured and renewed.

It should have a very prominent place in public service. As James Madison said, "Is there no virtue among us? If there be not, we are in a wretched situation. No theoretical checks, no form of government, can render us secure. To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people, is a chimerical idea. If there be sufficient virtue and intelligence in the community, it will be exercised in the selection of these men; so that we do not depend upon their virtue, or put confidence in our rulers, but in the people who are to choose them. (Quoted in Jonathan Elliott, ed., The debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution, 5 vols, ;Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1901] 3:536-37: emphasis added.

George Washington declared : 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 propos of the duties of men and citizens …. Let it simply be asked, where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education … reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principles. (Padover, The Washington papers, pages 318-19). Emphasis added

Benjamin Franklin was of this opinion: ... I think with you that nothing is it more important for the public weal, than to form and train up youth in wisdom and virtue. Wise and good men are, in my opinion, the strength of the state; more so than riches or arms ... I think also, that general virtue is more probably to be expected and obtained from the education of youth, than from the exhortations of adult persons; bad habits and vices of the mind being, like diseases of the body, more easily prevented in youth than cured in adults .... (Quoted in Adrienne Kock, ed., The American Enlightenment, [New York: George Braziller, 1965], p77.

So how serious is public virtue as something we should seek after? Enough so that the founders warned us of its importance, specifically John Adams said: Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is fully inadequate to the government of any other. (Quoted in John R. Howe, Jr., The Changing Political Thought of John Adams, Princeton, N. J.: Princeton University press, 1966], page 189.) Emphasis added.

The four quotes were quoted in “The Five Thousand Year Leap”, W.C.Skousen

Now that we have an idea of what public virtue is, how can we promote it? First we have to begin with the big “ME”. All change starts with me. I need to decide to be in attendance at my religious meetings as an active participant. I need to decide to apply the principles I learn there in my life and business world. I need to stand up and be counted for defending and promoting those principles that have been shown to be the best way, to the exclusion of lesser ideas. Then we share this commitment to liberty with others and encourage them to make the same decisions.

We definitely need a majority of people to be the best examples of their religious faith. Only then can we claim that we are not morally bankrupt and only in them can the trust of the future be placed. We do not all need to be active in the political process as an elected official but all of us do need to exercise our moral right to be heard and support the constitution.

Public virtue must be part of the expected behavior of our representatives and one of the initial qualifiers, and so now we see that we have the beginning of a standard that we can use to measure the qualifications of those who would represent us. Lets begin with the questions:

1. Can you demonstrate that you have public virtue as defined herein?
2. Do you attend your faith’s meetings to continue refreshing and building that moral and religious base?
3. Are you active in that faith, applying those principles?
4. Does that religious institution promote the Constitution and its freedoms?
Do believe that our political leaders should be men of faith and religious principles?
6. Do you believe that a people can be moral without religion?

The given answers should be in harmony with the quoted founders and concepts presented here. It is really quite simple and yet hard for many people to maintain virtue in their personal lives. But if they can’t do it for themselves in their own life then I do not want the results of their actions affecting the government because ambition overrides their willingness to practice public and private virtue. In order to gain back the government and maintain liberty, ambition must be put aside and public virtue promoted as the primary object of serving the people.

In summary, without this foundation leaders fail, they make wrong decisions or less than optimal ones. We see that in progress now, I suspect that many of our representatives could not satisfactorily answer these questions. Without public virtue as envisioned by the founders the Constitution will fail.

Is that what we want? If not, then let the change begin with me.