The American Soul
The American Soul
Cleaving to What Matters: Marriage, Faith, and American Values
What does it mean to truly cleave to the things that matter most? In this soul-searching episode, I explore the critical foundations of faith, family, and national identity that have historically defined America—and why they're slipping through our fingers today.
When was the last time you made space for God in your daily routine? I challenge listeners to honestly examine their priorities, starting with the uncomfortable truth that many of us, myself included, often place temporary comforts above eternal values. "Have you made time for God today? Have you made time to read his word? Have you made time to pray? Where is he on your priority list?"
The concept of "cleaving" in marriage becomes a powerful springboard for discussing commitment in all areas of life. I don't sugar-coat my message when addressing those who want marriage without true devotion: "If you don't want to cling to your spouse, don't get married." This discussion leads us through Matthew 14, where Peter's experience walking on water offers a profound metaphor for keeping our focus on Christ amid life's storms—when we fix our gaze on eternity rather than current troubles, everything changes.
I share the largely forgotten stories of Medal of Honor recipients and early Christian martyrs, drawing direct connections between their sacrifices and our modern liberties. These accounts of extraordinary courage contrast sharply with today's celebrity-obsessed culture, raising questions about what stories we're passing to the next generation. America's founding principles—particularly regarding taxation and representation—receive careful examination as I explore how far we've drifted from our constitutional moorings.
The podcast closes with a passionate call to realign our priorities before it's too late. "Every time I sit down and watch a movie for two hours," I admit, "I cannot tell you how often I get to the end of it and realize that it's been a waste of my life and my time." Let's commit to being better stewards of our time, our families, our faith, and our nation.
Share this episode with someone who needs to be reminded what truly matters in life. Your comments and prayers for this podcast are deeply appreciated.
The American Soul Podcast
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Hey folks, this is Jesse Cope, back with another episode of the American Soul Podcast. Hope y'all are doing well, wherever y'all are and whatever part of the day you're in. I do appreciate y'all joining me and giving me a little bit of your time and a little piece of your day. I will try and use it wisely. Hopefully it will give us all a little bit, something that will draw us a little bit closer to God and Jesus Christ, both as individuals and as a nation, and hopefully it will well give us some more tools for our toolbox. For those of y'all who have been here a while, I'm glad you're back. I'm glad you've stayed. For those of y'all who have continued to share the podcast with others and tell others about it, thank you so much, very grateful for that. For those of y'all who continue to pray for me in the podcast incredibly Most grateful for those prayers. And for those of y'all who are new to the podcast, I'm glad you're here. Hope you enjoy it. Hope you come back. Father, thank you for today. Thank you for you, father, and your Son, jesus Christ and your Holy Spirit. Thank you for your Word, father, for your Scripture, for all those who suffered to give your Word to us in a way that we could read it, whether that was by language or just having access to your word. Father, forgive us when we take it for granted, when we don't use it. Study it. Help us to do better at that, father. Thank you for rain, sunshine, growing things. Forgive us our sins, father. Forgive us our greed and our selfishness, our pride, arrogance, judgment of others, rash words and actions, cowardice and unbelief, gossip, slander, lust. Help us to overcome them all. Help us to overcome our unbelief. Father, we do believe. Be with our leaders, both in the pulpit and in the state. Give them wisdom and courage and a strong faith. Help them to rule and to lead in fear of you. Father. Be with their families, their wives, their children. Be with our military and our law enforcement From top to bottom. Father, comfort them, bless them, surround them with your angels, keep their families safe. Bring them home to their families safe. Help us to follow the commands of your Son, jesus Christ, in word and deed, father, not merely in word. Help us to love you with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength to love our neighbors as ourselves, and forgive us when we fall short. Thank you for all those who are listening to the podcast. Father, be with them, be with their families, bless the marriages of those who are married, help those who have children to raise them to know you and bring us all home to you, father and your Son, jesus Christ, in your timing. And God, my words here. In your Son's name, we pray, amen.
Speaker 1:Have you made time for God today? Have you made time to read his word? Have you made time to pray? Where is he on your priority list? And, if you're married, have you made time for your spouse? Do they know that they are your second priority each day, behind only God and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit?
Speaker 1:I meant to talk about this. There was a post, I meant to talk about this on a previous podcast and I forgot and I don't know where the post is now on X. But the point was you need to cling to your spouse. Basically is what they were getting at, and it reminded me of something over the years that has been so obvious to me. But apparently, which is? Either it's either not obvious to everybody or we just ignore it as if it doesn't matter, and that is, if you didn't want to clean cleave, cling to your spouse.
Speaker 1:Folks, why did? Why did you get married? I mean, that's pretty selfish. If you're going to marry somebody that you don't want To spend time with and it includes all the facets, by the way, folks, because some of us like the emotional side, or the spiritual side or the physical side, but we don't really care about the others Well then don't get married, right? Because if you just need the emotional side, then just find a friend, and if you just need the spiritual side, then just find a pastor, and if you just need the physical side, then just go find a hooker. If you didn't want to cling to your spouse, to cleave to your spouse, god, that's pretty bad, because basically, you just suckered your spouse into marriage. And I really don't have enough disdain for the vocabulary to eloquently explain the disdain I have for people that do that. If you don't want to be married, don't get married.
Speaker 1:Those of y'all that are looking to get married that aren't married yet or that you're going to be someday, right? If you're junior, high, high school, college age, or maybe you're even older and you just haven't been married, when you're looking for that person that's going to be your spouse, go through scripture, talk to them about scripture, make sure that you're both on the same page. Make sure that you're both on the same page. Look at Ephesians 5, 1 Peter 3, titus 2, 1 Corinthians 7, hebrews 13, 4, proverbs 5, 19,. Song of Solomon.
Speaker 1:Talk about cleaving to one another, and if that's not your foundation, if that's not this other person's foundation, then you need to move on. Because if you, if you yoke yourself to somebody that's not really interested in being with you each day, right, there's always these people. I'm getting a little bit emotional so I'm probably going to stop talking about this in just a second. But you hear all these people say oh well, they're too clingy Folks. If you don't want a clingy spouse, you don't really want a spouse. You just again want a friend or a pastor or a hooker, but you don't really want a spouse. If you don't want to cling or cleave to your spouse, don't get married. It's that simple. Be honorable enough to not suck somebody in just so you can have whatever tax benefit or social status that you want.
Speaker 1:The other thing I know this is taking a little long on this part right here, but I stumbled across. I was listening the other day and and Louis Armstrong's song came on and I meant to look these lyrics up before I started all this nonsense, but I think I can get it. Yeah. And so I don't know if he was the original author of this song, but the song is called A Kiss to Build a Dream On. Give me a kiss to build a dream on, and my imagination will thrive upon that kiss. Sweetheart, I ask no more from this A kiss to build a dream on. Give me a kiss before you leave me, and my imagination will feed my hungry heart. Leave me one thing before we part a kiss to build a dream on, and when I'm alone with my fancies, I'll be with you, weaving romances, making believe they're true.
Speaker 1:Anyway, I won't bore you all with the rest of it, but it struck me when we were listening, when I was listening to the song the other day, just how far we've fallen in culture, and I used to say this often on the podcast. I haven't in a while. But, folks, if we're going to take back our nation, we have to take back culture and education, because it affects us so much, especially our children. What we listen to, what we read, what we watch, who we hang out with, that affects our character. You need to be careful what you're listening to, what you're watching, what you're reading. It doesn't mean that it has to be this cast movie or TV show or something that only portrays this perfect utopian society where nobody does anything wrong, because that's not real life, right? Cs Lewis, I believe, made the comment that you know kids' literature. It ought to show kids the truth, but it doesn't have to show them the gory details of the truth, and I think in a lot of cases it's not that we don't show the bad stuff or read about it or listen to it, but it's portrayed as bad. The problem is when we start to portray evil as good and good as evil, and that's when we really need to look at what we're taking in, what we're feeding our soul, and make sure it's the right things. And when we get off track and we will we're trying to get back on track as quickly as possible and ask God to help us through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. All right, matthew 14, right, somebody, anybody, I think that's right, matthew 11. Well, 14. There we go. John the Baptist beheaded. John the Baptist Beheaded.
Speaker 1:At that time, herod the Tetrarch heard the news about Jesus and said to his servants this is John the Baptist. He has risen from the dead and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him. For when Herod had John arrested, he bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip For John, had been. He bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother, philip For John, had been saying to him it is not lawful for you to have her. Although Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd because they regarded John as a prophet. But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod so much that he promised, with an oath, to give her whatever she asked. Having been prompted by her mother, she said Give me here on a platter, the head of John the Baptist. Although he was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths and because of his dinner gifts. He sent and had John beheaded in the prison and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl and she brought it to her mother. His disciples came and took away the body and buried it and they went and reported to Jesus, 5,000 fed.
Speaker 1:Now, when Jesus heard about John, he withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by himself, and when the people heard of this, they followed him on foot from the cities. When he went ashore he saw a large crowd and felt compassion for them and healed their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said this place is desolate and the hour is already late, so send the crowds away. That they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves. But Jesus said to them they do not need to go away. You give them something to eat. They said to him we have here only five loaves and two fish and he said Bring them here to me. Ordering the people to sit down on the grass, he took the five loaves and the two fish and, looking up toward heaven, he blessed the food and, breaking the loaves, he gave them to the disciples. And the disciples gave them to the crowds and they all ate and were satisfied. They picked up what was left over of the broken pieces 12 full baskets. There were about 5,000 men who ate, besides women and children.
Speaker 1:Jesus walks on water. Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while he sent the crowds away. After he had sent the crowds away, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray, and when it was evening he was there alone. But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves, for the wind was contrary and on the fourth watch of the night he came to them walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified and said it is a ghost. And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them saying Take courage. It is, I Do not be afraid. Peter said to him you of little faith, why did you doubt? When they got into the boat, the wind stopped and those who were in the boat worshipped him, saying you are certainly God's son. When they had crossed over, they came to the land at Gennesaret and when the men of that place recognized him, they sent word to all the surrounding district and brought to him all who were sick and they implored him that they might just touch the fringe of his cloak, and as many as touched it were cured.
Speaker 1:Verse 14. When he went ashore he saw a large crowd and felt compassion for them and healed their sick. I don't know if I forget it or if I just don't think about it often enough, folks, that Jesus was fully human and understood our frailties and felt compassion for us, for the temptations and the sickness and the pain. He knew what it was like to be human. Just for some reason, this verse struck me that way today Verse 3 and 4,. For when Herod had John arrested, he bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. For John had been saying to him it is not lawful for you to have her.
Speaker 1:How many times, folks, do we get mad at God for disciplining us, for doing what he told us not to do in the first place? How many times in our life do things get hard and you have to assume that God has a hand in it Because we've chosen to go off the reservation, we've chosen to go our own way and do what we want to do, and we don't like the fact that God isn't okay with that. We don't like the fact that he is telling us to do something different and, like Herod, shut John up. Here we often try and shut God up. I don't want to pray. I don't feel like praying. I don't want to read my Bible. I don't feel like reading my Bible, when what Herod really needed here was to listen to John, and what we really need to do is listen to God and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. And two more, 27,. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying take courage at his eye, do not be afraid. And then verse 30, talking about Peter, but seeing the wind, he became frightened and began to sink and cried out Lord, save me.
Speaker 1:I know for me personally, when my world really starts to go sideways, almost inevitably, some part of the equation is I've taken my eyes off God and Jesus Christ and the big picture and eternity. Right, whatever it is that you want and maybe you're not like this, but whatever it is that you want. Maybe you want to be married, maybe you want a home, maybe you want a better job, maybe you want more money, Maybe you want another car, maybe you want healthy children or more children or any children. The list goes on and on. Folks, maybe you're devastated over the loss of a loved one, a parent, a child, an aunt, an uncle, a spouse. Maybe you're sick and you're devastated over the loss of health, over your ability to just get up and go run or jog or lift weights or whatever it is that you used to be able to do that you can't now. Maybe it's a lost job, a lost income, lost land or property or whatever it is. Folks, you fill in the blank for yourself At the end of the day, and I'm going to make a general statement here, so forgive me a little bit of generalized statement, but none of that stuff matters.
Speaker 1:Forgive me a little bit of generalized statement, but none of that stuff matters At the end of the day. The only thing that matters is pressing on toward eternity. I struggle with that a lot. I want to focus on all these things that are in my life, in this temporal existence right now, right here, and I get kind of irritated that God's not fixing those things. And a huge part of my problem when I'm willing to admit it, which I'm often not is that I have taken my eye off the ball. I've taken my eye off Christ and everything around me. The thorns, the thistles have grown up in my life, and that's what I'm focused on, not eternity, not God's plan, but this life and my plan.
Speaker 1:And I'm going to do a really poor job of explaining this, and I'm going to do it pretty quickly too, so we can move on explaining this, and I'm going to do it pretty quickly too, so we can move on. But this life that we're in is just part of eternity Once we give our well, whether we give our life to Jesus Christ or not. But if you, if you have, this is just the beginning of eternity with God and it's it's just a little while delayed, until you see that it's like you. It's behind the curtain and you can't quite see it now, but you're already in the auditorium, you're just walking down the aisle to get to the stage. And if you haven't given your life to Jesus Christ, folks, you need to, because man, eternity and hell. You don't want any part of that. And just as a little side note, you're not giving your life to a particular denomination. You're giving your life, you're turning over to God and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, but this life is just the beginning of that, and I think that changes my perspective when I take the time to think about it. Maybe it helps y'all a little bit too. When we keep our eyes focused on Jesus Christ, the wind and the waves don't seem so terrifying, because we're focused on life with him forever instead of here.
Speaker 1:I really am preaching to myself this morning as much as anybody else. All right, where are we going? I don't know. Ah, yes, medal of honors, let's see where we left off. I want to say, yeah, james Anderson Jr, that was the last one, and so hopefully. Well, if I can get the Congressional Medal of Honor Society page to come up, all right, here we go. That took longer than I thought, sorry. Johannes S Anderson.
Speaker 1:World War I Siegfried Johannes Siegfried Anderson, ranked first sergeant World War I, bravo Company, 132nd Infantry, 33rd Division, us Army, october 8, 1918, place Concevoy, france, if I said that right, I probably didn't citation as follows While his company was being held up by intense artillery and machine gun fire, 1st Sergeant Anderson, without aid, voluntarily left the company and worked his way to the rear of the nest that was offering the most stubborn resistance. His advance was made through an open area and under constant hostile fire, but the mission was successfully accomplished and he not only silenced the gun and captured it, but also brought back with him 23 prisoners Accredited to Chicago. Cook County, illinois, not awarded, posthumously. Presented February 9, 1919. Chaumont, france, presented by General John J Pershing, born July 20, 1887 in Bjorki, finland, died April 3, 1950. Chicago Illinois, united States, buried at Casey Cemetery, mhne 25-1-2, chicago, illinois. Location of metal, illinois State.
Speaker 1:Teaching them about these people because it gives them a sense of selflessness and a desire to be brave, to be courageous, to be great. When you see these examples of these men and not only for the men, but also for the women, for the wives who are at home, to be brave brave because it is I had somebody the other day and I was actually a friend of mine and we were talking. They asked me something about my time in the Marine Corps and I said, yeah, we were stationed there. And they said, oh, I didn't, I didn't know, we're both you and your wife. And I said no, but I always say it that way because my time in the military affected my wife just as much as it did me. It was just as big an impact on her, just as much sacrifice required. You know, we were a long way from home. She was there by herself. There was no family, there was nobody there to like, hodl her, to help her, you know. And so these examples of these men and their bravery and their courage and their sacrifice are such a great example to our children and yet we don't read these.
Speaker 1:How many people do you think have ever read about Johanna Siegfried Anderson in World War? I think have ever read about Johanna Siegfried Anderson in World War? I Probably a few, not very many. The other thing that this strikes me is where was he born? He wasn't born in the United States, he was born in Finland. The difference between this immigrant and what we have today across the country in illegal immigration is astounding and it ought to make you a little bit sick to your stomach that we even remotely try and defend the majority of the type of immigrants illegal that we have today as somehow worthy or deserving. Worthy or deserving when you read about examples like this and I had men in the Marine Corps that I served with that got their citizenship as they were serving and to even remotely offer any kind of courage or bravery, or that they've somehow earned something to the illegal immigrants when you compare them to those people, it's mind-boggling.
Speaker 1:Marion T Anderson rank captain, us Civil War Delta Company, 51st Indiana Infantry, us Army. December 16, 1864, nashville, tennessee. Led his regiment over five lines of the enemy's works where he fell severely wounded. Accredited to Kokomo, Howard County, indiana, not awarded. Posthumously. Accredited to Kokomo, howard County, indiana, not awarded. Posthumously presented September 1, 1893, born November 13, 1839, decatur County, indiana, died February 7, 1904, buried Arlington National Cemetery one, tac 512, arlington Virginia, united States. Marian T Anderson A couple names folks, just to remember a little bit more than all the celebrities and crazies that we apparently think we're supposed to remember. Let's see. Well, fox, there we go. Fox's Book of the Martyrs Going back in here Also, people that we ought to be paying attention to folks and giving as examples to our children across this Christian nation of sacrifice and courage and honor and decency and all sorts of other things.
Speaker 1:The third persecution under Trajan, ad 108. I think, yeah, there we go. Nerva, succeeding Domitian, gave a respite to the sufferings of the Christians, but reigning only thirteen months, his successor, trajan, in the tenth year of his reign AD 108, began the third persecution against the Christians. While the persecution raged, pliny II, a heathen philosopher, wrote to the emperor in favor of the Christians, to whose epistle Trajan returned this indecisive answer not to be sought after, but when brought before the magistracy, they should be punished. Trajan, however, soon after wrote to Jerusalem and gave orders to his officers to exterminate the stock of David, in consequence of which all that could be found of that race were put to death, of which all that could be found of that race were put to death.
Speaker 1:Symphorca, a widow, and her seven sons were commanded by the emperor to sacrifice to the heathen deities. She was carried to the temple of Hercules, scourged and hung up for some time by the hair of her head, then being taken down, a large stone was fastened to her neck and she was thrown into the river where she expired. With respect to the sons, they were fastened to seven posts and, being drawn up by pulleys, their limbs were dislocated, these tortures not affecting their resolution, they were martyred by stabbing, except Eugenus, the youngest, who was sawed asunder. Phocas, bishop of Pontus, refusing to sacrifice to Neptune, was, by the immediate order of Trajan, cast first into a hot lime kiln and then thrown into a scalding bath till he expired. Trajan likewise commanded the martyrdom of Ignatius, bishop of Antioch. This holy man was the person whom, when an infant, christ took into his arms and showed to his disciples as one that would be a pattern of humility and innocence. He received the gospel afterward from St John the Evangelist, and was exceedingly zealous in his mission. He boldly vindicated the faith of Christ before the emperor, for which he was cast into prison and tormented in a most cruel manner. After being dreadfully scourged, he was compelled to hold fire in his hands and at the same time, papers dipped in wool were put to his sides and set on fire. His flesh was then torn with red-hot pinchers and, at last, he was dispatched by being torn to pieces by wild beasts, trajan being succeeded by Adrian.
Speaker 1:The latter continued this third persecution with as much seferity as his predecessor. About this time, alexander, bishop of Rome, with his two deacons, were martyred. His two deacons were martyred, as were Quirinius and Hernus with their families, zenon, a Roman nobleman, and about 10,000 other Christians In Mount Ararat. Many were crucified, crowned with thorns and spears run into their sides, in imitation of Christ's passion. Eustachius, a brave and successful Roman commander, was by the emperor ordered to join in an idolatrous sacrifice to celebrate some of his own victories, but his faith, being a Christian in his heart, was so much greater than his vanity that he nobly refused it. Enraged at the denial, the ungrateful emperor forgot the service of this skillful commander and ordered him and his whole family to be martyred At the martyrdom of Fastinus and Joveta, brothers and citizens of Brescia. Their torments were so many and their patience so great that Calasiris, a pagan beholding them, was struck with admiration and exclaimed in a kind of ecstasy Great is the God of the Christians, for which he was apprehended and suffered a similar fate. Many other similar cruelties and rigors were exercised against the Christians until Quadratus, bishop of Athens, made a learned apology in their favor before the emperor who happened to be there, apology in their favor before the emperor who happened to be there. And Aristides, a philosopher of the same city, wrote an elegant epistle which caused Adrian to relax in his sepharities and relent in their favor. Adrian, dying, ad 138, was succeeded by Antonius Pius, one of the most amiable monarchs that ever reigned and who stayed the persecution against the Christians.
Speaker 1:The fourth persecution under Marcus Aurelius Antonius, ad 168. This commenced AD 162 under Marcus Aurelius Antonius, a strong pagan. The cruelties used in this persecution were such that many of the spectators shuddered with horror at the sight and were astonished at the intrepidity of the sufferers. At the intrepidity of the sufferers, some of the martyrs were obliged to pass with their already wounded feet over thorns, nails, sharp shells, etc. Upon their points. Others were scourged till their sinews and veins lay bare and after suffering the most excruciating tortures that could be devised. They were destroyed by the most terrible deaths, excruciating tortures that could be devised. They were destroyed by the most terrible deaths.
Speaker 1:Germanius, a young man but a true Christian, being delivered to the wild beasts on account of his faith, behaved with such astonishing courage that several pagans became converts to a faith which inspires such fortitude. Polycarp, the venerable bishop of Smyrna, hearing that persons were seeking for him, escaped but was discovered by a child. After feasting the guards who apprehended him, he desired an hour in prayer, which, being allowed, he prayed with such fervency that his guards repented that they had been instrumental in taking him. He was, however, carried before the procouncil, condemned and burnt in the marketplace. Twelve other Christians who had been intimate with Polycarp were soon after martyred.
Speaker 1:The circumstances attending the execution of this venerable old man as they were of no common nature, so it would be injurious to the credit of our professed history of martyrdom to pass them over in silence. It was observed by the spectators that, after finishing his prayer at the stake, that after finishing his prayer at the stake, to which he was only tied but not nailed as usual, as he assured them that he should stand immovable, the flames on their kindling, the faggots encircled his body like an arch without touching him, and the executioner, on seeing this, was ordered to pierce him with a sword when so great a quantity of blood flowed out, as extinguished the fire. But his body, at the instigation of the enemies of the gospel, especially Jews, was ordered to be consumed in the pile and the request of his friends who wished to give it Christian burial, rejected. They nevertheless collected his bones and as much of his remains as possible and caused them to be decently interred. Metrodorus, a minister who preached boldly, and Pionicius, who made some excellent apologies for the Christian faith, were likewise burnt. Carpus and Papalus, two worthy Christians, and Agathonaica, a pious woman, suffered martyrdom at Pergamopolis in Asia. At Pergamopolis in Asia, Felicitas, an illustrious Roman lady of considerable family and the most shining virtues, was a devout Christian. She had seven sons, whom she had educated with the most exemplary piety. Denarius the eldest was scourged and pressed to death with weight. Piety and the three younger sons, alexander, vitalis and Marshall, were beheaded. The mother was beheaded with the same sword as the three latter.
Speaker 1:Justin, the celebrated philosopher, fell a martyr in this persecution. He was a native of Neapolis, in Samaria, and was born AD 103. Justin was a great lover of truth and a universal scholar. He investigated the Stoic and peripatetic philosophy and attempted the Pythagorean, but the behavior of one of its professors disgusted him. He applied himself to the Platonic, in which he took great delight. About the year 133, when he was 30 years of age, he became a convert to Christianity and then, for the first time, perceived the real nature of truth. He wrote an elegant epistle to the Gentiles and employed his talents in convincing the Jews of the truth of the Christian rites, spending a great deal of time in traveling Till he took up his abode in Rome and fixed his habitation upon the Viminal Mount. He kept a public school, taught many who afterward became great men, and wrote a treatise to confute heresies of all kinds.
Speaker 1:As the pagans began to treat the Christians with great severity, justin wrote his first apology in their favor. This piece displays great learning and genius and occasioned the emperor to publish an edict in favor of the Christians Soon after he entered into frequent contests with Cressens, a person of a vicious life and conversation, but a celebrated cynic philosopher, and his arguments appeared so powerful, yet disgusting to the cynic, that he resolved on and, in the sequel accomplished his destruction. The second apology of Justin upon certain severities gave Cressens the cynic an opportunity of prejudicing the emperor against the writer of it, upon which Justin and six of his companions were apprehended, being commanded to sacrifice to the pagan idols. They refused and were condemned to be scourged and then beheaded, which sentence was executed with all imaginable severity. Several were beheaded for refusing to sacrifice to the image of Jupiter, in particular Concordus, a deacon of the city of Spoleto.
Speaker 1:I think we'll stop there for today. I know this is all. Some of this, at least, is really gruesome folks, and my intention is not to be gruesome but just to teach history and to give us a clue what so many before have suffered so much for, to get us to the point where we're at today, to get us to the point where we're at today, where you don't have to be terrified or at least you shouldn't be in America to be a Christian, to follow Jesus Christ, to have a Bible in your home and to read it. But we seem pretty bent on giving away all the gains that these men and women before have sacrificed, not to mention our Lord and Savior, jesus Christ. We don't.
Speaker 1:It's kind of like people that want to secede from the union folks. That's not a right that we have. That sounds great in a very narrow minded sense, but there's been too much sweat and tears and blood given to preserve the union. We don't have the right to just walk away from it. Given to preserve the Union, we don't have the right to just walk away from it. Our job isn't to just shut ourselves in a corner and walk away and let the left have. Those that hate America, the Muslims and anybody else just have parts of our nation. Too many people, men and women, suffer too much. The same thing with Christianity. Our job as Christians we don't have that ability, that right to just close ourselves up and walk away from the sacrifices that these men and women have made. We have a duty, as unpleasant and uncomfortable and scary and terrifying as it is, we have a duty to stand up for the truth and cling to Christ. We have a duty to stand up for the nation in a lesser sense and cling to the union. Lesser sense and cling to the union.
Speaker 1:Mercy Otis Warren, history of the Rise, progress and Termination of the American Revolution. Pick up where we left off for a little bit. Democratic principles are the result of equality of condition, a superfluity of wealth and a train of domestic slaves naturally banish a sense of general liberty and nourish the seeds of that kind of independence that usually terminates in aristocracy. Yet all America, from the first immigrants to the present generation, felt an attachment to the inhabitants, a regard to the interest and a reverence for the laws and government of England. Those writers who have observed that these principles had scarcely any existence in the colonies at the commencement of the late war have certainly mistaken the character of their country. But unhappily both for Great Britain and America, the encroachments of the crown had gathered strength by time and after the successes, the glory and the demise of George II, the scepter descended to a prince bred under the auspices of a Scotch nobleman of the house of Stuart. Go back here real quick, folks.
Speaker 1:Two things One, when you have slaves right, mrs Warren is saying that naturally banishes a sense of general liberty. Right, when you take away life and liberty from one group of people, then it's hard to really stand for liberty other than being hypocritical. And that's where we're at today with abortion. It's really hard, really impossible, to cling to the founding principles of our nation, based on the teachings of Christ, which include life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Right. It's impossible to cling to those when we willingly take them away from particular citizens, a group of citizens In this case. It's not based on skin color, it's based on unwanted right. It's based on unwanted right babies that are unwanted for whatever reason, because they're an inconvenience, mostly to the mother and the father or both. That's the class of people right. It's not based, again, on skin color or gender, although you can make some arguments there. You can also make some arguments for genetic makeup. Right, the number of Down syndrome babies in large parts of Western society that are aborted because they have Down syndrome. But when you take away inalienable rights from these people, you really take away your own in the long term, because you have no right to demand that your own rights be secure when you don't defend the rights of those who can't defend them themselves. Right, slaves couldn't defend them themselves and unborn babies are the most vulnerable.
Speaker 1:The second part in this paragraph she's talking about is Americans at the time of the revolution leading up to it, a huge chunk of them. They felt a great attachment to England, to the inhabitants, to the interests, to the laws and the government they didn't want to separate from England. Right, they wanted to be part of England. But that just wasn't what happened. Right, you see, when she starts this next paragraph?
Speaker 1:But unhappily both for great britain and america, the encroachments of the crown had gathered strength by time and, after the successes, the glory and the demise of george ii, the scepter descended to a prince bred under the auspices of a scotch nobleman of the house of stewart, nurtured and all the inflated ideas of kingly prerogatives, surrounded by flatterers and dependents who always swarm the pearliest of the palace, the pearlies of the palace. This misguided sovereign, dazzled with the acquisition of empire and the mourning of youth and in the zenith of national prosperity, more obstinate than cruel, rather weak than remarkably wicked, considered an opposition to the mandates of his ministers as a crime of too daring a nature to hope for the pardon of royalty. Lord Boot, who, from the preceptor of the prince in years of pupillage, had become the director of the monarch on the throne of Britain, found it not difficult, by the secret influence ever exercised by a favorite minister, to bring over a majority of the House of Commons to cooperate with the designs of the crown, to bring over a majority of the House of Commons to cooperate with the designs of the Crown. Thus the Parliament of England became the mere creature of administration and appeared ready to leap the boundaries of justice and undermine the pillars of their own constitution by adhering steadfastly for several years to a complicated system of tyranny that threatened the New World with a yoke unknown to their fathers. It had ever been deemed essential to the preservation of the boasted liberties of Englishmen that no grants of money should be made by tolls, tallage, excise or any other way without the consent of the people, by their representative voice. Innovation in a point so interesting might well be expected to create a general ferment through the American provinces. Numberless restrictions had been laid on the trade of the colonies previous to this period, and every method had been taken to check their enterprising spirit and to prevent the growth of their manufacturers spirit and to prevent the growth of their manufacturers. Nor is it surprising that loud complaints should be made when heavy exactions were laid on the subject. Who had not and whose local situation rendered it impracticable that he should have an equal representation in Parliament.
Speaker 1:I gotta stop here for just a second, folks, because our founders had to deal with taxation without representation. Today we have to deal with representation without taxation on a number of fronts. You have a number of people across the nation who pay the equivalent, the net of zero, in federal income tax. They take out more than they put in, and yet they still get to vote equally with those who put in. It's not the amount that matters, it's the fact that you have some people putting into the federal treasury, some people taking out of the federal treasury, and yet they both get to vote equally taking out of the federal treasury, and yet they both get to vote equally. And so, in effect, you have people that don't get taxed at all, that have equal representation with those that are, and that just can't work in the long term. It won't work.
Speaker 1:On the local level, in a number of places you have property taxes, which fund public school, and you have people that pay the majority of those school taxes being the landowners ad valorem taxes, and so you have these landowners in a school district paying the majority of the taxes for that school, and yet you have everybody sending their children to that school, and yet you have everybody sending their children to that school, everybody voting on the school board members that run that school, and yet not everybody is paying the same percentage to fund that school. Again, it can't work in the long term and you're starting to see you've seen some of this in the past, but I think you're starting to get more and more of a pushback against these taxes. And really, with a property tax, it's even worse than just the lack of equality between people sending their kids or not sending their kids and etc. Etc. It's the fact that no one, no american, owns their property anymore. You just rent it from the government and and that's just. You can't do it. That's why, anytime you hear somebody talking about taxes, if they're not starting straight off the bat with a flat tax or a fair tax, you don't need to know much more about them. They're not serious in making taxation and representation across the board equal. They have ulterior motives, something, but they're not really serious about doing that if they're not starting a conversation with one of those two taxes.
Speaker 1:And the other thing, as far as the representation goes, the problem you have is that for the House of Representatives, right, what dictates who gets those representatives? Total population, even if it's not American citizens. So you have people counting to the power of a state and they have absolutely. They don't. They're not citizens, they're criminals and they have no reflection of the American citizens. So you have people quite literally stealing representation away from American citizens. You have people that don't pay in stealing representation and you have people who aren't even citizens stealing representation. Just another one of the reasons, folks we have a fight coming in this country, or willing slavery under leftism, socialism, communism, nazism, fascism, islam, one or the other folks, you can't keep this up.
Speaker 1:What still heightened the resentment of the Americans in the beginning of the Great Contest was the reflection that they had not only always supported their own internal government with little expense to Great Britain, but while a friendly union existed, they had on all occasions exerted their utmost ability to comply with every constitutional requisition from the parent state. We need not here revert further back than the beginning of the reign of George III to prove this, though earlier instances might be adduced. The extraordinary exertions of the colonies in cooperation with British measures against the French in the late war were acknowledged by the British Parliament to be more than adequate to their ability. After the successful expedition to Lewisburg in 1745, the sum of 200,000 pounds sterling was voted by the commons as a compensation to some of the colonies for their vigorous efforts, which were carried beyond their proportional strength, to the aid of the expedition, not contented with the voluntary aids that they had from time to time received from the colonies and grown giddy with the luster of their own power. In the plenitude of human grandeur to which the nation had arrived in the long and successful reign of George II, such weak, impolitic and unjust measures were pursued on the accession of his grandson as soon threw the whole empire into the most violent convulsions.
Speaker 1:No-transcript, these researches have been satisfactorily made by several literary gentlemen whose talents were equal to the task. As this is not comprehended in the design of the present work, the readers refer to more voluminous or more minute descriptions of the events preceding the transactions which brought forward a revolution that emancipated the colonies from the domination of the sceptre of Britain. This is a story of so much interest to the minds of every son and daughter of America, endowed with the ability of reflecting, that they will not reluctantly hasten to the detail of transactions that have awakened the attention and expectation of the millions among the nations beyond the Atlantic. Two things here. One this is a story of so much interest to the minds of every son and daughter of America. How much interest do we have today in our own nation, in our history and where we're going? We claim to, but do we really so?
Speaker 1:Every day on this podcast, we talk at different lengths about faith and marriage and where our priorities are and how much time we spend. How much time do we actually spend not just worrying about politics, folks, but actually trying to understand the history of our nation and where we came from? How much time again are we giving to social media, to sports, to TV, to Netflix, hulu, prime, to workouts? Even? How much time are we giving to all this compared to how much time are we putting into making sure that we and our sons and daughters know the history of our nation and know the truth? If we'd really been putting in the effort, folks, we wouldn't be in the mess we're in today. That's true of our faith with God and Jesus Christ first and foremost. That's true of our marriages next, and that's true of the state of our nation. Finally, the laws the evil that has been done, particularly over the last century here in America, would not have been able to be executed if we had been doing our job, if we had had our priorities in the right order as a whole, but we don't and we haven't.
Speaker 1:The second point in this last paragraph and then I'll leave you all alone for today is that have awakened the attention and expectation of the millions among the nations beyond the Atlantic. I'm reminded of a story from a man who, I believe, created the organization called Voice of the Martyrs I'll have to try and find it if I can and he talked about the fact that when he was in, I believe, a communist prison I can't remember where Romania, just somewhere in the Soviet Union, I think. I don't really remember for sure. Folks Don't hold me to that, but he talked about how much the prisoners in this communist prison prayed for America and Americans, because there was so much hope and expectation tied up in us. Why is it tied up in us? It's tied up in us because we have historically been tied up in God and Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1:It doesn't mean we're perfect folks. We make mistakes as individuals and as a nation, but we strive for that example that Christ set as individuals and as a nation. And when we don't strive for that, the light dumps. We throw ourselves in the garbage, the trash bin of history. There's so many out there that so desperately need us to be a city on a hill shining a beacon for God and Jesus Christ, and therefore, where the Holy Spirit is, there's liberty.
Speaker 1:It just is time, folks. It's time. What are we spending our time on? What are we giving our energy and our time to? I'm talking to myself as much as y'all here. Every time I sit down and watch a movie for two hours, hour and a half two hours, I get to the end of it. I cannot tell you how often I get to the end of it and realize that it's been a waste of my life and my time, and then I have squandered resources, talents that God has given me to use for others. I'm putting pressure on myself here too, folks, but we have got to do a better job. God bless y'all. God bless your families. God bless your marriages, if you're married. God bless America. God bless your nation, wherever you are around the world. Listen, we'll talk to y'all again real soon, folks, looking forward to it.