The Declaration of Independence and Intelligent Design

And I have a treat for you today. I usually talk about an aspect of the physical creation, but this time I'm going to focus on another angle, since this is a very special year. And this is something that has to do with creation, but because of the way they believed in creation, they came up with this very special document where four times in that document they give tribute to God, they also derive their authority for what they were going to do in God, and they talk about the laws of nature and of nature's God that will give these self-evident proofs of what they are to do.

So what am I talking about? The Declaration of Independence, because in just a little over two months we're going to be celebrating the 250th anniversary of that, one of the greatest documents written by man in world history. And I just happened to have a copy of that Declaration of Independence. There was only one original copy, and that's at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., but they did make at that time 200 copies of the Declaration of Independence, of which there are 26 that still survive to this day.

And one of those copies was sold in the year 2000 for $8,400,000. And so I'm going to show it to you. Mike, if you'd like, just hand it out. You can just pass it out to the people. You can just go ahead and present. Yes, that's why I said 250th. That's for college kids. So what we're going to do is we're going to look at this Declaration of Independence and focus on four parts of that Declaration of Independence, in which the founding fathers didn't talk about their own wisdom that they came up with this document.

Yes, go ahead and start handing it out. I'm going to give you a copy of the Declaration of Independence. It's not going to cost you a cent. So isn't that great? So we've got two people handing that out. And what we're going to do is we're going to look at this little document that fits into a page, 1,320 words long, which changed our world because it talked about rights that come from God, not from a king, not from a government, but from God himself.

And sometimes we take for granted our rights, our freedoms, our way of life, and the pursuit of happiness, which had never really been incorporated into any document before in the same way. Now, yes? No, no, just pass it around, please. Just pass. Yes, we're handing out separate copies. This one is just the original copy of the original one. But I'm handing you out one that we're going to use as a form or template so we can go through this. Because it does help us to worship God, thank Him. And as we go through it, I think we will appreciate so much more that it wasn't an accident that this country became what it did.

God has blessed it. But it's also because it was based a lot on the Bible and what today is called intelligent design, which in those days it was the laws of nature. And so in this handout that you have here in the front, the Declaration of Independence, and the only part I leave out is in the fourth paragraph, which are the 27 grievances or serious complaints that they had against King George III. And so that's not relevant, but we want to go through this to appreciate what the United States is all about.

And of course, it changed not only this country, but all the countries in the world. Unfortunately, just a few years after the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, the French had their Constitution, they had their revolution, but it wasn't based on the Bible or the laws of nature. It was based on the philosophy of the Enlightenment, humanism, and they didn't really give, they didn't want to talk about God. And they had the bloodiest revolution at that time, as you know, with the guillotine and everything else. By the way, did you hear the joke about this poor fellow who in the French Revolution was arrested, sent to the guillotine?

And so they were just marching everybody in and putting their head and cutting it off. And then all of a sudden, there are two people before him got there, they put their head in the slot, and the guy pulled the guillotine, nothing happened. And so then the executioner said, well, you must be innocent. I'm letting you go free. Wow, the guy took off. And then the second person come up, and all so, pulled the guillotine, nothing happened. And he said, well, you must be innocent too. And so this third guy came up and said, well, Mr.

Executioner, I'm an engineer. This is where the problem was. Oh, that's a bad joke. Engineering before common sense, right? So that's what happened with the French Revolution. But let's look at that first section. And remember, the term intelligent design wasn't used at that time, but it was basically the laws of nature. And I do have on the other side the quotes of founding fathers. Now, the founding fathers were the 56 delegates who signed the Declaration of Independence. And for instance, it's what intelligent design is mentioned today. It's called that. George Washington, it is impossible to account for the creation of the universe without the agency of a supreme being.

It is impossible to govern the universe without the aid of a supreme being. It is impossible to reason without arriving at a supreme being. So he used reason, he used nature to be able to worship God. Even a skeptic like Thomas Jefferson, he wrote, when we take a view of the universe in its parts, general or particular, it is impossible for the human mind not to perceive and feel a conviction of design, consummate skill, and indefinite power in every atom of its composition.

I'm not going to go into everything in just one more sentence. The movements of the heavenly body so exactly held in their course by the balance of centrifugal and centripetal forces. Centripetal means coming inward, centripetal means forces pushing outward. The structure of our earth itself with its distribution of lands, waters, and atmosphere, animal and vegetable bodies, examined in all their minutest particles, insects, mere atoms of life, yet as perfectly organized as man or mammoth.

The mineral substances their generation and uses. It is impossible, I say, for the human mind not to believe that there is, in all this, design, cause, and effect up to an ultimate cause, a fabricator of all things from matter and motion, their preserver and regulator. And so again, that's what we call the intelligent design movement, which as I like to give you a definition of it. This is from the Discovery Institute. It's a scientific theory that holds that the emergence or rise of such features of the universe and living things is best explained by an intelligent cause rather than an undirected process such as natural selection.

And of course, you can look at the rest of the quotes of these men, how much they, as the first message that Mike gave about appreciating what was there, they weren't in conflict with God and creation. It was in their very nature, and they basically had that mentality when they wrote the Declaration of Independence.

I'd like to quote, well, let's examine these four sentences of the Declaration. So turn this to the first part. It says, when in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with one another.

Talking about England and what became the United States, the 13 colonies, it says, and here's the first point, and to assume among the powers of the earth the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them. Where did they get their authority? It was from the laws of nature and nature's God.

It says that decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

And so, it is very important that these men studied God's Word so much, and with the background of Puritan culture they had received. They built the Declaration of Independence mainly on God's Word. As John West, he's the head of the Discovery Institute there in Seattle, which is the main hub of the Intelligent Design Movement, he says, reason and revelation. What does that mean? Reason, brains, and revelation. The Bible were not antagonists in the view of America's founding generation. They were equally given to us by God, and when properly used, they both pointed to the same truths. The Declaration of Independence does not claim otherwise. Instead, it proclaims that America's political system will be based on key truths about human nature that it goes on to identify, and that regardless of how those truths are established, whether through reason, in other words, brains, brain power, or revelation. The Bible. They are to be held by Americans as self-evident.

That is, they are regarded as foundational principles on which our government rests.

This view that reason, again, brains and conscience, which has to do now with the heart as well as the Bible, point in the same direction, was not the invention of a secular age, of enlightenment. It had deep roots in both the Bible and Christian theology.

So, when we look at that first part about God's laws, notice the reason for the independence was based on the laws of nature and of nature's God.

These laws of nature were the principles which could be discovered by means of physical observation, mental reasoning, and human conscience. Thus, the laws of nature dealt with physical laws. The tenets of morality and biblical revelation. As one of the signers of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, James Wilson, who later became the justice for the Supreme Court, explained, quote, that law which God has made for man in his present state, which is communicated to us by reason and conscience.

Those are, he calls it, the divine monitors within us. We use those two tools within us, and by the sacred oracles, the Bible, the divine monitors without us. The laws of nature are defined by Wilson, which are very similar to the principles of intelligent design we study today. He says, that law by which the parts of the creation are governed, the great creator of all things has established general and fixed rules, what we call the constants of nature, the physical laws according to which all phenomena or manifestations of the material universe are produced and regulated. These rules are usually called the laws of nature. So this was embedded in that Declaration of Independence.

Now, not only does it talk about the laws of nature, but also of nature's God. They wanted to clearly acknowledge the author of these laws of nature, meant to be kept by all mankind.

They also stress these principles, which were found through scientific observation.

The laws of logic and the dictates of human conscience will ultimately point to the creator of all things. God. Look at the second sentence. The second section. The second sentence of the Declaration states, we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Therefore, from the laws of God and of nature's God, we see certain, quote, self-evident truths that can be derived from careful analysis, rigorous logic, and divine revelation.

They were, in a sense, saying you can find the evidence of these principles in the book of nature and in the book of Scripture, which are embedded throughout this Declaration.

These delegates believe God endowed humans with unalienable, which means permanent, that cannot be removed, with unalienable, equal rights, where no person is born superior to another, and human life should be respected. This is foundational biblical principle in the Bible, mentioned in Genesis 1.27. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him. Male and female, he created them. From this statement are derived the laws about respecting human life, found also in the sixth commandment, enlisting the consequences of violating it.

As Genesis 9.6 mentions, whoever sheds man's blood by man's blood shall be shed. For in the image of God he made man. Is that a monkey? Is that some evolutionary ape? No, it was made in God's image. It has dignity. It is something special, sacred to God created. Therefore, the dignity of life is given by the creator God, not by government, not by a source like blind evolution, and thus should be held sacred. John West, who I just quoted before, brings out that Thomas Jefferson used the principle of intelligent design to prove the equal rights of mankind. As West said, but the founders did not think that the truths of human equality could be known only through the Bible. Nature itself proclaimed the ways in which men were equal, and we could ascertain these truths through our observation of the world around us. A few weeks before he died, Jefferson wrote a correspondent, quote, the general spread of the light of science has already laid open to every view the palpable truth that the mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few booted and spurred. You know, the spurs that you use, ready to ride them legitimately by the grace of God. He said, no, so this is the equality, and that's what we teach in the church. We're all born in the image of God. Now, liberty is another word that is used in this document that they thought was self-evident through observation, critical thinking, and the Bible.

They knew God did not create slaves in the Garden of Eden, but instead free human beings that had independence. In fact, the Bible calls God's law, quote, the perfect law of liberty. As James writes, quote, but he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the word, this one will be blessed in what he does. James 1.25. Next is the phrase, the pursuit of happiness, which is also a biblical principle incorporated into the Declaration of Independence, and that is innate in all human beings.

As Ecclesiastes 2.16 says, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and happiness to the person who pleases This is the new international revised version.

We go to the next sentence, the third.

The first sentence of the third paragraph of the Declaration says, we therefore, the representatives of the United States of America and general Congress assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, due in the name and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare that these United Colonies are and of right ought to be free and independent states. Here, the Founding Fathers appeal to the Supreme Judge of the world for support of what they consider to be a just cause. They recognized this is the Prophet Daniel told ruler Nebuchadnezzar, who really was in charge of the affairs of the world, God Almighty. Daniel said, this decision is by the decree of the Watchers and the sentence by the word of the Holy Ones, in order that the living may know that the most high rules in the kingdom of men gives it to whoever he will and sets over it the lowest of men. And so here you see all of these things that we take for granted. And where do they come from? They didn't come from the minds of men that are steeped in humanism and all of this. No, they felt and that comes from that Puritan background of coming to the states and establishing a nation under God and with the Bible as their guidance. And so it was natural for these men later on to tell the king, yeah, you think you have all this authority because you were born into the royalty. Well, every person has equal rights before God. And that unleashed a revolution that gave dignity to every race. And we know how imperfect that whole system has been, but that was the intent.

And of course, they didn't apply it right away. But finally, because of the Declaration of Independence, that's where Abraham Lincoln was able to take the principles and have the Emancipation Proclamation. They are doing the Civil War to free the slaves and bring dignity.

It's taken time because we're still a prejudiced people. We still have all kinds of hang-ups and stuff. But this document, the Declaration, and then the Constitution later on of the United States was built on these principles of the Declaration of Independence. That's why this little document has changed so much. And the pursuit of happiness was the concept that religions at that time, they thought, no, you should beat yourself and feel guilty at the Catholic Church with their confessions. Whereas God tells us, no, you don't need to go into a closet and talk to another man about your sins. Go before God. He doesn't have a closet. You can go directly to him and confess your faults. And with Jesus Christ as our high priest, we don't need another priest involved. And so the pursuit of happiness helped us establish what the United States had, freedom of religion, had freedom of commerce, where people also had the right to sell and have a fair system where everybody is respected, from the little boy selling papers to the great and powerful men. So it gave economic freedom in this country. And as you know, I mean, no other country has been able, after the Declaration of Independence, to be able to rise up to what the United States has done. And again, God had a purpose for this country. It's not because of us, but it was some of these principles and his blessings that we have had this. And so it was not only freedom of religion, but also a free trade, establishing an economic system, also a free political system, where you don't have just one group of people governing. So all of these come also from the equality clause in the Bible that's embedded in this Declaration. And then the final sentence of the document mentions, and for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, providence is another word for God, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor. Consequently, the beginning of the Declaration of Independence invokes God as a divine lawmaker and creator. Now it ends by beseeching his protection in the terrible ordeal ahead of them, eight grueling years of incessant battles with many setbacks, but they persevered with great courage and faith in God, and finally prevailed.

I highly recommend there's a PBS program called the American Revolution, and it's got five or six parts made by Ken Burns, who is just a fantastic historian and storyteller. So, and it's very balanced in a sense, doesn't just give one side of the story, but how we finally come to this land, why the innovation still comes, because of the freedom that we have. A person can rise, a little boy here can become the President of the United States one day, and there's the ceiling is as open as the sky is. You are allowed to grow, and if you grow in riches, people are not going to try to just take everything from you, like in other parts.

In conclusion, during the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July the 4th, 1776, Benjamin Franklin reminded the rest of the delegates of the dangers ahead when he reportedly said, quote, we must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly, we will all hang separately. They were risking everything. Perhaps a fitting ending would be to quote a famous prayer by the greatest of the founding fathers, George Washington, the father of our nation, who fervently believed in the God of Scripture and the God of nature. This belief in nature's God, as true science, was based on what today would be called the principles of intelligent design. I think also there's going to be a movie out now, which is called the Explanation of All Things.

Stephen Meyer from the Discovery Institute and others. It's going to be on the movies. I heartily recommend it. And for kids in particular, because they are being bombarded by a very secular, humanistic type of mentality. If those people would have written the Declaration of Independence, it would have been so different, wouldn't it? And we take it for granted. We are reaping what was sown at that time. All the blessings, just so specially guided by God. So this is the prayer known as Washington's Prayer for the United States of America. He said, I now make it my earnest prayer that God would have you and the state over which you preside in His holy protection, that He would incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for the brethren who have served in the field. And finally, that He would most graciously be pleased to dispose to us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind, which were the characteristics of the divine author of our blessed religion. Talking about Jesus Christ. And without a humble imitation of those examples in these things, if we don't follow that example of Christ, we can never hope to be a happy nation.

That's a circular letter to the states, June 8, 1783. So, this is what we have, brethren, and let's give thanks tonight to God for what He has done and how He established principles that still give blessings today.