A definition of virtue would be things that are true (the truth), noble, just (fair), pure (holy living). Being virtuous is really an overall approach to life that brings a level of excellence to all we do and say. A person of virtue makes the progression from knowing what is right to doing what is right. He or she intentionally chooses what to say, do, and value, reaching beyond the good toward the best.
In contrast, evil is usually thought of as that which is morally wrong, sinful, or wicked; however, the word evil can also refer to anything that causes harm, with or without the moral dimension. In Proverbs Chapter 6 we read that evil includes, haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. It is safe to say from the above that virtue and evil are opposites. Our founders understood these differences and told us that only a virtuous people can be free. It is only in a historical context that the modern American can appreciate the profound degree of anxiety which the Founders expressed concerning the quality of virtue and morality in their descendants. They knew that without these qualities, the Constitution they had written and the republican system of government which it provided could not be maintained. 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.” Thomas Jefferson counseled, "Virtue is not hereditary." Virtue has to be earned and it has to be learned. Neither is virtue a permanent quality in human nature. It has to be cultivated continually and exercised from hour to hour and from day to day. The Founders looked to the home, the school, and the churches to fuel the fires of virtue from generation to generation. In today’s America, virtue and intelligence are no longer prevalent in the community. The people have thus chosen people like themselves to rule over government. Just as virtue and intelligence are void in our communities, so are they void in our elected officials, our bureaucrats, technocrats, and in our judicial system. This is a result of us no longer having virtue cultivated continually and exercised at all. The home is broken and no longer functions as a purveyor of virtue and wisdom. The school is now a purveyor of evil and many churches have lost any thirst for virtue and now conform to the evil of society so as not to be ridiculed but to be accepted in and conform to the evil of secular society. This substitution of virtue for evil can only be overcome individual by individual. We must each search our own values and ask if it is truly virtuous to support policies that devalue human life calling human life a choice, that protect and promote perversions of all sorts, that protect and promote sexual immorality, that place the rights of criminals above those of law-abiding people, that excuse lying, fraud, stealing, and manipulation for personal gain and power in government officials, and that denounce virtue and promote evil. Freedom is born and maintained in the heart and soul of each citizen. If you denounce virtue for any reason, political correctness, acceptance, ignorance, you are the problem and must reform if you advocate for freedom. If you support virtue but do not advocate for virtue and denounce evil, you must change your ways and become bold in your proclamations of virtue and denunciations of evil. Freedom is only for a bold and virtuous people. Are you one?
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