A New Declaration of Independence?

by Fidel "Butch" Montoya

Here is copy of the declaration made a couple of weeks ago by a group of conservative pastors and religious leaders that gathered in Denver. I am not sure of the group, but I thought you might find their declaration interesting

The Brody File on the CBNews.com has more information. On the web site, here is what Brody has written. 'The Brody File has been given a document put together and agreed to by conservative and Evangelical leaders. This is the meeting where the majority of leaders agreed to get behind John McCain but they also agreed on these set of 10 important core values.' (Included below).

The web site continues: 'When you read through these values, you'll get a better understanding why they believe John McCain is the candidate they've decided to rally around. The group isn't hung up as much on McCain's position on immigration or campaign finance reform. Those are a concern but the bigger issue for these folks are the pro-family values they want to see protected.'

I am including the declaration for you to consider what you think. Please don't read any thing between the lines as we all have our personal views and perspectives on some of the issues of the day. Also, this is not some kind of endorsement for McCain or Obama.

Also, The Brody File on CBNews.com is worth bookmarking for future reference. A very insightful and informing blog site.

Fidel 'Butch' Montoya
H. S. Power & Light - Latino Faith Based Initiative

'And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.' Micah 6: 8


Declaration of American Values
July 4, 2008

Declaration of American Values

Because this is a crucial time in American history, and a cacophony of voices claim that their views represent core American values, it is imperative that people of strong Biblical faith stand in unity to affirm the core consensus values that do serve as the basis of America's greatness.
Therefore, we do hereby affirm that all men and women from every race and ethnicity are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We adhere to the rule of law embodied in the Constitution of the United States and to the principles of liberty on which America was founded. In order to maintain the blessings of liberty and justice for ourselves and our posterity, and recognizing that personal responsibility is the basis of our self-governing nation, we declare our allegiance -
1. To secure the sanctity of human life by affirming the dignity of and right to life for the disabled, the ill, the aged, the poor, the disadvantaged, and for the unborn from the moment of conception. Every person is made in the image of God and it is the responsibility and duty of all individuals and congregations to extend the hand of loving compassion to care for those in poverty and distress.
2. To secure our national interest in the institution of marriage and family by embracing the union of one man and one woman as the sole form of legitimate marriage and the proper basis of family.
3. To secure the fundamental rights of parents to the care, custody, and control of their children regarding their upbringing and education.
4. To secure the free exercise of religion for all people, including the freedom to acknowledge God through our public institutions and other modes of public expression, and the freedom of religious conscience without coercion by penalty or force of law.
5. To secure the moral dignity of each person, acknowledging that obscenity, pornography, and indecency debase our communities, harm our families, and undermine morality and respect, we promote enactment and enforcement of laws to protect decency and traditional morality.
6. To secure the right to own, possess and manage private property without arbitrary interference from government while acknowledging the necessity of maintaining a proper and balanced care and stewardship of the environment and natural resources for the health and safety of our families.
7. To secure the individual right of owning, possessing, and using firearms as central to the preservation of peace and liberty.
8. To secure a system of checks and balances between the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches within both state and federal governments, so that no one branch - particularly the judiciary - usurps the authority of the other two, and to maintain the constitutional principles of federalism which divide power between the state and federal governments.
9. To secure our national sovereignty and domestic tranquility by maintaining a strong military; establishing and maintaining secure national borders; participating in international and diplomatic affairs without ceding authority to foreign powers that diminish or interfere with our unalienable rights; and being mindful of our history as a nation of immigrants, promoting immigration policies that observe the rule of law and are just, fair, swift, and foster national unity.
10. To secure a system of fair taxes that are not punitive against the institution of marriage or family and are not progressive in nature, and within a limited government framework to encourage economic opportunity, free enterprise, and free market competition.
We hereby pledge our names, our lives, and our sacred honor to this Declaration of American Values.