Happy Independence Day!

Today is Independence Day, a great holiday that celebrates the original thirteen colonies' independence from the oppressive regime of the British king that taxed the colonists unbearably, limited their religious freedom, and inhibited their ability to pursue economic stability and happiness in general.  Colonist leaders and patriots wrote the Declaration of Independence and thereafter worked to build the United States of America, a unique and blessed land where all, because of acknowledged equality and a government that was originally built to serve the people, are able to pursue opportunity, worship, and engage their fellowman as they see fit.

America, as mentioned above, is a unique and uniquely blessed nation.  I am forever grateful to be an American and to have had the opportunity to grow up and now raise a family in this great land.  There are some, those known as cultural relativists (they call themselves multiculturalists), who would argue that no one country can be better than another.  This is not really true for a number of reasons.

One reason is economic opportunity.  Mexicans and others from Central and South America do not flood across the border (legally and illegally) because the job prospects south of the border are so hot.  In this unique land, one can take an idea, run with it, and essentially control your own economic destiny if you're willing to put in the requisite time and effort.

A second reason America is so great is because here we can worship God (or not) the way we want.  I remember the hassle it was in Russia for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be allowed to meet, organize, and otherwise function.  I am grateful that in America, organized religion is not subject to the whims and fancies of a bureaucrat or an authoritarian regime (look at the Chinese government's meddling in religion for a great example of that).

A third reason America is so great is because of the relative peace we live in.  Wars simmer and rage all over the world, but although America has been involved in many conflicts, those wars have rarely reached her shores.  Even the domestic scene, which involves occasional riots or some gang violence, is calm compared to elsewhere.  The Mexico-U.S. border is so rife with violence that it is impossible for people to live there.  Honduras has exploded into violence following a coup.

I can think of so many other reasons, too.  The quality of life is just amazing here.  Whenever I hear of poor people in the news in America, I think back to my time in Russia or think of all those articles I've read in National Geographic.  I would argue that poor people in America aren't poor.  We should still help them, but our quality of life in America is so much better than most anywhere else that comparisons of rich and poor just don't make sense.  The choice that abounds because of liberty in America is astounding.  Whether it be a simple choice of where to live, what profession to pursue, or what doctor to go to, America again stands head and shoulders above the rest.  I've lived in the UK and know about not being able to choose what doctor to see.  We have opportunities and chances like no one else.

I hope and pray that America will remain the land of liberty and opportunity.  Things are changing right now, and we need to take time on a day like Independence Day to commit ourselves to action, just as those early colonists and patriots did.  We can only retain our blessings in America if we commit ourselves to following God's commands and remembering that we must work to preserve our liberty because freedom is not free.

God bless America!