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Meekness and American History
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I am posting this in History, but it is also Character and Bible related.
For our character studies, we are using A Child’s Book of Character Building book 2 as a spine. I read the short story and they draw it. Then I will go to that character in either LDTR4C or The Book of Virtues to spend many weeks on that character.
We started meekness today. The first story in Child’s Book of Character 2 was about Jesus allowing himself to be arrested and he did not get angry. He knew it was God’s plan for him to suffer for our sins.
I also played a 20 min. radio program from Revive Our Hearts called Developing a Meek Spirit. In the program, I found it interesting that she says that the world goes against meekness with messages like have it your way, stand up for your rights, etc. Do you agree?
Also my son enjoys studying the American Revolution and we have been studying some about the pilgrims since it is close to Thanksgiving. He had some good questions:
Were the patriots meek?
Was that right or wrong?
Is it meek to stand up for your rights? Is that right Biblically to do?
Were the pilgrims meek?
Were the soldiers in the civil war meek?
Here I think my son is comparing being meek to doing the right thing. This seems like a complex issue to me. These were significant changes in history and involved people standing up for their rights and going against the king/rulers. Wars are not gentle and patient with a meek spirit, right? Does this make them right or wrong? I realize answers may vary and I told this to my son. Biblical theology would come into play, as I know varies. I am interested in your thoughts on this.
Well, it is true our Savior was meek. He allowed Himself to be sacrificed for us. However, He also overturned the moneychangers’ tables. Meek does not always mean weak, giving in–in fact it really can’t. We are supposed to turn the other cheek when we can–but also fight against Satan and sin. I find it interesting that Moses is also referred to in Scripture as meek. Now, that is interesting! Moses stood up for the Hebrews’ rights, fought for them. Moses was no doormat. 🙂 But he was meek. Perhaps meek doesn’t mean quite what the popular culture thinks it means. I think it means a quiet strength that bows to God’s will. So perhaps one can be meek while overturning tables, turning rivers into blood, or fighting for one’s country, one’s God-given rights, and still be meek. 🙂 I don’t consider fighting for rights to be the opposite of meek–at least as long as you are fighting in God’s will. There would be the rub.
There’s also a difference between natural rights given to us by G-D that must be asserted and defended, because man desires to deny or remove them from people and the type of self-serving, man-given rights (and those purported to create a more equal results society) that have started ungodly revolutions, attempting to create messianic societies without G-D and destroyed millions of lives.
Hope that provides some differentiation between the different types of rights:
G-D given (i.e. natural rights and natural law)
v/s
Man-made rights (usually demanded at the expense of other’s natural rights) that sound good theoretically, but which are a poor copy of the originals.
One can be meek and defend the former, less so for the latter.
There are times for war (think what King Solomon said). Plus, I do think there is a case for physical self-defense (how can you pass down G-D’s laws when you’re dead? Your life is the first natural right since we are made in G-D’s Image with the Divine Spark) and the defense of others (same reason)-though this one gets trickier when you’re dealing with nations on the government level versus the individual level. But, for simplicity’s sake, we – as individuals – are to come to another individuals aid, including physical self-defense. The righteous must defend righteousness, keep evil from conquering and that requires action in the defense of ourselves and others.
Paul said that as long as it depends upon US to live at peace with one another; that is only one part of the equation. We must respond when others don’t intend to live at peace with us for their part.
I should add that the Rev. War was a result of a gov. not following it’s own existing Common Law and our Founder’s tried multiple times to resolve the situation peacefully; until the British came to take our gun powder and take Sam Adams and John Hancock and then it became a matter of physical defense attached to that assertion of unalienable natural rights that already exist just for being a created human.
From my understanding, the absolute rule of kings – Divine Right – was not the original situation in regard to Britain’s kings. That mindset and view of the monarchy developed over time (influnced by France’s more authoritarian style). It’s extremely important to know the history of the development of England’s monarchy compared to it’s original Saxon version, the Nature’s Law development among the thinkers in Parliament, the Reformation, Catholic and Protestant wars and persecution, as well as Greece and Rome, and the Founder’s aversion to democracy, to get a context on the Separatists viewpoint and later the Founders, who drew from that tradition and the Age of Reason, too.
IMO, without a cursory knowledge of these historical events and theological positions, there’s a lot of misrepresentation and misunderstandings about their motivations, if that makes sense.
Re the civil war, that’s awhole ‘nother post I could write about as it’s not “black and white” (no pun intended) and again, didn’t arise overnight and was the result of many decisions, good and bad with no one side being better than the other, (as far as north and south goes). IN answer to that one question, there were great men who fought on each siode and very bad men who fought on each side. Without a doubt, Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson were good and decent Christian men. Lee (personally opposed to slavery) was the original choice by Lincoln to lead the Union army, but Lee turned it down due to his devotion (i.e sense of duty) to his state and it’s decision to secede- an idea that is almost foreign in our modern day and time.
See? Complicated!
I’ll try to get off my soapbox now! These are great questions and aren’t resloved easily’ it takes time, study, and maturity. I adore history…
Thank you! I was hoping to hear from both of you on this. I am thankful that you share your extensive knowledge of history with us, as I am learning a great deal as I find it more interesting and applicable. I shared this information with my children and I think they have a better understanding. We are still studying meekness and learning what that is and how to be meek, which I think also takes much time, study and maturity, along with prayer.
So we should always stand up for our natural God-given rights and in times of war there were meek people and there were people who were not so meek. Could you give some examples of specific people or circumstances in American history of meekness? Would Benjamin Franklin be a good example of a meek person? How about George Washington? William Bradford?
Please enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday and take your time in replying. We will return to this on Monday. Thanks!
Have you seen these character books by Marilyn Boyer? There are 3 volumes. I am thinking of adding these in for the sake of my history fan.
http://characterconcepts.com/store/product.php?id_product=3258
or on kindle:
That looks good; I haven’t seen that one. I’m glad you shared.
I also recommend Living Principles of History audio series (at least until the War Moves South CD, I don’t know how they handle both Andrew jackson – who was a pro-slavery, Indian hating man – and Edison, who’s character showed itself as poor in his competition with Tesla – too many American history materials treat those two too favorably, IMO):
http://www.nestlearning.com/living-principles-of-america_c2378.aspx
and Mantle Ministries’ audio called Historical Devotionals
For you to read, I can recommend some books about some of the Founder’s over the weekend and will answer your questions.
These questions about Meekness, Forgiveness, Just or Unjust War — they’re wonderful theological questions to ponder. There are people who did good on both sides of every conflict and people who did wrong. It’s not really something I’d go into at a very young age, but I also try to focus on the good stories and the helpers and leave the morally ambiguous stories for later one when the student is more prepared for wading through these sticky theological ponderings. This was just our family’s personal preference (we’re Episcopalian and tend to look for the Middle Way) but rarely was anyone all-good or all-bad. Often when we start trying to make someone all-good we’re quite devistated when they turn out to be flawed and disappointingly human, and then we have to try to explain away this, as well. It can get sticky.By the time they’re nearing puberty, these are just the kind of discrepancies they will pick up on and they’ll catch us out! So, for instance, I might tend to stay away from the politics of a particular war with young children, but deal with heroic deeds, discoveries, mercy, bravery, loyalty, self-sacrifice, etc. Then with older children we will indeed look at both sides and understand how some people might see it from one perspective, and others from another. This requires more of a global view – perhaps not everyone’s cup of tea. Often I’ve asked a child to defend the opinion of someone they don’t particularly agree with – this gives great empathy and helps to see what it’s like to walk “in another person’s shoes”. I think empathy was an incredibly great strength of the Savior, and as His follower, something I want my children to experience as well. It’s not easy as opinion seems to trump empathy and these opinions seem to often get more dogmatic and polarized and not less… well, not without purposely making an effort. In my experience, kids will absolutely challenge dogma, so I try to be there to explore and challenge with them.
Possibly not everyone’s cup of tea. Mine are older now, though, so I’m looking at 23 years of homeschooling with much hindsight. 🙂
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