The refrain that is heard from the right when they refer to liberal actors is “Shut up and Act.” The same goes for leftist musicians: “Shut up and Sing.” Don’t involve yourselves in matters you know little to nothing about. Leave the politics to politicians, and leave armed conflicts to the military.
Because one is popular, famous and has a large following doesn’t automatically make an actor or musician an authority on matters political or military. Save for a very few, history is not on their side. Not many have gone on to become great political or military leaders.
Of course, the left has its own tired refrain – that of the separation of church and state. They insist that pastors, preachers and men of faith should also not involve themselves in politics or policy.
Many would say what is good for the goose is good for the gander. If musicians and actors should not lecture on such things, neither should men of faith. Yet it is these men of faith who have history squarely on their side.
Our nation’s founding was born of men and women seeking religious freedom from England and its one-size-fits-all Anglican state church. They sought the right to worship with whatever church they wished.
As we know, England and particularly the crown would have none of that. How dare an English colony put anything before the king or be a member of any religion other than Anglican, the British state religion.
This is why during the Revolution, pastors and preachers in America were targeted and why so many men of religion rose to prominence during our struggle for independence. Of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, 29 held seminary degrees or Bible school certification.
Now this will boil the blood of the “separation of church and state” crowd: Many state constitutions were ratified in churches or church buildings. So much for separation.
Simply put, the crown despised these religious independents, for they undermined the king’s ultimate authority. Preachers and pastors would preach revolution from the pulpit. These ministers became leaders of their communities and advocated for the right to private property.
The British Parliament even referred to our revolution as “the Presbyterian Revolt.” Ministers would preach to the troops prior to battle. “… American victory had been ordained by God since the beginning of time,” said the Rev. William Emerson prior to the Battle of Lexington and Concord.
They were the moral motivators of the troops. Preachers actually led male members of their congregation in military drills after Sunday services. This gave rise to the term “Minutemen,” for the congregation could be ready to take up arms in a “minute.”
Many of the church leaders were also leaders in government. Oh, the horror! The British troops called these pastors “The Black Robe Regiment” for the black robes they wore when preaching from the pulpit.
The British were well aware of the ministers’ power – so much so that when the Redcoats rode into a town one of the first things they did was to round up and capture the local pastor. They were the conscience of the community and thus the young nation.
I liken them to today’s outspoken men and women of conscience who, despite political and legal pressure, refuse to give in to political correctness and the forced embrace of “alternative” lifestyles.
One can always tell whom a despotic regime fears most by the actions taken and rhetoric spoken against them. The imperial left of this country fears the religious right and people of unwavering conviction, as the British feared the “Black Robe Regiment” during the revolution. And like the Empire, today’s leftists will do whatever they must for however long it takes to render today’s “revolutionaries” moot.