Is Democracy Worth Dying For?

I read an interesting quote from the late Ronald Reagan that said, "Democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man." I was thinking about that statement as I read that. I know that many political leaders hail democracy as the greatest form of government ever known to man. It's one of the last forms of government. Ever since the invasion of both Afghanistan and Iraq, the previous administration under President Bush has been trying to establish a democracy in both Iraq and Afghanistan as a result of the overthrowing of the Taliban and Sadamm Hussein. However, the question that needs to be asked is democracy worth dying for?

Many in the media have referred to the United States as a democracy. Actually we're not a democracy in the purest sense of the word. We're a representative republic. We do employ democratic principles such as holding elections to elect our leaders and the ballot initiatives which citizens have the privilege to vote on during elections. Otherwise, we're a republic. We send Senators and representatives to Washington, D.C. to vote on legislative matters that affect our country. Ancient Athens, Greece was considered to be the birthplace of democracy. However, there have been critics of democracy such as the ancient Greek philosopher Plato who viewed democracy as another step toward tyranny. Democracy can result in mob rule.

It's impossible to have a pure democracy in a large country. It's not practical that all citizens can vote on all matters of legislation. Some small towns and villages that have a very low population could employ democracy in that area. Otherwise it's not possible. Many leaders have pointed to the success of America's "democracy" and they use that as an argument that other countries need democracy. However, America was very unique in comparison with other countries. The people that immigrated to America came for the purpose of religious freedom. They recognized that there was a higher authority than themselves--that was God. The Pilgrims and Puritans that came to America had built churches and they honored God. They tried to live by the laws of God. Any form of democracy won't endure if the population engages in reckless, immoral behavior or are hedonists. Self-government demands discipline and responsibility from its citizens. Citizens must be informed on the issues when it comes to electing candidates and the citizenry must understand the proper role of government. Many people today expect government to provide for their material needs.

Is a democracy worth dying for? The only way that a semblance of democracy would be worth dying for is if there's a group of citizens that are willing to protect and preserve the freedoms we enjoy for the next generation. Freedom gained today could be lost tomorrow. Vigilance must always be practiced. Freedom can be lost if the citizenry lose sight on what the role of government is as well as their own individual responsibility. If a person thinks they can live immoral and irresponsible lives and still maintain freedom, then they're foolish in their thinking. Self-government won't work if the people don't recognize that they're not their own God. The reason why the United States had been able to endure for so long is because the people recognize that God's laws take precedent over man's way of thinking. They knew a society couldn't endure without solid values. There must be a set of absolutes that govern a society. The religion of secular humanism doesn't believe in absolutes. When you remove the standard that gives man freedom, then a society will digress and chaos could result. It will be as the passage in the book of Judges says and man will be doing what's right in his own eyes. To different people that could be different things.

America's laws and customs were built on the Judeo-Christian framework. That's why self-government has worked for us for so long. Because the American people upheld God's laws. It doesn't mean that everybody were individually saved, but they had a respect for the Bible and its truths in it. The reason why America today is experiencing a moral breakdown is because people are living immoral and irresponsible lives. We've forgotten God and we've created our own "right and wrong". The American people today are living to the desires of their flesh. There are some people that take for granted that the freedom America has enjoyed for the last two centuries can't be lost. However, we're already losing our freedoms. Today America has turned into a nation of oligarchs (rule by the elite).

The neoconservatives from the Bush administration had the idealistic view that they could create a democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan. That's not going to happen. Those two countries have only known a dictatorship. They don't have the moral framework nor the responsibility to have a representative form of government like the United States. Once you obtain freedom, then the people in that country must be vigilant to maintain that freedom or they will descend back into chaos and then tyranny. Iraq has three different religious factions such as the Shiites, Kurds, and the Sunnis. They've been at war with each other for centuries. Violence has increased in Iraq since Iraq has been given control over it's own government. I predict Iraq will return to it's former state before too long. There's too much violence and division in that country. Democracy won't work in every country. In order for a country to possess a form of democracy, you must have a people that are responsible, informed, disciplined, and adhere to a strong set of values. Otherwise, a democracy will descend into chaos.