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In the fifth of this series of 249 blogs I posted a letter I had written to the editor of a local newspaper. In that letter I urged another look at the preamble of the US constitution. I return to that venture now. Here is the constitution as it now is:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
At the time that preamble and its constitution was written there were only thirteen states. Now there are 50 states and their population is much more diverse. I am only one citizen of many, but change must begin somewhere with someone.
So The Old Fool suggests a revision of the preamble that uses words consistent with the original vision, but expands it to include the values of the kingdom ushered in by Jesus.
We the people of every religion and ethnicity who live within the boundaries of these United States, in order to become one through thoughtful and deliberate compromise so that in and through this union all people are treated fairly, all people live at peace and without fear, all enemies are well fed and feel safe, all people on the earth enjoy adequate housing, and healthcare while caring for a thriving natural environment, while we enjoy the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves, to our posterity, and to the earth and all its inhabitants do ordain and establish this Constitution as a way of governing ourselves in the United States of America for the good of the whole earth.
The gospels record a conversation between a lawyer and Jesus. The conversation included questions and answers about law, and ended with the parable of the Good Samaritan. In the parable a man who is robbed and laying by the road half dead represents the world in need, and the Samaritan represents the other world that has the resources the other world needs. It is worth noting that there is nothing of divinity in the story. It is a very human story, a story of the saving of humanity.
