Painting of an American Bald Eagle protecting the USA, with Bible scriptures
Out of many gods, there is only one God
While the USA is far from a perfect nation, many of the early settlers came here on a firm foundation of a love for the Lord.
Not for a love for money, not for a love of power, and not to worship false gods. There are many things we can make into our version of god (our jobs, sports, "the universe", planets (i.e. astrology), even our own kids!), but there is only one God.
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage." Psalm 33:12
Freedom of Expression
Over the centuries, many have fought for the freedom to worship!
The 1st Amendment of the Constitution states:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
Do we take that freedom for granted? No! It can be taken away and is to be protected. In this painting, I painted a bald eagle protecting its nest over a map of the United States.
Recently in South Africa, with the passing of the Prevention and Combatting of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Act, it is now possible to be arrested and prosecuted for any “hateful” expression that may cause someone “substantial emotional harm”. The act widens the definition of hate speech to essentially mean “speech that I hate”, with vague and subjective definitions.
"Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense." Proverbs 19:11
If one were to cite Genesis 5:2 - "He created them male and female, and he blessed them and called them “human.” - it appears that this can now be punishable hate speech in South Africa.
Freedom to be servants of God
Now, has the United States used the cover-up of "freedom" for evil? Most certainly it has. I will not list the examples, but there are many!
That is why I wanted to include this Bible verse in the painting:
“Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.” 1 Peter 2:16