Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God!

Uttered by Benjamin Franklin, proposed as the motto for the Great Seal of the United States, and used by Thomas Jefferson on his personal seal, "Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God" reflects the spirit of the American Revolution and the commitment to individual liberty that was shared by the Founding Fathers. However, this sentiment is most justly credited to Bishop John of Salisbury who stated in Policraticus in 1159 that "...it is just for public tyrants to be killed and the people to be liberated for obedience to God."

Bishop John's opus was a response to the attempts of Henry II to dominate the Church which ultimately led to the murder of Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170. In Policraticus, Bishop John rejected tyranny, holding that it was high treason and a public crime which rendered tyrants public enemies. He further acknowledged that tyranny was not just a political venue because "...many private men are tyrants." Accordingly, he found that Christians were not always bound to authority and laws because "...God must be preferred before any man on earth."

The Twelfth Century wisdom of John of Salisbury was heeded by our revolutionary forefathers who secured our independence from Great Britain and it should not be lost by Twenty-first Century Americans. We live in an era in which we are no longer free and independent. Our pursuit of happiness is intruded upon and trampled daily by tyrannical politicians, bureaucrats, and private men who profess to know what is better for us than we know ourselves and force it upon us via laws, ordinances, regulations, policies, and mandates that are offensive to self determination and individual liberty.

We have become so accustomed to intrusions in all facets of our personal lives that we willfully accept conditional and regulated liberty, breaches of privacy, and the expectation that we sign away rights and release liabilities on a daily basis just to function within society, conduct business, and maintain employment. Such pervasive control over citizens is tantamount to slavery and contrary to the nature of liberty provided to us by both Almighty God and our Revolution. For freedom to truly exist, it must be constantly seized, fostered, and protected at all levels, public and private. For freedom loving Americans, "rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God." It is our daily duty that should be reflected in all aspects of our public and private lives from polling place, to workplace, to marketplace.