“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal….”  Do you really think that’s true, let alone self-evident?

It certainly wasn’t obvious to mankind for most of human history.  Men are born with all manner of different talents and abilities—they seem to be self-evidently unequal.  Some of you are great artists, others musicians, others athletes, and still others brilliant scholars.  Some of you have many or even all of those talents; while others of you have few or none of them.

And let me tell you, when you grow up, you will be even more unequal than you are today.  So, either the Declaration is wrong, or we’re thinking about it wrongly.

Nietzsche looked out and saw the obvious inequality of men and said, “Nobody is more inferior than those who insist on being equal.”  Men are not equal, he says, so let’s not pretend—and the idea that we were created that way is a delusion: “Man makes god in his own image,” not the other way around.

If we are to make sense of the Declaration, we must recognize that we don’t make God in our image, He makes us in His.  And it is in that—in bearing his image—and nothing else, that could ever make us all equal.

So, in a sense, Nietzsche and the Founders were both right.  We’re either created equal by God…or we’re not equal at all.

Now, for the Friday Funnies:

Tommy put a posting in the classified section of the newspaper.  (As an aside, I wonder if any of you even know what a newspaper is…let alone the classifieds).  The advertisement said: My sister is allergic to our little pet dog, so we have to get rid of her. If you know a loving home that can take her in, please let me know. She is eight years old, house trained, loves running around the garden, and always does her homework.

Have a wonderful day.