Leaping Back to the Founding

2009 November 1
by David Swindle

5000-year-leap

In defending Glenn Beck from the Left’s radical assault one of the arguments that needed to be rebutted involved the book The 5000 Year Leap by W. Cleon Skousen. Beck had heavily promoted the text, going as far as to write a new foreword. A Salon article then took this as an excuse to smear Beck with some of the more fringe, crackpot ideas of the book’s author.

Stuck in the middle of the political mudfight was a book that was hardly “divinely inspired” as the frequently-hyperbolic Beck praised but neither a work of whack-job either. Instead Leap is a great, albeit occasionally hokey introduction for those who are unfamiliar with the Founders’ ideas and the basics of American government. So exploring it allows for a wonderful opportunity to reengage and debate the basic principles of our republic.

Part 1: The Left Really Reveals Its Hatred of the American Idea

Part 2: Is this a “Christian Nation” Theory?

Part 3: If Natural Law is the Basis of America Then How Come No One Can Explain It?

Part 4: I’m Not the Only One Struggling with Understanding Natural Law

Part 5: Calvin Freiburger Gives the Final Word on Natural Law

Part 6: What is Virtue? And How Can We Promote it?

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19 Responses leave one →
  1. November 1, 2009

    [In defending Glenn Beck from the Left’s radical assault one ]

    Radical assault? Puh-leeeeze.

  2. November 2, 2009

    Keep in mind that the church that Beck and Skousen belong to think that American Indians are Jews and that the Garden of Eden was in Missouri.

  3. Freeme permalink
    November 2, 2009

    Beck has it right and the left hate him for it, otherwise why all the continual attacks? If other networks had successful commentators like Beck, they wouldnt worry about their ‘ratings’ now would they? It sucks to be Keith and Chris! LOL

  4. Jane S permalink
    November 2, 2009

    Ben, As the commedian said, “I resemble that remark!” Does it comfort you to call those with ideas you do not grasp or agree with “nut-jobs” or “flocks” as in habituating migrating birds following along? You assign your behaviors to me and others…after all we are not doing the hateful name calling here…you are. Why so defensive? If the writer believe’s Mr Beck is under “radical assault”, who are you to quibble? It’s his opinion, nothing more or less. You don’t agree. Doesn’t make anyone a nut-job or a flockee if you will. Which part doyou disagree with? The word radicals? The word assault? The two combined? So kind of you to attack with your adjectives and adverbs but, don’t define this as hateful or an “assault” on Mr. Beck and those who agree with him. Must be so comforting up on that pillar of self righteousness knowing how much more clever and and correct you are than those you disparage for their thoughts. Alas, you don’t hate though…no you are not a hater. Me thinks you protesteth too much!

  5. November 2, 2009

    [Does it comfort you to call those with ideas you do not grasp or agree with “nut-jobs” or “flocks” as in habituating migrating birds following along?]

    Beck is a nut-job — not because I don’t agree with him, but because of his nutty conspiracy theories and his lies to monger fear and hatred.

    And actually I was referring to sheep, as in “flock of sheep.”

    • Harry M permalink
      December 14, 2009

      You can’t prove that anything he has every said is a lie. Beck tells the truth. That makes you the nut job and a mindless sheeple that is unable think for himself. You blindly follow along with whatever the leftists tells you. Give up you world of lies and join the living. The truth shall set you free.

      • John C. Davidson permalink
        December 18, 2009

        Leave him be, Harry. He needs a lot of help, isn’t that obvious to you. The name calling gives away his point of view, nothing else matters to the man.

  6. Jackie Durkee permalink
    November 3, 2009

    The book is good and we need to get this country back on track to a Republic. It is spiraling right now toward a socialist country which means the loss of our liberties and at the end, tyranny.

    FaithfulinPrayer
    @ wordpress.
    Jackie

  7. Esteban Cafe, World permalink
    November 22, 2009

    I’m still awaiting Ben’s response to Mr. Swindle’s question. Cue the crickets.

  8. Banzai permalink
    January 15, 2010

    Mormons are awesomes. Less than 13 million world wide, much like the Jews, they are small in number and for the most part misunderstood. As the bible describes them -They are the Salt of the earth. Like the Jews of old, they are Gods chosen people. This country was set up as a great masonic experiment, the first great awakening lead to the revolution and then the second great awakening. God's hand was directly involved in writing of the constitution. The founding Fathers were inspired by God, science and reason. It was the Masons that threw off the shackles of the old world. With the help of Masons in France and Germany we "americans" were able to win the revolutionary war. It was very patriotic for a few decades after the revolution to be mason… up until the Morgan Affair, when over night the masons were demonized and hated.. their numbers shrunk. but out of this atmosphere a 14 year old boy started a new religion now known as Mormonism. Christianity is the apostate church just as Masonry is the apostate priesthood. Mormons have it restored in its fullness… Take that and chew on it…. Christ's church will now not be taken from the earth… this is the last dispensation in preparation for Christs return.

  9. November 2, 2009

    The right is full of hate and just assume that everyone else is, also. Beck is the king nut-job, but I don’t hate him. Or his flock.

  10. David Swindle
    November 2, 2009

    What “nutty conspiracy theories”?

  11. Ryan Todd permalink
    November 14, 2009

    “The Right is full of hate…” I’m not sure how you can know something like this, or why you beleive it to be true. I suppose one place I can point to, to prove youre not correct, is statistics showing that Republicans give much more to charity than the Left, Larger Percentages too…

    The left claims the high road, by demanding people MUCH more wealthy than they are, should be forced to give their money to people who have less money. They support these laws, so they say that they are “good people” yet they really don’t DO anything. The ‘Right’ has been labeled “Church Going Nut Jobs”…. i dont think i have to tell you who is the Leader in Charity, or the Least hatefull of organizations…

    As for Beck…

    He is simply showing videos of people saying things… or talking about what people have done…

    he does seem to show the link between the things as he sees them… but that is for you to agree or disagree

    if the President surrounds himself with people of the marxist persuasion.. and has said “Judge me by the people i souround myself with”… Isnt it reasonable to assume that the President, agrees with the people he surounds himself with? Or more reasonable to just assume the President, was Lying when he said how to judge him.

  12. November 25, 2009

    Actually Glenn is pretty careful about jumping on conspiracy theories. I’ve actually seen him debunk some.

  13. Pupus permalink
    November 6, 2009

    American Indians, Jews? No that’s incorrect, but according to our faith many of them were decendents of the House of Israel. Jew does not equal someone from the House of Israel. An important distinction.
    Since you have no evidence that they are not from the House of Israel, you can only doubt my faith. I wish I could debate people like you in public.

  14. elizabeth m gibbons permalink
    November 6, 2009

    Obviously you have not watched/listened/read much of Glenn Beck.
    Otherwise you could not truthfully say such a thing.
    Always seek truth.

  15. David Doyle permalink
    November 24, 2009

    Liberals are supporters of a medical procedure that has murdered over 50 million babies and conservatives are full of hate? Is there a lack of oxygen in your part of the world?

  16. John C. Davidson permalink
    December 18, 2009

    Occasionally, the jack-in-the-box pops open, David.

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