On September 10th, it will be the anniversary of some Moravians who came to America in 1752 to settle the land in North Carolina. The came over to America to build a land they could thrive in. They also came over as missionaries to serve people already here.
With all the hype of current thinking that America was founded upon others coming over to this land and taking away the land from the Natives, we need to look at what really took place, and what were the reasons for people coming over here in the first place.
What is interesting, is that there were many who did come to America to conquer and take over the land, but somehow, in God's providence, they never were successful. Some came over to find gold and become rich. Many of these people did not know how to live in a civilization and they either went back to their homeland, or onto another place to explore. If they stayed in America (or what was to become America) many died off. They didn't understand the value of working hard. They were like children looking for candy at an Easter egg hunt and when they found what they wanted, they didn't have what it took to continue to strive as a people group. They were here just for the good time and what they could find.
There were different Christian groups which had come over to America from Europe, mainly. We have the Pilgrims who originally came over in 1620, and lived peacefully with the Indians around them. The Puritans came a little while later, and today I read about the Moravians coming over.
The people who were successful in building Early America, were hard workers. They were not those who gambled or just took a chance of coming to the new land with the hopes of striking it rich. Many who came to America for gold did not find what they were looking for. Many of those people were not even trained to take care of themselves. For example, when John Smith was settling the area of America that he was in (Jamestown), there was a group of men who came over from England who were known as 'Gentlemen'. These Gentlemen did not understand about cause and effect. They did not know how to garden, for example. While they lived in England, they were rich and had other people doing things for them. But in the new land, there were no people to hire to serve them. No one was there to grow their food, or to prepare it for them. They learned the hard way that they were going to have to work hard if they were going to stay here and be part of the society. John Smith established a rule that came right out of the Bible! He said to the 'Gentlemen' (and everyone else) "He who does no work shall not eat.". Now the Gentlemen had no choice but to either go to work in order to survive and become part of society, or they could go back home.
I am not going to print this story of the Moravians, but I will take an excerpt from it here:
"Having staked out their land, the Moravians settled it the next year, sending a team of fifteen unmarried men to the region. Among these men were represented all of the essential professions and skills of the day: minister, surgeon, shoemaker, cooper (barrel maker), seive-maker, business manager, carpenter and so forth. One secret of Moravian success was their practicality."
This is how the Early Americans built this country. If you look at old census records, you will find an interesting assortment of occupations people held during those years when America was being formed. For example, I have a great grandfather who had two occupations. One of them was a hat maker. He also worked with the railroad. My grandmother and her family worked for Thomas Edison. They lived within walking distance from the factory. Another great grandfather was a musician and played a brass instrument in a musical group for a living. Another great grandfather, who came over to America from Austria, ran a concession stand on the beach. One of the things that helped his success was to fry up onions so that the area around the concession stand would have a scent that would make people hungry and stir up their appetites! This idea worked well and helped them be successful in their business. My great grandmother was a seamstress and had a thriving business as well, both while she was in Europe and when she came here and became an American citizen.
The Moravian group came over here in 1752, and settled the land, which is now known as North Carolina. They were industrious people and knew how to make a living, not by exploiting other people groups, but by settling the land and working hard and using the talents they had to make their little community work for them. When people work together and use their 'jobs' to serve other people with, society comes together and grows together. People are relational and become responsible for one another. There is a bigger picture here than just going to college in order to get a good job so that one can make a lot of money during his or her lifetime. No man is supposed to be an island. We all work together, but not because we are forced to do so, but because we see the cause and effect of how we were intended to live. If we are totally selfish, we will not fit into society very well. Community requires give and take. The problem with communities today, is that we live very selfishly, and we have to work together to serve others as well as ourselves and our own families.
Here is another excerpt from the article on the Moravians:
"The little band created their first settlement at a place they named Bethabara. They cut two and a half miles of road, cleared land, planted crops, made furniture, imported livestock, constructed an oven for baking, built homes, and even opened a mill. Within six years, there were seventy Moravians living at Bethabara."
This is the way society is built. This is the only successful way that societies are built. Throughout History, lands were always being conquered by others who were stronger than they. This started in the early Bible days and continues through today, as we see wars around the world going on, and stronger people groups controlling those who are weaker. That didn't happen though in Early America. This country was founded upon different people groups who wanted to work hard to build a land where we could have freedom and peace. Unfortunately, with the allowance of freedom, came others into the land who have violated the freedom that we have and have used it to destroy other people's freedoms. With so many people coming in, and now even people who are not citizens of this country, and who are not required to work, we can see the nation beginning to crumble. Many are not here because of the freedom promised to them. They are here to abuse the land and by their misuse of good work ethics, we will lose this land, and by default, we will need a bigger government to take over and rule the people. That leads to tyranny though, and is that what we really want?
One more little thing I want to say. Those who wrote the Constitution wanted as little government as possible. We were intended to govern ourselves, but today we have a society that is seriously affected by the breakdown of the family unit. In some cases, moms have to work a couple of jobs to feed her children and shelter them. Where's the dad? The dad is gone in search of pleasure instead of responsibility. Do you realize how many dead beat dads live in America today? The answer is not to have an abortion. The answer is found in the Bible, but no one fears God anymore and many scorn the Bible and have doubts about it's authenticity thanks to Skeptics who are in our colleges teaching students false things about the Bible. Many today do not even own a Bible, and many are unaware of what the Bible says about life.
People are surprised to find out that committing adultery is a sin. Many are unaware of the fact that one day, they will face a holy God, not to be welcomed into heaven, but to be sent to hell. Many laugh at the idea today, but they won't be laughing on That Day. We think we can use people as sex objects and get rid of any evidence by going to an abortion clinic. God sees what is going on. The cry of the babies that are being murdered goes up. He hears their cries. He sees men who beat up their wives. He sees people who live from one drink to the next. Friends, God never intended for anyone to be a slave to alcohol or sex. God never intended for people to bully other people around. This is most serious. When we do these things and tell others that God is ok with them, we are fooling ourselves.
Today in America, as well as in other countries, we have parents that actually sacrifice their children to the devil. In the Bible days, God forbade people from doing this. Any normal parent would ask themselves, how can anyone in their right mind do such a thing? Today, we have a society that has such people in it, those who are not 'normal' but would consider themselves normal, and society would also consider them normal. Normal people do not offer their children to be sacrificed to the devil. No one in their right mind would do that. But the Bible says that when we sin, and we continue to defy God when He tells us not to sin, God eventually leaves us and turns our minds over to depravity. Friends, this is what our society is made up of today, and it is very sad. It is not only sad, but it is scary. What will life be like for our children or grandchildren? If Heather has two moms and no dad to raise her, how will she look at the world when she grows up? How will the child grow up who sees those being abused by Satanic Ritual Abuse? How will the little girl who is being raped by her dad or big brother going to grow up? It is not a safe world for her. Of course, the dad will say that it's fine. That was how he was treated when he was a boy, and he thinks he turned out fine. What about the little boy who never sees his mom because she has to work all day and into the night because mom got pregnant by a man she wasn't married to, and now he is hidden somewhere looking for the next one night stand. Or how about the little girl whose mommy is not happy with her daddy and is seeing another man. All these things are contributing to the fall of a society. And we think that no one will be affected by it (based on some quotes by 'authorities'). We have billboards up which advertise 'men's divorce' (whatever that is). Is making money really so much more important than building and repairing the family unit?
Friends, this is not how Early Americans lived. Sure, there were those who were here for gold and pleasure, but they didn't last. The laws of the land were made to protect people, but sadly today, many disregard these rules and do what they want, not what is best for everyone. We need to get back to the Bible, and fear God once again. Only when we are a nation that knows the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, light and darkness, and truth and error, will we be able to grow together as a healthy society once again.
The Bible talks about loving God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength, and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (which, by the way, all of us already do love ourselves). Early Americans knew the value of this principle and lived it out. We should do the same. If we want our country to be successful again, this is what we will need to do.
For the whole article on the Moravians coming over to America, go to this link: http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1701-1800/moravians-settled-north-carolina-11630260.html
I highly recommend this article!
