From Jerry not Tom

                                        Happy Fourth of July everyone!!! I know that it’s late but, better late than never. How did everyone’s Fourth go? Enjoy the barbecue, family, and fireworks? How many of you have heard of the French Revolution? Before I go on, I want answer a question that I’m sure is running through your head: “Why is he talking about the French Revolution? The Fourth is an American holiday, not French!” I’m merely showing a reason having a little more appreciation for this holiday. Before the French revolution, France was ruled by a monarchy that really had no “parliament” to keep a sense of balance in the power scale. It also was held by a caste system similar to that of India. The difference was a person wasn’t rigidly held within his social tier in that if he worked long and hard enough, he might be able to ascend to the middle class. However, that was the top of the ladder for most people and the nobility remained secure on its pedestal. Together with the almost untouchable Roman Catholic Church. Nobles demanded absolute respect and deference while the poor classes begrudgingly gave it. Finally, encouraged by the success of the American War for Independence just a few years earlier, the French people sought to over throw their current government and establish a democracy. Well first they created a governing body that would cooperate with the king much as England’s own parliament. By the way, many of these representatives were being influenced by the atheistic “Enlightenment” that was currently being supported by the “smart guys” in France. At first things went smoothly, but as more radical politicians began to take seats in this body, the feeling against the upper classes began to grow even more sour. Nobles were arrested and held in jails across the country together with their families. The king was placed under house arrest and literally became a prisoner in his own palace. His family was also imprisoned with him. If the French revolution had remained a permanent fixture, their “Fourth of July” would most probably be September 2, 1792. This was the day that France exterminated a huge portion of the nobles by executing them for “crimes against the state.” Also, a large portion of the clergy was also killed in these massacres. So began the bloody portion of the Revolution that would include the infamous Reign of Terror. For the next few years thousands would be executed by the French government in the interests of “freedom.” King Louis and his family were among the victims of this massacre. Robespierre, one of the key leaders of this atrocity was responsible for the deaths of over 11,000 people. However, he himself was also executed in the course of events. Finally, after 10 years of death, chaos, and political turmoil, a promising young general, who had been trying to break into the political scene for several years, initiated a coup and made his own government that eventually led to his becoming the firs Emperor of France. Can anyone guess his name? I hope that you see why I chose to talk about this topic. Because the Revolution’s leaders didn’t look to God for their direction such as our forefathers did, God didn’t allow the French revolution to create a good, stable, and democratic nation. In fact, after Napoleon and his descendents were expelled from the French government, the monarchy was reinstated and France was right back where it started. I’m truly thankful that God didn’t allow America to share in the fate of the French people. So as you pack away all of your red, white, and blue decorations that you put up for the Fourth, remember that it is because of the fact that our forefathers looked to God for their guidance that we are sharing the blessings of freedom and not subjected to a foreign power.