Piety's mystery is the original hate-practice, misguidedly resisted by wokeism

The woke movement strains against piety's mystery. The pious people could take note and reform to pursue necessary goodness on earth. Without the vail of mystery, both the pious and the “wokes” could choose to appreciate and practice civic integrity.

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This is to comment on “America and the Spirit of Respect”, by Jeffrey A. Tucker, updated 4/1/2025; https://www.theepochtimes.com/opinion/america-and-the-spirit-of-respect-5827465

Tucker’s opinion about Eric Sloane’s views 50 years ago generously opens a pious perspective on radical opponents of tradition. Tucker labels “2010s-era fashion of hating on the Founding Fathers” as “woke” revisionism. Application of open-heartedness might aid traditionalists to the humility to listen to the “woke” people, erroneous as they seem: piety grounded in mystery is its own hate-practice.

By appreciating woke people as human beings, traditionalist might perceive incentives to winnow the mystery out of traditions, in order to choose humility rather than piety. Piety seems its own style of hatred.

After decades reading and listening, I think the civic faction of We the People of the United States is more vital to order on earth than either America or 1776 and that the United States’ birthday is December 15, 1791. The ineluctable evidence nevertheless leaves to the writer their choice.

Notable comments on reading Tucker’s essay:

1.       Eric Sloane “The Spirits of ’76”, 1973, out of print; what is great about America, for a bicentennial: my background thoughts follow:

a.       It is important for civic citizens to learn specificity; we are the United States rather than America. Some geopolitical distinctions follow, below.

b.      Continental North America covers much land and many injustices:

                                                              i.      North, Murchison Promontory, Canada

                                                             ii.      South, Punta Mariato, Panama

                                                           iii.      West, Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska

                                                           iv.      East, Cape Saint Charles, Labrador

c.       The 1774 “Continental Congress” addressed the king’s oppression of Eastern-seaboard, British-colonial subjects

                                                               i.      Nova Scotia considered being the 14^th revolutionary colony but was politically conflicted over its French-Catholic constituency

                                                             ii.      Competitive colonization by France and Spain inspired the 1774 “founders” to risk declaration of war with England.

                                                             iii.      All 13 colonies signed the 1776 Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776

1.       Delegates considered opposing slavery but failed to commit to ending it.

2.        3 delegates resisted for their reasons: Robert R. Livingston, John Dickinson, and Thomas Willing.

3.       Spain and France did not want England to control the Mississippi River, then far west of the eastern seaboard’s colonies, omitting Spanish and French colonies in the south, Florida and Louisiana.

                                                           iv.      Spain and France spent money and soldiers at Yorktown, VA in 1781

                                                             v.      The 13 English colonies became 13 states per the 1783 Treaty of Paris.

d.       Unable to establish order, the 13 American independent-states called a convention and authorized a constitutional republic, a Union, representing the people in their states.

                                                               i.      Rhode Island, fearing a central government refused delegates.

1.       The slave states to free states ratio in the convention was 8:4.

2.       In the minority, the free states could only negotiate commitment to end slave-importation in 20 years, continuing domestic slave trade.

3.       The slavery issue suggests democracy’s weakness as a means of pursuing statutory justice in necessary goodness.

                                                             ii.      Of 55 delegates from 12 states, 39 signed the draft Constitution in September, 17, 1787.

                                                           iii.      Most states conducted Union conventions. On June 21, 1788, the required 9 states had ratified the 1787 draft.

1.       Contingent on the First Congress issuing a Bill of Rights.

2.       What if the 7 had held out for 2 more states to ratify without amendment?

                                                           iv.      United States operations began in March 4, 1789, with 11 of 13 states represented; Congress convened.

                                                             v.      On December 15, 1791, the required 11 of 14 states (Vermont admitted) ratified the negotiated United States Constitution.

1.       United States’ elected officials completed work begun by delegates from independent states.

2.       This review informs me of the United States’ actual birthday.

                                                           vi.      But in each case, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the required number of state conventions ratified the documents: 9 states, then 11 states.

1.       The fact of civic people in their states effecting the rule of law in the United States is the primary distinction of its republic, which by design prevents democracy.

2.       Republican governance requires participation by civic people.

3.       Social democracy, whether pious or woke, yields chaos.

e.       On February 8, 1861, 7 of 34 states seceded from the Union.

                                                               i.      The slave states to free states ratio had tipped to 15:17 free state majority in 1858 and the trend continued to 15:19 in 1861.

                                                             ii.      President Lincoln accommodated the Civil War, proving that only military power sufficient to win could dissolve the United States.

                                                           iii.      Lincoln, also erroneously, promoted 1776, reacting-to the reality that 1791 had not negated domestic African-slavery.

                                                           iv.      Since the United States prevailed, its birthday remained December 15, 1791.

2.       Sloane: “Man so often comments: ‘If we only knew then what we know now,’ but few of us consider: ‘If we only could know now what they knew then!’”

a.       We may read 5500 year old, ineluctable truth, in Genesis 1:26-28: on earth, humankind is in charge of either order or chaos.

b.       We may observe repression of Yeshua’s civic influence through “Messiah”, “Jesus”, and “Christ”. Yeshua was an encouraging person whereas the other entities are competitive mysteries.

                                                               i.      Was Messiah for Jewish living or for believers’ benefits in the afterdeath?

                                                             ii.      Did Jesus-miracles compete with reports about Elijah, Moses, and others?

                                                           iii.      Was “Christ” Paul’s competition with the Jews?

                                                           iv.      Each person has the power, authorization, and responsibility to choose necessary goodness even when they don’t consider Yeshua’s civic influence.

c.       Each infant may be coached to comprehend the past and avoid error-repetition.

d.       The amendable United States Constitution affirms Genesis 1:26-28 – the pursuit of necessary goodness on earth.

                                                               i.      Benefits “to ourselves and our Posterity” express the pursuit of statutory justice.

3.       By focusing on the “America”, Sloane misses that, while time and technology march fast, comprehension of morality moves slowly – a major failing. In other words, morality can improve as fast as injustice is discovered and statutory justice is established and maintained.

a.       The person who seeks to understand morality can benefit from recorded discovery.

b.       The past is difficult to discern, because reports/records are flawed.

c.       Education departments must reform from “training the workers we need” to informing youth on comprehension and intention to human being (the practice).

4.       Respect as patriotism -- too much in warfare

a.       Vietnam pales before the American revolution, obfuscated by “liberty and freedom”

b.       Country symbolism: music, national anthems, and flag regarding freedom

c.       Freedom: its music, national anthems, flag, and mutual dignity

d.       Crisis: draft riots, the assassinations, the political scandals, and the loss of cultural identity

e.       Low interest-in appreciation, which must precede respect.

5.       Interesting alien impressions of America

a.       Codified love of liberty and rights; no. Citizens practice responsibility and independence.

b.       The Declaration of Independence represents freedom from racial discrimination. No. It represents declaration of war against England.

c.       John Locke expressed French liberalism without opposition from Edmund Burke

d.       Thomas Jefferson expressed shared civic life, that is, a civic culture.

e.       A new order for the ages.

6.       Revision to hatred

a.       Woke-hate defamed Monticello to decry the 1774 Founding Fathers.

b.       Their declaration did not decry African slavery.

c.       Native Americans were called “savages” in 1776.

d.       Woke-hatred cannot articulate itself, because piety is grounded in mystery.

                                                               i.      Doctrinal Gods don’t develop humility to The God, whatever it is.

7.       Honesty is insufficient to integrity

a.       Elizabeth-Warren assumes culture rather than DNA

b.       Tucker

                                                               i.      America is a continent that involves more than the United States

                                                             ii.      1774 started a war for independence (British colonists) rather than liberty (French)

1.       The United States may and can – should -- rename that hallowed statue in New York Harbor the Statue of Independence on Independence Island.

                                                           iii.      Humility may and can quell piety.

Copyright©2025 by Phillip R. Beaver. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted for the publication of all or portions of this paper as long as this complete copyright notice is included.