As our nation celebrates its 247th birthday next week, we should pause to consider what a blessing this country has been and still is. Although we are fraught with scandals and problems, God has also used this country in many ways throughout our nearly two and one half centuries of existence.
Several years ago, I was privileged to read What If Jesus Had Never Been Born? by D. James Kennedy. It is a powerful summary of the ways that Jesus revolutionized human civilization by considering how life would be different in the absence of His teachings, deeds, death, and resurrection. The book touches on Jesus’ transformative influence on science, medicine, government, economics, education, art, and every facet of human existence.
Using this same strategy, let’s consider what the world would look like if the United States of America had never existed. This nation and its people have left a deep and lasting impact on world history.
Let’s begin by considering America’s influence on world governments. Prior to 1776, most every country was ruled by a monarch with varying degrees of justice and oppression. The constitutional democratic republic that our founders created with separation of powers, citizen involvement, and human liberties did not exist anywhere at the time but has been duplicated many times since bringing freedom to billions of people.
It is impossible to overstate the positive impact this alone has had on the everyday lives of most people alive. Basic freedoms of religion, speech, assembly and more have benefited most people on earth infiltrating and even overthrowing oppressive regimes. Without this nation and its influence, all 7.9 billion of the world’s people would perhaps be suffering today under bitter and abusive governments.
These basic concepts of liberty have also carried over into America’s military influence. If the US had never formed, it’s likely that World War I would have had a very different outcome. Certainly the Allies would have lost WWII and all of Europe, and perhaps the entire world, would be under Nazi rule today. Imagine the horrific holocaust continuing today on a worldwide scale.
The absence of America’s soldiers would likely see South Korea living under the cruel dictatorship of Kim Jong Un or of China’s brutal leadership. ISIS and other Muslim extremists would likely control the Middle East and perhaps all of Africa as well.
Scientifically, the USA has blessed the world with many advancements. No human being would likely have yet walked on the moon nor explored the deepest oceans. The vast amount of knowledge discovered and disseminated by American universities has led to unparalleled advancements in biology, technology, chemistry, and every scientific field.
This scientific progress has resulted in multitudes of medical benefits including vaccinations for polio and measles as well as other devastating diseases. Medications and treatment techniques for many illnesses have been developed in the US along with advanced testing procedures and protocols, without which, the world would look very different.
The USA has also been, and still is, the primary provider of food for billions of people worldwide. Today, each American farmer produces enough food for him or herself and 167 other people, many of them in other countries. Without the American agricultural powerhouse and the scientific, economic, and social structures that have built it, billions of people would have already starved and many more would be starving today, perhaps even you and me.
We could go on and examine the many inventions such as air travel, automobiles, telephones, electric lights, personal computers, air conditioning, and even blue jeans. Imagine this world without any or all of these and we begin to comprehend the positive impact America has had globally.
Although our nation has had and still has its share of challenges, as we celebrate another national birthday, let’s thank God for the many positive impacts America has had on our own lives and on billions of others all around our world.
Blessings, George