Democracy Alone is Insufficient

John Adams, our second President, wrote these words: “Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.”

Other Founding Fathers said the same, because they did not establish a democracy. Instead, they established a republic.

In a democracy, what the majority says, goes, and if the majority were to say that murder is OK, it would be OK.

A republic, however, is based not on the rule of the majority, but on the rule of law, and the highest law is the law of God. In a republic, certain things are beyond the reach of the majority, and basic wrongs can never be declared right.

Let’s elect people who understand the difference between a democracy and a republic.

Used with kind permission from Priests For Life.

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Father Frank A. Pavone is an American Roman Catholic priest and pro-life activist. He is the National Director of Priests for Life and serves as the national Pastoral Director of Rachel's Vineyard and the Silent No More campaigns.

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