Being a patriotic country, July 4th, also known as Independence Day represents much for many Americans. For some, it is a day to show their patriotism or nationalism while they reminisce and honor the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. For others, it is a day that some of the American demographic view as hypocritical, because their ancestors were still in chains of slavery awaiting their freedom. Yet for others, it is merely a day off, a day to enjoy fireworks, family, food and fun, or just another day. But how many understand what liberty or independence really means especially in the context of the Statue of Liberty, also known as the “Goddess of Reason,” a symbol (rather an idol) that is intimately connected with “American Independence?” These brief facts reveal that Independence Day means a lot more than merely thirteen colonies declaring liberty from England.
Bequeathed to America from France, “The Statue of Liberty is a figure of a robed woman representing Libertas, a Roman liberty goddess. She holds a torch above her head with her right hand, and in her left hand carries a tabula ansata inscribed in Roman numerals with ‘JULY IV MDCCLXXVI’ (July 4, 1776), the date of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.”[1]
Here is what the Statue of Liberty Really Represents:
• Renunciation of Worship of God for Idolatry- “After France had renounced the worship of the living God.. it was only a little time till she descended to degrading idolatry, by the worship of the Goddess of Reason, in the person of a profligate woman. And this in the representative assembly of the nation, and by its highest civil and legislative authorities!”[2]
• The Spirit of Revolution-- “The installation of the Goddess of Reason was renewed and imitated throughout the nation, in such places where the inhabitants desired to show themselves equal to all the heights of the Revolution.”[3]
• Worship of Liberty and Reason, Atheism- “Said the orator who introduced the worship of reason.‘Legislative fanaticism has lost its hold; it has given place to reason. We have left its temples; they are regenerated. Today an immense multitude are assembled under its gothic roofs, which, for the first time, will re-echo the voice of truth. There the French will celebrate the true worship, that of Liberty and Reason.’[4]
• Licentiousness- “One day ‘the doors of the Convention were thrown open to a band of musicians, preceded by whom the members of the municipal body entered in solemn procession, singing a hymn in praise of Liberty, and escorting a veiled female, whom they termed the 'Goddess of Reason.' On unveiling the creature, she was found to be a prostitute opera singer. This was the fittest representation France could find of the reason which they exalted.”[5]
• Desecration/Destruction of the Seventh-day Sabbath and Biblical Marriage-- “Having enthroned the "Goddess of Reason," France passed laws which clearly reveal the result of such worship. The two institutions which date back to Eden, and which are inseparably connected with the worship of Jehovah, were defamed. The week was changed by a decree so as to completely abolish all resemblance to former times, and for a brief space France rested one day in ten instead of observing the weekly Sabbath. The law of marriage was repealed, and that safeguard to society completely disregarded.”[6]
• Atheism/Licentiousness; orgies-- “The reforms of Napoleon are worthy of notice. Says the historian, "He personally participated in the religious ceremonies which attended the formal restoration of the old system of worship where the Goddess of Reason had been enthroned with atheistic orgies."[7]
• Prohibition of the Bible and the Sabbath-- “The decree prohibiting the Bible, changing the week, and establishing the worship of the ‘Goddess of Reason,’ was issued in 1793.”[8]
• Inculcation of Jesuit Methodologies; leaving God out of Education- “The Jesuits may not be responsible to-day for the trend which many public institutions are taking, but, without doubt, the methods the Jesuits used, are repeated in the twentieth century. Education which leaves out God, is putting the government into the hands of statesmen who will eventually exalt the Goddess of Reason.[9]
• Abolition of Marriage Vow-- “The goddess of reason. This system was established in January, 1794. The history of this event will be best given by a quotation from Scou's Life of Napoleon. This extract will show how they renounced the worship of God, and vowed henceforth to pay homage to liberty, equality, virtue, and morality. The next step was the worship of the GODDESS OF REASON, and the abolition of THE MARRIAGE VOW.”[10]
• Deity Banished and a Phantom substituted in His place-- “Revelation was not only impugned, but entirely set aside. The Deity was banished from the universe, and an imaginary phantom, under the name of the Goddess of Reason, substituted in his place. The carved work of all religious beliefs and moral practice was boldly cut down by Carnot and Robespierre and their atheistical associates. Nature was investigated by pretended philosophers, only with the view to darken the mind, and prevent mankind from considering anything as real but what the hand could grasp or the corporeal eye perceive."[11]
• Free-lovism- “When the existence of the true God was denied, as it was during the French Revolution, and in his place men set up a lewd women as the Goddess of Reason, and the object of their highest adoration, it was a natural consequence that the sacredness of the marriage relation should be wholly discarded. Marriage was therefore declared a civil contract, binding only during the pleasure of the contracting parties. Divorce became general, and the corruption of manners reached a height never before known in France. One half of the whole number of births in Paris were illegitimate. See Thier's French Revolution, Vol. II, p. 380. Free-lovism is an integral part of the spiritualistic movement of our day, not so openly advocated as formerly, but none the less cherished and practiced as a part of the boasted "freedom" to which the human race is attaining.”[12]
• Bibles publicly burned, Sabbath Renounced, Atheism, skepticism, fatalism- “In France, where the Sabbath was for a season abolished, an impious phantom called the Goddess of Reason was substituted in the room of the Omnipotent and Eternal God; the Bible was held up to ridicule, and committed to the flames; man was degraded to the level of the brutes; his mind was assimilated to a piece of clay, and the cheering prospects of immortality were transformed into the shades of an eternal night. Atheism, scepticism, and fatalism almost universally prevailed; the laws of morality were trampled under foot; and anarchy, plots, assassinations, massacres, and legalized plunder became 'the order of the day.'”[13]
• Mockery and Vilification of Christian Church- “The frenzy of terror reached almost unbelievable heights as men turned against the only religion they knew. Atheism reached its apex, and not only made a mockery of the rites of the dominant church but villified the Christian Church itself and repudiated its teachings. On November 10, 1793, the Convention dressed up an ass in sacerdotal habits, tied the Old and New Testaments to its tail, and led the mock procession through the street, two sans-culottes giving the animal sacramental wine to drink, while a dissolute ‘goddess of reason’ received the adulation of the mobs. The worship of God was prohibited as a crime.”[14]
• Debauchery/lawlessness/mass slaughter-- “The monarchy was brought to an end on the scaffold, the aristocracy abolished, estates were confiscated, prisons crowded, rivers choked with victims, churches desecrated, priests slaughtered, religion sup pressed, and the worship of a harlot as the Goddess of Reason was substituted for the worship of the host on the altars of the Roman church.”[15]
It must not be forgotten where this statue came from, where it now resides and all of the principles that it stands for. This image has been transferred to the United States, which is depicted in scripture as the Image to the Beast (see Revelation 13:11-18) and will, like France, fully disconnect herself from God by trampling on liberty of conscience, demolishing the Sabbath and erecting a false day of worship, Sunday. We know that this time is not far distant, especially as the licentiousness of France is so prevalent in America today, evidenced by the the influence, acceptance and widespread nature of the LGBT movement, the general disregard of the marriage vow and the overall immorality and the common portrayals of such. We can also expect extensive persecution for those who stand for the Word of God and liberty of conscience. Are we prepared for such a time? It is clear that the Statue of Liberty represents, liberty from God, independence from Bible standards and persecution of God’s people.
[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Liberty
[2] White, Ellen, The Great Controversy (1911), page 275
[3] Ibid
[4] White, Ellen, The Great Controversy (1911), page 276
[5] Haskell, Stephen, The Story of Daniel the Prophet (1901), page 240
[6] Haskell, Stephen, The Story of Daniel the Prophet (1901), page 242
[7] Haskell, Stephen, The Story of Daniel the Prophet (1901), page 244
[8] Haskell, Stephen, The Story of The Seer of Patmos (1905), page 201
[9] Haskell, Stephen, The Story of The Seer of Patmos (1905), page 203
[10] Litch, Josiah, Prophetic Expositions, Volume 2 (1842), page 93
[11] Smith, Uriah, Daniel and the Revelation (1897), page 782
[12] Smith, Uriah, Daniel and the Revelation (1897), page 783
[13] The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Volume 4, December 6, 1853, page 172
[14] The Conditionalist Faith of our Fathers, Volume 2 (1955), page 249
[15] The Prophetic Faith of our Fathers, Volume 2 (1948), page 760
Bequeathed to America from France, “The Statue of Liberty is a figure of a robed woman representing Libertas, a Roman liberty goddess. She holds a torch above her head with her right hand, and in her left hand carries a tabula ansata inscribed in Roman numerals with ‘JULY IV MDCCLXXVI’ (July 4, 1776), the date of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.”[1]
Here is what the Statue of Liberty Really Represents:
• Renunciation of Worship of God for Idolatry- “After France had renounced the worship of the living God.. it was only a little time till she descended to degrading idolatry, by the worship of the Goddess of Reason, in the person of a profligate woman. And this in the representative assembly of the nation, and by its highest civil and legislative authorities!”[2]
• The Spirit of Revolution-- “The installation of the Goddess of Reason was renewed and imitated throughout the nation, in such places where the inhabitants desired to show themselves equal to all the heights of the Revolution.”[3]
• Worship of Liberty and Reason, Atheism- “Said the orator who introduced the worship of reason.‘Legislative fanaticism has lost its hold; it has given place to reason. We have left its temples; they are regenerated. Today an immense multitude are assembled under its gothic roofs, which, for the first time, will re-echo the voice of truth. There the French will celebrate the true worship, that of Liberty and Reason.’[4]
• Licentiousness- “One day ‘the doors of the Convention were thrown open to a band of musicians, preceded by whom the members of the municipal body entered in solemn procession, singing a hymn in praise of Liberty, and escorting a veiled female, whom they termed the 'Goddess of Reason.' On unveiling the creature, she was found to be a prostitute opera singer. This was the fittest representation France could find of the reason which they exalted.”[5]
• Desecration/Destruction of the Seventh-day Sabbath and Biblical Marriage-- “Having enthroned the "Goddess of Reason," France passed laws which clearly reveal the result of such worship. The two institutions which date back to Eden, and which are inseparably connected with the worship of Jehovah, were defamed. The week was changed by a decree so as to completely abolish all resemblance to former times, and for a brief space France rested one day in ten instead of observing the weekly Sabbath. The law of marriage was repealed, and that safeguard to society completely disregarded.”[6]
• Atheism/Licentiousness; orgies-- “The reforms of Napoleon are worthy of notice. Says the historian, "He personally participated in the religious ceremonies which attended the formal restoration of the old system of worship where the Goddess of Reason had been enthroned with atheistic orgies."[7]
• Prohibition of the Bible and the Sabbath-- “The decree prohibiting the Bible, changing the week, and establishing the worship of the ‘Goddess of Reason,’ was issued in 1793.”[8]
• Inculcation of Jesuit Methodologies; leaving God out of Education- “The Jesuits may not be responsible to-day for the trend which many public institutions are taking, but, without doubt, the methods the Jesuits used, are repeated in the twentieth century. Education which leaves out God, is putting the government into the hands of statesmen who will eventually exalt the Goddess of Reason.[9]
• Abolition of Marriage Vow-- “The goddess of reason. This system was established in January, 1794. The history of this event will be best given by a quotation from Scou's Life of Napoleon. This extract will show how they renounced the worship of God, and vowed henceforth to pay homage to liberty, equality, virtue, and morality. The next step was the worship of the GODDESS OF REASON, and the abolition of THE MARRIAGE VOW.”[10]
• Deity Banished and a Phantom substituted in His place-- “Revelation was not only impugned, but entirely set aside. The Deity was banished from the universe, and an imaginary phantom, under the name of the Goddess of Reason, substituted in his place. The carved work of all religious beliefs and moral practice was boldly cut down by Carnot and Robespierre and their atheistical associates. Nature was investigated by pretended philosophers, only with the view to darken the mind, and prevent mankind from considering anything as real but what the hand could grasp or the corporeal eye perceive."[11]
• Free-lovism- “When the existence of the true God was denied, as it was during the French Revolution, and in his place men set up a lewd women as the Goddess of Reason, and the object of their highest adoration, it was a natural consequence that the sacredness of the marriage relation should be wholly discarded. Marriage was therefore declared a civil contract, binding only during the pleasure of the contracting parties. Divorce became general, and the corruption of manners reached a height never before known in France. One half of the whole number of births in Paris were illegitimate. See Thier's French Revolution, Vol. II, p. 380. Free-lovism is an integral part of the spiritualistic movement of our day, not so openly advocated as formerly, but none the less cherished and practiced as a part of the boasted "freedom" to which the human race is attaining.”[12]
• Bibles publicly burned, Sabbath Renounced, Atheism, skepticism, fatalism- “In France, where the Sabbath was for a season abolished, an impious phantom called the Goddess of Reason was substituted in the room of the Omnipotent and Eternal God; the Bible was held up to ridicule, and committed to the flames; man was degraded to the level of the brutes; his mind was assimilated to a piece of clay, and the cheering prospects of immortality were transformed into the shades of an eternal night. Atheism, scepticism, and fatalism almost universally prevailed; the laws of morality were trampled under foot; and anarchy, plots, assassinations, massacres, and legalized plunder became 'the order of the day.'”[13]
• Mockery and Vilification of Christian Church- “The frenzy of terror reached almost unbelievable heights as men turned against the only religion they knew. Atheism reached its apex, and not only made a mockery of the rites of the dominant church but villified the Christian Church itself and repudiated its teachings. On November 10, 1793, the Convention dressed up an ass in sacerdotal habits, tied the Old and New Testaments to its tail, and led the mock procession through the street, two sans-culottes giving the animal sacramental wine to drink, while a dissolute ‘goddess of reason’ received the adulation of the mobs. The worship of God was prohibited as a crime.”[14]
• Debauchery/lawlessness/mass slaughter-- “The monarchy was brought to an end on the scaffold, the aristocracy abolished, estates were confiscated, prisons crowded, rivers choked with victims, churches desecrated, priests slaughtered, religion sup pressed, and the worship of a harlot as the Goddess of Reason was substituted for the worship of the host on the altars of the Roman church.”[15]
It must not be forgotten where this statue came from, where it now resides and all of the principles that it stands for. This image has been transferred to the United States, which is depicted in scripture as the Image to the Beast (see Revelation 13:11-18) and will, like France, fully disconnect herself from God by trampling on liberty of conscience, demolishing the Sabbath and erecting a false day of worship, Sunday. We know that this time is not far distant, especially as the licentiousness of France is so prevalent in America today, evidenced by the the influence, acceptance and widespread nature of the LGBT movement, the general disregard of the marriage vow and the overall immorality and the common portrayals of such. We can also expect extensive persecution for those who stand for the Word of God and liberty of conscience. Are we prepared for such a time? It is clear that the Statue of Liberty represents, liberty from God, independence from Bible standards and persecution of God’s people.
[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Liberty
[2] White, Ellen, The Great Controversy (1911), page 275
[3] Ibid
[4] White, Ellen, The Great Controversy (1911), page 276
[5] Haskell, Stephen, The Story of Daniel the Prophet (1901), page 240
[6] Haskell, Stephen, The Story of Daniel the Prophet (1901), page 242
[7] Haskell, Stephen, The Story of Daniel the Prophet (1901), page 244
[8] Haskell, Stephen, The Story of The Seer of Patmos (1905), page 201
[9] Haskell, Stephen, The Story of The Seer of Patmos (1905), page 203
[10] Litch, Josiah, Prophetic Expositions, Volume 2 (1842), page 93
[11] Smith, Uriah, Daniel and the Revelation (1897), page 782
[12] Smith, Uriah, Daniel and the Revelation (1897), page 783
[13] The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Volume 4, December 6, 1853, page 172
[14] The Conditionalist Faith of our Fathers, Volume 2 (1955), page 249
[15] The Prophetic Faith of our Fathers, Volume 2 (1948), page 760