"If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it."1
Sin is any offense against our creator or our neighbor, sin is the essence of evil ruling us. We have this knowledge of good and evil within us and if we do what is good we are acceptable. If we do not good, then sin is at our door, it seeks to kill, steal, and destroy, we must rule over it. To be accepted is the opposite of offense. To be acceptable is to be good and right. It doesn't matter in what name we do something, we can distinguish good from evil by its very nature.
Soon after its Declaration of Independence, the United States found itself in a difficult situation. Its merchant ships had come under attack by pirates from the Barbary Coast. In response, Thomas Jefferson then ambassador to France and John Adams, ambassador to Britain, met with Libyan ambassador with this question, "why is your government hostile to American ships."4 The response from the representative was is it not our right "to plunder and enslave."
In a world where almost anything goes, we must again stand for what is good. We can fight this enemy who crotches at our door. Evil is the opposite of good, it enslaves, kills, destroys, hates, plunders, tortures, rapes... it does not care for others, it does not love, its destroys children and families. Evil doesn't seek liberty for its people but subjugates them, enslaves them. Those who seek good are no longer slaves but free people, sons. "When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the evil rule, the people groan."2
The Barbary pirates, also referred to as the Ottoman corsairs, called themselves i-Mazigh-en, "free people" or "noble men." They were mostly converts, privateers seeking fame and riches, Captain Jack Ward is a well known convert. Noble implies good and these pirates were not good. they plundered and enslaved. Thousands of ships were lost to their piracy and an estimated 1.2 million European people were enslaved by them. Many countries had given in to their evil, paying tributes to allow safe passage. However not all, one in particular had just entered the world arena and it knew what was at stake, it had been founded on this concept of liberty, and it knew such came at a cost, to rule over evil.
Established on the principles of Liberty, the United States of America refused to let evil rule over it. Thomas Jefferson knew the cost of such a refusal, "We ought not to fight them at all, unless we determine to fight them forever."3 Its Navy was formed under this concept and its presence in the Barbary coast soon led to two Barbary wars. This tiny United States Navy stood up to international blackmail and terrorism that had been acceptable for almost two centuries. "To the shore of Tripoli" they took this fight, to rule over evil.
Established on the principles of Liberty, the United States of America refused to let evil rule over it. Thomas Jefferson knew the cost of such a refusal, "We ought not to fight them at all, unless we determine to fight them forever."3 Its Navy was formed under this concept and its presence in the Barbary coast soon led to two Barbary wars. This tiny United States Navy stood up to international blackmail and terrorism that had been acceptable for almost two centuries. "To the shore of Tripoli" they took this fight, to rule over evil.