first, deuteronomy is a digest. it condenses the books and the laws of moses, which had exerted significant influence on american law going all the way back to the first puritan commonwealths in the 17th century and continuing up to their own time. this book also records god's dealings with a chosen nation, especially in establishing the political and legal institutions necessary to govern a nation. yes, there are texts on government and the responsibilities of citizenship that we find in the new testament, but what's particularly appealing, i think, in the accounts of deuteronomy is americans in the wake of independence, in the aftermath of this war, they have to build a new government. and they see in the history of israel, having departed from egypt, the same exercise taking place, the building of a new nation with its various political institutions. and this has a particularly attraction to americans in the founding era who see themselves engaged in a similar project. now, to be sure, they're drawn to many other

the verse from the bible comes to me from deuteronomy that you got fat. there really is what it is. we are fat, happy, lazy, all the things we bought at the click of a button and that's the way normality is. normal life is what we have right now which means any movement from normal can only be good, only toward utopia. this is where the natural status of things, and you do some folks on the left sometimes. i saw a quote from nelson mandela one of them is everything we said something like prosperity is a natural state of maine. poverty is not financial state of maine. i thought that is ridiculous but that is of lawsuits only people living in the united states that all the good things we have in the united states are not the product they despise. to the body of individual rights we'll give it it is the natural state of the world. it's the individual right and the systems that are brought us all the bad things. all the things that are uniquely good about america are not unique, universal. all the things that are universally bad and also apply in america are unique to america. that seem

i've offered here on the screen the language we find in deuteronomy chapter seven versus six. at the mouth of two witnesses or three witnesses shall he who is worthy of death be put to, death but at the mouth of one witness, he shall not be put to death and we will find multiple other biblical text that speak to this same principle. let me offer you one last example and there are others, but one last example to illustrate the possibility that specific biblical texts inform specific constitutional provisions. i want to turn to the fifth amendment. the fifth amendment to the constitution is where we find a prohibition on double jeopardy. that's to say trying someone twice for the same offense. this is language that was crafted by the first federal congress meeting in new york in the summer of 1789. where did this idea come from? where did this idea come from? historians tell us that in a commentary written in three 91 by st. durham, he suggests that this is a principle to be found in the book of the profit, chapter, one verse nine, where we read affliction shall not rise up the

amazing place to be, but because they take them for granted the verse from the bible comes to me from deuteronomy, that really is what it is, were fat, happy, lazy, all the things that we want at a click of a button and that's the way normality is, normal life is what we have right now which means any movement from normal kindle be good toward utopia, this is where the national status of things, you hear this from folks on the left sometimes i saw a quote that was one of the dumbest quotes i've ever seen where he said prosperity is the natural state of man poverty is not the natural state and i thought that is ridiculous, that the philosophy of so many people living in the united states and all the good things we have in the united states are not the product of the system they despise in the individual rights we hold dear at the natural state of the world's individual right and the systems that have brought us the bad things, all the things that are uniquely good about america they're not unique, the universal, all the things that universally bad and apply to america are unique to america that's

but because we take that for granted, the verse from the bible comes to me from deuteronomy that really is what it is. we're fast, we're happy, we're lazy. we have all the things we want and that's what normality is. normal life is what we have right now which meansany movement from normal can only be good . this is just the baseline. and you hear this from folks on the left sometimes. i saw a quote from nelson mandela where it said something like prosperity is the natural state of man, poverty is not the natural state of man and i said that's ridiculous but that is the philosophy of so many people living that all the good things are not the product of the individual rights we hold dear and it's just the natural state of the world . it's the systems that have brought us all the bad things so all the thingsthat are uniquely good aboutamerica are not unique , their universal . all the things that are universally bad and also apply in america are unique to america. that seems to me an upside down philosophy. >> everywhere i go i bumped into people from cuba or the former soviet union. they

but because we take them for granted the verse from the bible comes to me from deuteronomy that you sure got fat -- that really is what it is. we are fat, happy, lazy, with all the things we want at the click of a button and that's the way normality is. normally does what we have right now which means any movement from normal can only be good. it can only be towards utopia. this is the baseline, this is the natural status the thinks is. you get this from folks on the left or isac quote from nelson mandela one of the dumbest quotes have ever seen where he said something like prosperity is a national state of maine. poverty stuff the national active natural statement. that is the lawsuits are many people people living in the united states that all the good things that we have in the united states are not the product of the systems they despised it is not the product of individual rights we hold dear. it is a natural state of the world. it's individual rights and is is assistance at a brought us all the bad things. all the things that are uniquely good about america are not unique, universa

but because we take them for granted the verse from the bible comes to me from deuteronomy that you sure got fat -- that really is what it is. we are fat, happy, lazy, with all the things we want at the click of a button and that's the way normality is. normally does what we have right now which means any movement from normal can only be good. it can only be towards utopia. this is the baseline, this is the natural status the thinks is. you get this from folks on the left or isac quote from nelson mandela one of the dumbest quotes have ever seen where he said something like prosperity is a national state of maine. poverty stuff the national active natural statement. that is the lawsuits are many people people living in the united states that all the good things that we have in the united states are not the product of the systems they despised it is not the product of individual rights we hold dear. it is a natural state of the world. it's individual rights and is is assistance at a brought us all the bad things. all the things that are uniquely good about america are not unique, universa