When Virtue Leaves The Classroom, Freedom Follows Close Behind

A quiet prayer opens the door to a pointed, practical conversation about how faith shapes free people. We move from gratitude to responsibility, drawing on a Marine Corps habit—bring courses of action, not complaints—to chart a path from personal virtue to public courage. The through-line is simple and demanding: if we want liberty to last, we must live the principles that guard it, starting at home and moving outward into our towns.

We lay out concrete steps you can take this week. Support your local sheriff, district attorney, firefighters, and EMS with training and equipment. Build ties with neighboring communities that share a commitment to ordered liberty, and show up in schools as a steady, serving presence. Scripture provides the moral compass: Matthew 15 exposes the hollowness of man-made traditions, Psalm 19 restores wonder and wisdom, and Proverbs 4 draws a clean line away from the path of evildoers. A Medal of Honor story illustrates duty under pressure—courage that moves toward fire for the sake of others.

Benjamin Rush’s words on education anchor the episode’s claim: without religion there is no virtue, and without virtue there is no liberty. We explore how Christian principles cultivate humility, equality, and self-denial—qualities a republic needs to resist tyranny and sustain trust. Along the way, we reflect on marriage through Song of Solomon and return to the basics: prayer, integrity, service, and community readiness. The goal is not alarm but stewardship—faith that speaks through action and builds resilience before the storm arrives.

If this conversation strengthens your resolve, share it with a friend, subscribe for more, and leave a rating or review to help others find the show. Tell us how you’ll put one step into practice this week—we’d love to hear your plan.

#AmericanHistory #DailyScripture #BenjaminRush 

Transcript

Welcome, Thanks, And Opening Prayer

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Hey folks. This is Jesse Cope, back with another episode of the American Soul Podcast. Hope y'all are doing well wherever y'all are and whatever part of the day you're in. Sure do appreciate you joining me, giving me a little bit of your time and attention, a little piece of your day. I will try and use it wisely. Hopefully, y'all are getting to listen to the podcast with somebody else. For those of y'all who continue to share the podcast with others and tell others about it, thank you. For those of y'all who continue to pray for me and for the podcast, thank you. Very much, very grateful for your prayers. Father, thank you for today. Thank you for you, Father, and your son Jesus Christ and your Holy Spirit. Thank you for your love and your mercy, your grace, and your forgiveness of sins.

SPEAKER_00 0:51

Through the merit of your son, Jesus Christ. Thank you for all your many blessings. Forgive us our sins, Father.

SPEAKER_01 1:02

Forgive us our greed and our selfishness, pride, arrogance, judgment of others, rash words and actions, cowardice, unbelief, gossip, slander, lust, covetousness, hypocrisy, procrastination.

SPEAKER_00 1:21

For not forgiving others as you have forgiven us. Thank you for those listening to the podcast, Father. Be with them, be with their families. Bless the marriages of those who are married.

SPEAKER_01 1:37

Guide those who have children in raising them to know you and your son Jesus Christ. Be with our military, law enforcement, firefighters, EMS. Be with our leaders in the pulpit and in the state. President, vice president, governors, senators, representatives, be with the leaders in those nations around the world where people are listening.

Preparing For Hard Times: Courses Of Action

SPEAKER_00 2:02

Watch over in particular our ICE officers, father. Please keep them safe. Protect them from evil. Bring them home to their families. Keep their families safe. Help us to truly turn to you as a nation, as a people, Father. To turn away from the world. Forgive us when we don't. Watch over those who are alone, who are hurting, scared, anxious, depressed, brokenhearted. Draw them close to you. Those who are sick. Help us to care for them. And please guide my words here, Father. Your son's name we pray. Amen. I've mentioned this quite a few times on the podcast.

SPEAKER_01 3:10

In the Marine Corps, when there was a problem that you had to take to your commanding officer, general rule of thumb was not to go to him unless you had three, hopefully, potential courses of action. At least one. But three was always better. I think the Marine Corps just liked that number. And they didn't have to be great. Hopefully they were, but anything was better than nothing. Going to the CEO and saying, hey, we got this problem, but I have absolutely no idea how to fix it. That was not okay. And so I say often on this podcast that we have a fight coming. I think that's true. I don't see a way around it unless we're just going to willingly subjugate ourselves to slavery and tyranny under the left or Islam or Christeless conservatism. And so what are what are some potential courses of action? I'm not saying these are the best. Probably the first, I don't read this quote often enough, it's Patrick Henry. Righteousness alone can exalt them as a nation. Reader, whoever thou art, remember this, and in thy sphere practice virtue thyself and encourage it in others. Spread the gospel. Practice morality. Practice living the principles of Christ, shining just a little bit of light into this darkness. Other practical steps, whoever you've got that you can talk to, friends, neighbors, coworkers, people walking up and down the street, sheriff, district attorney, constables, commissioners in your state and your county or parish, encourage them to increase the quantity, quality, training, equipment of your local law enforcement, firefighters, EMS, militia at the state level in particular.

SPEAKER_00 5:23

And encourage communication with other regions that are Christian, that are conservative.

SPEAKER_01 5:31

Like our founders had the letters of correspondence along those lines, right? Something today.

Community Readiness And Local Institutions

Marriage Verse: Song Of Solomon Reflections

SPEAKER_00 5:39

But anytime you can write a letter, talk to somebody, spread the gospel through the Bible, through your actions in your life, through strengthening your local church, serving in your local school, as not as a salaried position, even, volunteer. All of those I would offer is practical steps to try and avert if possible, but if not, to better prepare us for what's coming. Marriage verse. For today we're going to go back into Song of Solomon.

SPEAKER_01 6:31

Chapter five, no, chapter six. Others, where has your beloved gone, O most beautiful among women? Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you? Together in the garden of love, she my beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to graze in the gardens, and together lilies. I am my beloved, and my beloved is mine. He grazes among the lilies. Solomon and his bride delight in each other. He, you are beautiful as Terzah, my love, lovely as Jerusalem, awesome as an army with banners. Turn away your eyes from me for they overwhelm me. Your hair is like a flock of goats leaping down the slope slopes of Gilead. Your teeth are like a flock of ewes that have come up from the washing. All of them bear twins. Not one among them has lost its young. Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate behind your veil. There are sixty queens and eighty concubines and virgins without number. My dove, my perfect one, is the only one, the only one of her mother, pure to her who bore him, bore her. The young women saw her and called her blessed, the queens and concubines also, and they praised her. Who is this who looks down like the dawn, beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun, awesome as an army with banners? Gee. I went down to the nut orchard to look at the blossoms of the valley, to see whether the vines had budded, whether the pomegranates were in bloom. Before I was aware my desire set me among the chariots of my kinsmen a prince. Others. Return, return, O Shulamite, return, return, that we may look upon you.

Teaching Of Jesus On Tradition And The Heart

SPEAKER_00 8:24

He Why should you look upon the Shulamite as upon a dance before two armies? Scripture for today Go back into Matthew chapter fifteen, verse one through twenty-eight.

Psalm 19 And Proverbs On Righteous Living

SPEAKER_01 8:47

Some Pharisees and teachers of religious law now arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They asked him, Why do your disciples disobey our age old tradition? For they ignore our tradition of ceremonial hand washing before they eat. Jesus replied, And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God? For instance, God says, honor your father and mother, and anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death. But you say it is all right for people to say their parents, Sorry, I can't help you, for I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you. In this way you say they don't need to honor their parents, and so you cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition. You hypocrites. Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God. Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear, listen, he said, and try to understand. It's not what goes into your mouth that defiles you. You are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth. Then the disciples came to him and asked, Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said? Jesus replied, Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be uprooted. So ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind. And if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch. And Peter said to Jesus, Explain to us the parable that says people aren't defiled by what they eat. Don't you understand yet? Jesus asked. Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. But the words you speak come from the heart. That's what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, slander. These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you. Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tear in Sidon. A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, Have mercy on me, O Lord, son of David, for my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely. But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. Tell her to go away, they said. She is bothering us with all her begging. Then Jesus said to the woman, I was sent only to help God's lost sheep, the people of Israel. But she came and worshipped him, pleading again, Lord, help me. Jesus responded, It isn't right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs. She replied, That's true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their master's table. Dear woman, Jesus said to her, your faith is great. Your request is granted. And her daughter was instantly healed. Psalm nineteen verses one through fourteen. The heavens proclaim proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak, night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word. Their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. God has made a home in the heavens for the sun. It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding. It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race. The sun rises at one end of the heavens and follows its course to the other end. Nothing can hide from its heat. The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for the living. Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true, each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them. How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Keep your servant from deliberate sins. Don't let them control me, then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Proverbs four verse fourteen through nineteen. Don't do as the wicked do, and don't follow the path of evildoers. Don't even think about it. Don't go that way. Turn away and keep moving. For evil people can't sleep until they've done their evil deed for the day. They can't rest until they've caused someone to stumble. They eat the food of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like total darkness.

SPEAKER_00 14:20

They have no idea what they're stumbling over.

SPEAKER_01 14:33

Medal of Honor for today, Thomas Wilson Bradley, Sergeant, highest rank Brevet Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Civil War, Hotel Company, hundred twenty fourth New York Infantry, American Guard, U.S. Army, date may third, eighteen sixty three, place Chancellorsville, Virginia, volunteered in response to a call and alone in the face of a heavy fire of musketry and canister went and procured ammunition for the use of his comrades. Accredited to Walden, Orange County, New York, not awarded posthumously, presented june tenth, eighteen ninety six, born april sixth, eighteen forty four, Sheffield, England, died may thirtieth, nineteen twenty, buried Walkill Valley Cemetery, Walden, New York, location of Metal Walden Public Library, Walden, New York.

SPEAKER_00 15:40

Thomas Wilson Bradley.

Benjamin Rush On Religion And Education

SPEAKER_01 15:45

I can't, folks, if I thought that this was beating a dead horse, I wouldn't say it pretty much every time. But when you look at these men, these Medal of Honor winners, and there's so many that we've had over the years, immigrants from other nations that didn't win the Medal of Honor, but absolutely contributed immensely to the fabric of our nation from all different parts of the world, from all different races and ethnicities, they are not the same as what we're getting today, as the mass illegal and Muslim immigrants that are flooding the nation. They are not the same, folks.

SPEAKER_00 16:22

That dedication to liberty, to America is not there today. So when you you see these people defending, like in Minnesota, all of this nonsense.

SPEAKER_01 17:05

And I wanted to go back and read a little bit from Dr. Benjamin Rush, one of our founding fathers.

SPEAKER_00 17:14

This is out of a pamphlet that he put together. Titled Essays Literary, Moral, and Philosophical by Benjamin Rush M.D.

Christianity, Liberty, And The Republic

Book Plug, Support Options, And Closing Prayer

SPEAKER_01 17:34

and professor of the Institute of Medicine and Clinical Practice in the University of Pennsylvania. And this is the second edition from 1806. And this particular part that I'm going to read comes out of the section titled Of the Mode of Education Proper in a Republic. And I'm just going to read a couple excerpts. I proceed in the next place to inquire what mode of education we shall adopt so as to secure to the state all the advantages that are to be derived from the proper instruction of youth. And here I beg leave to remark that the only foundation for a useful education in a republic is to be laid in religion. Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments. It is foreign to my purpose to hint at the arguments which establish the truth of the Christian revelation. My only business is to declare that all its doctrines and precepts are calculated to promote the happiness of society and the safety and well-being of civil government. A Christian cannot fail of being a Republican. Little R, by the way, folks, talking about a member of a Republican form of government, not a member of the Republican Party of today. A Christian cannot fail of being a Republican. The history of the creation of man and of the relation of our species to each other by birth, which is recorded in the Old Testament, is the best refutation that can be given to the divine right of kings, and the strongest argument that can be used in favor of the original and natural equality of all mankind. A Christian, I say again, cannot fail of being a Republican, for every precept of the gospel inculcates those degrees of humanity, self-denial, and brotherly kindness which are directly opposed to the pride of monarchy and the pageantry of a court. A Christian cannot fail of being useful to the Republic, for his religion teacheth him that no man liveth to himself. And lastly, a Christian cannot fail of being holy and offensive, for his religion teacheth him in all things to do to others what he would with in like circumstances they should do to him. The overall folks again is we have done so much damage to this country by taking the Bible out of the center of the education of our youth. And those principles, it's such a misnomer. It's so misleading when people talk about us as a democracy. Our founders over and over again warned us against a democracy. We're not a democracy, or at least we were never intended to be. Universal suffrage has gotten us really close to being more of a democracy than we are a republic. But we were always intended to be a republic, and the best guarantee for liberty are the principles of Jesus Christ. Not the principles of Islam or Buddha or Hindu or Mother Naturism or Satanism or any other religion out there. The principles of Jesus Christ, Christianity. If you really want freedom and liberty and free institutions, you want those principles of Jesus Christ at the heart of your nation, at the heart of our education. If you are looking for a family-friendly middle grade read, along the lines of Narnia and the Hobbit, Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, that kind of stuff, but hopefully, uh, with a good deal more principles of Christ written in than we see often today in literature. If you would check out the countryside series, and if you enjoy it, if you would leave a review for the first or the second book, I would greatly appreciate it. And if you feel like you're getting something out of the podcast, marriage versus scripture, Medal of Honor citations, history and heritage of our nation. If you have five or ten dollars that you can spare each month, there's a link down at the bottom of the show notes where you can do that. And I would be very grateful for that. And if you would rather, or you know somebody that would rather listen to the podcast on YouTube, we have it there now.

SPEAKER_00 23:05

So you can listen there.

SPEAKER_01 23:12

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is on heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not to temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen. God bless y'all. God bless your families, God bless your marriages if you're married. God bless your nation, wherever you are around the world listening. God bless America. We'll talk to y'all again real soon, folks. Looking forward to it.