You are forgiven if you do not recognize this Latin phrase and you are excused if you have no idea what it means. “Nil Sine Numine” is the official motto for the state of Colorado. It is inscribed on the Great Seal of the state. It is usually translated as ‘Nothing without the Deity’ or ‘Nothing without God’ and for the early settlers of the area it indicated that they realized that their efforts to build a new state were unlikely to be successful without the aid of the Divine Being. Though the phrase likely came from Virgil’s Aeneid, it is akin to the biblical phrase, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it…” People of that era, and indeed throughout most of human history, realized that their human efforts to build anything lasting or durable and their efforts to live a peaceful existence and pass on anything of value to their children were impossible without divine assistance.
However, it is becoming evident that modern man takes exception to this sentiment. Increasingly, there is a reluctance to acknowledge God exists. Many live their lives as practical atheists. There is a stiff-necked reluctance to ask for Divine assistance. An updated version of our motto might be, “Everything without God” as we try to build a culture without Divine assistance. Intoxicated by technological progress and unmindful of human history, both recent and ancient, we blindly forge ahead and stumble towards a future that seems dark and dreary. We drift further and further from an ordered existence. We conduct studies and engage expert panels, but our efforts seem fruitless, barren, misguided. Our plans never live up to the promises made at the outset.
Part of the rationale for the legalization of abortion 50 years ago was that it would mean increased respect for women and improved financial independence for them. However, it seems the opposite has occurred as domestic violence and sexual assaults have increased. And, as the #Me Too movement demonstrated, women are abused with stunning regularity. Economically, the past 50 years have not been kind to women. Some estimates suggest that 70 percent of the nation’s poor are women and children. Women make up a greater percentage of those living in poverty than men.
Abortion was also promoted as a means to curb child abuse, because every child would be a ‘wanted child’. That too has been an illusion as the number of children living in single parent households have skyrocketed and child abuse has increased dramatically. The reasons, of course, are complex and I don’t mean to suggest that the legalization of abortion caused all of the social pathologies we are contending with. But it would be a grave error to claim that the legalization of abortion improved anything as regards the status of women or the health and safety of children. And it would also be a grave error to argue that abortion, the killing of the innocent within the womb, is part of the Divine plan.
I suggest that the way forward is to look back, to look way back to the understanding and mindset of our forefathers. The 20th century was full of brave new ideas like communism, fascism and socialism that promised much but delivered only human suffering and misery on a grand scale. The legalization of abortion is yet another modern idea that has proved to be a disaster. Perhaps it is time to ask for Divine help. Perhaps it is time to realize what our forefathers did, that nothing good or lasting is possible without God. Can God help us out of the difficulties and predicaments we find ourselves in? Of course, because nothing is impossible for God. And nothing good or lasting will come from our efforts to build a culture without Him.
Dr. Carl Malito is a retired Physician who continues to be active with Mesa County Right to Life.