Heroes Beside Us

"Ladies & Gentlemen, young & old,
This may seem an unusual procedure
Speaking to you before the picture begins
But we have an unusual subject.
The story of the birth of freedom,
The story of Moses.
As many of you know,
The Holy Bible omits some 30 of Moses’ life
From the time he was a 3 month old baby
& was found in the bulrushes by Bithia,
The daughter of Pharoah
Adopted into the court of Egypt
Until he learned that he was Hebrew
& killed an Egyptian.
To fill in these missing years,
We turn to ancient historians
Such as Philo & Josephus.
Philo wrote at the time Jesus of Nazareth walked the earth
& Josephus wrote some 50 years later
& watched the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans.
These historians had access to documents long since destroyed
Or perhaps lost, like the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The theme of this picture
Is whether men are to be ruled by Gods Law
Or whether they are to be ruled by the whims of a dictator like Ramesses.
Are men the property of the state,
Or are they free souls under God.
This same battle continues throughout the world today.
Our intention was not to create a story,
But to be worthy of the divinely inspired story
Created 3,000 years ago in the books of Moses."
~Cecil B. Demille

i was watching the Ten Commandments a couple of weeks ago, & before it begins, Cecil B. Demille comes out from the red curtains & gives the above speech. i thought it so lovely & fitting to share!

At a time when freedom is celebrated, these words ring loud & truly,

"O Ye that love mankind! Ye that dares oppose not only the tyranny but the tyrant, stand forth! Every spot of the old World is overrun with oppression. Freedom has been hunted around the globe. Europe regards her like a stranger and England hath given her warning to depart."

We remember the heroes that have gone before us, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, Abraham Lincoln, & the freedom in which they believed

& those heroes who now stand by our sides,

every man, woman & child who believes, as Tom Paine did those many years ago,

"We have it in our power to begin the world again!"

Today is profound!!!