History has no shortage of legends and epic poetry. Homer’s “Iliad” describes great warriors colliding at the gates of Troy and the “Mahabharata” from ancient India gave generous detail to the apocalyptic arsenal deities use to lay waste, just to name a few.

While many such stories glorify those that maim and subjugate, few extol in such volumes humanity’s freedom and integrity as the Bible.

Anyone who has read the Book of Exodus knows Moses delivered the Israelites from the Egyptians. But his was no ordinary struggle. Unlike Spartacus, who led a slave rebellion in ancient Rome, Moses did not rally his followers to spill their masters’ blood. He pleaded to the Pharaoh, despite the latter’s atrocities, to let his people go, for God will do his bidding.

In a sense, it was Moses’ refusal to fight force with force that gave strength to his cause: a Biblical version of nonviolent resistance adopted by civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. By refusing to take up arms against his white oppressors, the reverend showed liberty will eventually come — as good will always defeat evil.

The whole freedom motif can also be found in the Book of Genesis, in which Eve defied God in taking the forbidden fruit. While rendered a source of original sin, Eve proved that humans are inherently free and were destined to explore beyond their comfort zone.

If such a concept sounds like the Declaration of Independence, it is because most of the Founding Fathers, like Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, were deists, or those who believed God had set the world in motion, but destiny remained in the hands of people. It did not bother them God probably never wanted to free his children in the first place. What matters was that, in the Bible, man fell to this earth a free being.

The Bible is also about living responsibly. Take, for instance, the story of Job, a wealthy but generous man who had everything stripped away from him by Satan in a bet with God over his subject’s loyalty.

Punishing a decent man might resemble a gross miscarriage of justice. But it just so happens that life is unpredictable. One never knows what happens next. The peasant is as likely to become rich as a merchant is to go bankrupt. What life can give is what it can also take away; it pushes people to not be content with their well-being, work hard and hope for the best.

As for those who’ve experienced misfortune, the Bible insists he or she never lose faith no matter the circumstances. Like how Job remained an unwavering believer despite the loss of his family and livestock, one should always carry on in life believing honesty will be duly rewarded.

The Bible also encourages individuals to not solely focus on one’s own life, but to give to the poor. Quotes like “whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise” (Luke 3:11) convey sharing is not just for the rich, but rather for anyone with a surplus of wealth.

Is it not a coincidence that America remains the world’s most Christian society — with 243 million believers — and also one of its most charitable?

Both as a moral and cultural foundation, the Bible has, without doubt, made America.

Guzi is a freshman in LAS.

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