Tag: Constitution

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One Nation Under God

For some time now, our government has felt obligated to divorce Christ and Almighty God from the public domain. For those of you who either haven’t studied history or don’t believe the historical record, I pray that the following reflections on history will help you to understand the path we have trod that made us a great nation – Under God.

“A patriot without religion in my estimation is as great a paradox as an honest man without the fear of God.” So stated Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams.

On July 2, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted Richard Henry Lee’s resolution to be independent from Great Britain. It was a unanimous vote with only New York abstaining. The next day, July 3, John Adams wrote a letter to Abigail in which he wrote:

“The day is past. The second day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha [sic], in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding generations, as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.”

It took two days for news to spread throughout the colonies, so July 4 became the Great Day. But the point is the same: true freedom is a gift from God, and God is to be praised for it.

Decades earlier, William Penn – after whom Pennsylvania was named – said, “Men must choose to be governed by God, or condemn themselves to be ruled by tyrants.”

On this topic, the esteemed Benjamin Franklin said, “Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature. I never doubted the existence of the Deity, that He made the world, and governed it by His Providence.”

And Thomas Jefferson, the chief writer of our Declaration of Independence, said, “The God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever.”

Do you remember the firebrand Patrick Henry? He said, “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians, not on religion but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

And I cannot ignore the colonists’ premier general and president, George Washington. He said, “It is impossible to account for the creation of the universe, without the agency of a Supreme Being. It is impossible to govern the universe without the aid of a Supreme Being. It is impossible to reason without arriving at a Supreme Being.”

Then, in both the political and summer heat of 1787, when the fledgling nation was floundering as Congress of the newest nation on earth tried to stabilize the country, Old Ben Franklin once again stepped to the forefront on June 28. He said, in part:

“I have lived, sir, a long time; and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, sir, in the sacred writings, that ‘except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.’ I firmly believe this….I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth Prayers, imploring the Assistance of Heaven, and Its Blessing on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business; and that one or more of the clergy of this City be requested to officiate in that service.”

So, on what are our civil liberties based? Noah Webster (1758-1843) said, “The religion which has introduced civil liberty is the religion of Christ and His apostles….This is genuine Christianity and to this we owe our free constitutions of government.” Therefore, it is clear to me that our national perils, natural and political, are because our nation, our government, has divorced God. Our rescue is dependent upon returning to the faith of our fathers – both spiritual and political.

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Let Freedom Ring!

After the eight-year War of Independence ended in 1784, the colonists were finally free! Well, I suppose they weren’t colonists any longer; they were citizens of a brand new country. But they were free!

They were free from tyranny. Free from taxation without representation. Free from the hated Redcoats! And free from a host of other problems: both real and imagined.

But what were they free to do? They were free of military oppression and free to operate their own businesses. What else were the colonists – I mean, Americans – free to do?

Political freedom was a major item. Not desiring any over-arching government, they wouldn’t bow to any state but their own. This was a problem because there were thirteen new governments to consider. So, the former colonies – now sovereign states – agreed to a limited government under a federation called The United States of America. To them that actually meant The United Countries of America.

They were free to tax themselves with “in-house” representation. That was a fight! The local towns didn’t want the states to tax them, and the states didn’t want the feds to tax them. They were also free to print their own money. Oops … that didn’t work too well. Each state created its own currency, with some states having several currencies. Banks issued their own money, and by 1836 over 1,600 banks were issuing thousands of varieties of paper money. Many of them were not “worth a continental.” Amazingly, standardized currency was not established until 1929.

How about freedom of religion.

In order to have a workable government, compromises are made. However, these concessions need to be in the civil arena; not in matters of faith. In colonial legislation, Thomas Jefferson said in the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (written in 1779):

“No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever … nor shall otherwise suffer, on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument [discussion] to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities.”

Jefferson made sure the First Amendment carried the same idea: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof….”

President Eisenhower said on January 20, 1953, “History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.” And on November 25, 1981, the United Nations General Assembly passed the “Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief.” (This was, however, controversial.)

With that in mind, why is our government prohibiting the free exercise of the Christian religion? Why are we disregarding our religious freedoms that are protected in our own national documents? I am referring, of course, to openly reading and teaching from the Holy Bible.

When Scripture teaches that marriage is between a man and a woman, why do we cower before those who disagree? Why does our government pressure us to turn our back on our faith and turn against the Bible? Without a constitutional amendment, Congress does not have the right to revoke our constitutional rights of freedom of speech and freedom of religion and deny my right to preach the truth as found in Scripture. I don’t hate homosexuals; I have worked alongside several, and some of my friends are homosexuals. There is no hate involved when I tell them that the Bible teaches against homosexuality. It’s a statement of fact. But hate is involved when “gay” people angrily hurl insults and epithets at me.

It is unconstitutional, immoral, and unethical to allow the LGBTQIA2+ person first amendment rights yet disallow those with traditional Biblical beliefs the same rights. Everyone should have the freedom to speak their mind in the same way without fear of reprisal. And whoever dares to limit or eliminate one person’s freedom does damage to everyone’s freedom.

Proverbs 25:26 says, “A good person who gives in to evil is like a muddy spring or dirty well.”

     Christians have the same guaranteed, blood-bought, constitutional freedoms to teach and worship according to conscience, and to express our beliefs as does anyone else – including the right and obligation of teaching the Biblical view of life. To deny that freedom would be discrimination, bigotry, intolerance, and anti-American. And remember, even the UN denounces intolerance – at least, on paper.

So respect those with whom you disagree; live according to Scriptural principles; and give thanks for our national and religious freedoms.