I would suggest that these three are the pillars on which America rests. They are essential for the continuation of our blessed country. Take any one of them away and the whole thing comes tumbling down.
And, I might add, the security of the world may well be at stake also. Like it or not, America has always stood in the gap when there was a need no matter if it was half way around the globe. There are Americans buried all over the world, giving their last measure for the freedom of those who would be enslaved by a two by twice tyrant or dictator. America has always answered the call.
Looking at these three pillars, I would like to take them one at a time, starting with the first,
Say the word God, and in a not so distant past. It would evoke the feelings of power, might, awe, reverence, respect, watch care, love, obedience, worship, faith, and a good healthy dose of fear, amongst other things. How about today? You would get a luke warm response at best. In fact there was a sign on the side of a bus in London England that said, "There is good news and bad news. The bad news is that God is dead, the good news is that we did not need Him anyway".
Our nation was built on the concept that, He, God, was the Supreme Ruler of the Universe. And that He took an active part in the affairs of men. Benjamin Franklin once said, "if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?" This was said in a speech given to the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Benjamin Franklin's speech not only saved the convention, but saved the Constitution and the future of America. Also in that speech he said, "In the beginning of the Contest with G. Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayer in this room for Divine protection. - Our prayers, Sir, were heard, & they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a Superintending Providence in our favor. To that kind Providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance?"
Because of Franklin's speech congress is opened with prayer even to this day.
The importance of God's assistance was not debatable but necessary for the existence of America, according to what Franklin believed by experience.
God was very important in the lives of our founding fathers. I will share a few of my favorite quotes, events, and court decisions.
Patrick Henry said:
"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here."
James Madison said:"We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government; upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."
"It is the duty of every man to render to the Creator such homage, and such only, as he believes to be acceptable to Him. This duty is precedent both in order of time, and degree of obligation, to the claims of civil society.
Before any man can be considered as a member of Civil Society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governor of the Universe."
As the Declaration of Independence was being signed, 1776, Samuel Adams declared:
"We have this day restored the Sovereign to Whom all men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven and from the rising to the setting of the sun, let His kingdom come."
On February 26, 1776, General Washington issued the orders:
"All officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers are positively forbid playing at cards and other games of chance. At this time of public distress men may find enough to do in the service of their God and their country, without abandoning themselves to vice and immorality."
There is one more instance that happened on September 7, 1774 that I want to share now. Pay close attention to the words of Sam Adams(the initiator of the first Tea Party). You will see that he was not a respecter of parties or denominations but sought Patriots.
On September 7, 1774, John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, describing the effects of the prayer which opened the first session of the Continental Congress:
When the Congress met, Mr. Cushing made a motion that it should be opened with Prayer. It was opposed by Mr. Jay of New York, and Mr. Rutledge of South Carolina because we were so divided in religious sentiments, some Episcopalians, some Quakers, some Anabaptists, some Presbyterians, and some Congregationalists, that we could not join in the same act of worship.
Mr. Samuel Adams arose and said that he was no bigot, and could hear a Prayer from any gentleman of Piety and virtue, who was at the same time a friend to his Country. He was a stranger in Philadelphia, but had heard that Mr.Duche' deserved that character and therefore he moved that Mr. Duche', an Episcopal clergyman might be desired to read Prayers to Congress tomorrow morning.
The motion was seconded, and passed in the affirmative. Mr. Randolph, our president, vailed on Mr. Duche', and received for answer, that if his health would permit, he certainly would.
Accordingly, next morning [Reverend Mr. Duche'] appeared with his clerk and in his pontificals, and read several prayers in the established form, and read the collect for the seventh day of September, which was the thirty-fifth Psalm. You must remember, this was the next morning after we heard the horrible rumor of the cannonade of Boston.
I never saw a greater effect upon an audience. It seemed as if heaven had ordained that Psalm to be read on that morning. After this, Mr. Duche', unexpectedly to every body, struck out into an extemporary prayer, which filled the bosom of every man present. I must confess, I never heard a better prayer, or one so well pronounced.
Episcopalian as he is, Dr. Cooper himself [Adams' pastor] never prayed with such fervor, such ardor, such the province of Massachusetts Bay, and especially the town of Boston. It has had an excellent effect upon everybody here. I must beg you to read that Psalm.
The First Prayer in Congress, offered extemporaneously by Rev. Mr. Duche' in Carpenter's Hall, Philadelphia, on September 7, 1774:
O Lord, our Heavenly Father, high and mighty, King of kings, and Lord of lords, who dost from Thy throne behold all the dwellers on earth, and reignest with power supreme and uncontrolled over all the Kingdoms, Empires, and Governments; look down in mercy, we beseech Thee, on these our American States, who have fled to Thee from the rod of the oppressor, and thrown themselves on Thy gracious protection, desiring to be henceforth dependent only on Thee; to Thee have they appealed for the righteousness of their cause; to Thee do they now look up for that countenance and support, which Thou alone canst give; take them, therefore, Heavenly Father, under Thy nurturing
care; give them wisdom in Council and valor in the field; defeat the malicious designs of our cruel adversaries; convince them of the unrighteousness of their cause; and if they persist in their sanguinary purposes, O! let the voice of Thine own unerring justice, sounding in their hearts, constrain them to drop the weapons of war, from their unnerved hands in the day of battle!
Be Thou present O God of Wisdom and direct the counsel of this Honorable Assembly; enable them to settle all things on the best and surest foundations; that the scene of blood may be speedily closed; that Order, Harmony and Peace may be effectually restored, and the Truth and Justice, Religion and Piety, prevail and flourish among the people.
Preserve the health of their bodies, and the vigor of their minds, shower down on them, and the millions they here represent, such temporal Blessings as Thou seest expedient for them in this world, and crown them with everlasting Glory in the world to come. All this we ask in the name and through the merits of Jesus Christ, Thy Son and our Saviour, Amen.
The Library of Congress, from the collected reports of the various patriots, recorded on a historical placard the effect of that first prayer upon Congress:
Washington was kneeling there, and Henry, Randolph, Rutledge, Lee, and Jay, and by their side there stood, bowed in reverence, the Puritan Patriots of New England, who at that moment had reason to believe that an armed soldiery was wasting their humble households. It was believed that Boston had been bombarded and destroyed.
They prayed fervently "for America, for Congress, for the Province of Massachusetts Bay, and especially for the town of Boston," and who can realize the emotion with which they turned imploringly to Heaven for Divine interposition and - "It was enough" says Mr. Adams, "to melt a heart of stone. I saw the tears gush into the eyes of the old, grave, Pacific Quakers of Philadelphia."
You ever wonder what made our founding fathers tick?
It was GOD!
And our God given rights.
The Declaration of Independence states, what was the common belief at that time, that mans rights come from God not the King or any man. This is important because if our rights come from God then, only God can take them away, not man.
From Columbus to the Pilgrims, to the Puritans, to the Huguenots and others, there was a deep abiding faith and trust in God Almighty.
This Supreme Court case is further evidence of the importance of God in America.United States Supreme Court (February 29, 1892), in the case of Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States, 143 US 457-458, 465-471, 36 L ed 226, Justice David Josiah Brewer rendered the high Court's decision:
No purpose of action against religion can be imputed to any legislation, state or national, because this is a religious people. This is historically true. From the discovery of this continent to the present hour, there is a single voice making this affirmation.
The commission to Christopher Columbus...[recited] that "it is hoped that by God's assistance some of the continents and islands in the ocean will be discovered...."
The first colonial grant made to Sir Walter Raleigh in 1584...and the grant authorizing him to enact statutes for the government of the proposed colony provided that they "be not against the true Christian faith...."
The first charter of Virginia, granted by King James I in 1606...commenced the grant in these words: "...in propagating of Christian Religion to such People as yet live in Darkness...."
Language of similar import may be found in the subsequent charters of that colony...in 1609 and 1611; and the same is true of the various charters granted to the other colonies. In language more or less emphatic is the establishment of the Christian religion declared to be one of the purposes of the grant. The celebrated compact made by the Pilgrims in the Mayflower, 1620, recites: "Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith...a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia...."
The fundamental orders of Connecticut, under which a provisional government was instituted in 1638-1639, commence with this declaration: "...And well knowing where a people are gathered together the word of God requires that to maintain the peace and union...there should be an orderly and decent government established according to God...to maintain and preserve the liberty and purity of the gospel of our Lord Jesus which we now profess...of the said gospel is now practiced amongst us."
In the charter of privileges granted by William Penn to the province of Pennsylvania, in 1701, it is recited: "...no people can be truly happy, though under the greatest enjoyment of civil liberties, if abridged of...their religious profession and worship...."
Coming nearer to the present time, the Declaration of Independence recognizes the presence of the Divine in human affairs in these words:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights....appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions....And for the support of this Declaration, with firm reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."
...We find everywhere a clear recognition of the same truth...because of a general recognition of this truth [that we are a Christian nation], the question has seldom been presented to the courts....
There is no dissonance in these declarations. There is a universal language pervading them all, having one meaning; they affirm and reaffirm that this is a religious nation. These are not individual sayings, declarations of private persons: they are organic utterances; they speak the voice of the entire people.
While because of a general recognition of this truth the question has seldom been presented to the courts, yet we find that in Updegraph v. The Commonwealth, it was decided that, Christianity, general Christianity, is, and always has been, a part of the common law....not Christianity with an established church...but Christianity with liberty of conscience to all men.
And in The People v. Ruggles, Chancellor Kent, the great commentator on American law, speaking as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New York, said:
"The people of this State, in common with the people of this country, profess the general doctrines of Christianity, as the rule of their faith and practice....We are a Christian people, and the morality of the country is deeply engrafted upon Christianity, and not upon the doctrines or worship of those impostors [other religions]."
And in the famous case of Vidal v. Girard's Executors, this Court...observed:
"It is also said, and truly, that the Christian religion is a part of the common law...."
If we pass beyond these matters to a view of American life as expressed by its laws, its business, its customs and its society, we find everywhere a clear recognition of the same truth. Among other matters note the following: The form of oath universally prevailing, concluding with an appeal to the Almighty; the custom of opening sessions of all deliberative bodies and most conventions with prayer; the prefatory words of all wills, "In the name of God, amen"; the laws respecting the observance of the Sabbath, with the general cessation of all secular business, and the closing of courts, legislatures, and other similar public assemblies on that day; the churches and church organizations which abound in every city, town and hamlet; the multitude of charitable organizations existing everywhere under Christian auspices; the gigantic missionary associations, with general support, and aiming to establish Christian missions in every quarter of the globe.
These, and many other matters which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation....we find everywhere a clear recognition of the same truth.
The happiness of a people and the good order and preservation of civil government essentially depend upon piety, religion and morality.
Religion, morality, and knowledge [are] necessary to good government, the preservation of liberty, and the happiness of mankind.
A commentary on the 1892 case Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States, summarized: Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise; and in this sense and to this extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian.
Our history is one of trusting God and having Him in His proper place. But there are people and groups that are trying to have a godless society, and the onslaught to purge God and the Christian faith from all aspects of America has been relentless. It has been successful in some areas like the schools. This will be a good place to start by examining the before and after of God and godless schools.
I am sixty-one years old and I can still remember my school years. They have left a pleasing memory of rich, full days. The joy of friends and even the amusement of foes. I was a very active individual and spent a great deal of time in the principal's office. It got easier because of the repeated trips. Discipline was handed out, but so was understanding and their interest in me as an individual.
In today's School system, I would be put on Ritalin or some other drug for control. I would have needed counseling or a psychiatrist and found out that I was molested, beaten, abused, and came from another planet, I just didn't remember any of it. But if I kept taking the drugs and seeing the shrink, I might be able to go out in public some day.
Now I am not making light of people that have legitimate problems and their need for help.
Back to my school days. We started every morning by turning to face the American Flag (every class room had one) and say the Pledge of Allegiance. Then we would say the Lord's Prayer, followed by reading from our bible. The bible was handed out by groups like the Gideons. They were pocket sized New Testaments with Psalms and Proverbs. Everybody got one, they were free. If someone was Jewish or what ever, they simply declined and that was the end of that. No law suits or court rulings. People respected each others beliefs. You see God was allowed to be there.
The biggest worries going to school were, if you had your homework done, was there going to be a test, did the girl you liked get your note, was it your turn to recite in class, that someone squealed on you for putting a frog in the girls locker room, and could you stay out of the principal's office for one day. Pretty heavy stuff to carry with you going in the front doors.
I have given this a light feel about it, because it was a great time to be alive. But now lets look at today's school and student.
Since the rulings by the court in 1962 and 1963 which removed prayer and bible reading from the schools everything has changed. This is the first time in 342 years of the court system in America that a court found an activity of a student to violate a constitution.
Your school day starts by going through a metal detector and past drug sniffing dogs. Then you try very quietly to get to you classroom with out incurring the wrath of a knife wheeling, gun packing druggie that got by all the security. Once in your class room, you sit down amongst the din of shouting and cursing. The teacher gets ready to teach you all about globalism, secularism, humanism, and not to worry about how to spell them. You must always keep a wary eye open for teachers that may single you out for sexual activity during or after class. You do your math problems on your calculator or computer, depending how much money the government gives the school.
We do not have to spend much time talking about the things happening in the schools to know that something is horribly wrong. This is just the schools I have used as an example of what happens when a Nation turns its back on God. The Supreme Court of the United Sates of America ordered God out of the schools, and He left. We are in danger of His withdrawal from our once great Nation.
I tried to show in this piece that our founding fathers were fearful of offending and alienating Almighty God. They new, as should we, that our survival as a Nation rests with Him. We can not go it alone, and deep within our hearts we know that this is true. There is that spark, that spirit that desires to be close to a loving God. Its our choice, because God will never invade our individual sovereignty. God will not, God can not make us love him. We must choose to willingly and of our own free will.
Our Heavenly Father deserves our best, not our worst.
He covered our worst with His Best.
God Bless America.
The Old Farmer
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