A Christian Nation

The more I study this subject the more adament  I am of my stance that our nation was established as a Christian nation.  

We may not be that any longer but there is no denying that our Founding Fathers did establish this great nation as a Christian nation and never intended censorship of the Christian expression of faith nor any others.  However, what has been the foundation of making our country great seems to be slowly eroding away into the background.

 Our CPA always sends inspirational readings with his mailings. I've collected these over time:

The preambles of all 50 states mention God (and they weren’t talking about Allah!)

 34 times – Almighty God

 6 times – God

9 times – Creator/ Supreme Ruler/Divine Guidance

1 time – Religion we owe our Creator…to practice Christian Forebearance, Love, and Charity

George Washington:  Do not let anyone claim to be a true American if they ever attempt to remove religion from politics.  It is impossible to govern rightly without God and the Bible.

John Adams:  The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of  Christianity.

James Wilson, signer of both the Dec. of Independence and the Constitution:  Human law must rest its authority ultimately upon the authority of that law which is Divine...Far from being rivals or enemies,  religion and law are twin sisters, friends, and mutual assistants.  Indeed, these two sciences run into each other.

Alexis de Tocquevilee French observer of America in 1831 author of Democracy in America:  The Americans combine the notions of Christianity and of liberty so intimately in their minds that it is impossible to make them conceive the one without the other.  Upon my arrival in the US the religious aspect of the country was the first thing that stuck my attention and the longer I stayed there the more did I perceive the great political consequences resulting from this state of things, to which I was unaccustomed.  In France I had almost always seen the spirit of religion and the spirit of freedom pursuing courses diametrically opposed to each other, but in America I found that they were intimately united, and that they reigned in common over the same country.      

Benjamin Franklin  :  The longer I live the more convincing proofs I see of this truth:  That God governs in the affairs of men.  If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?  We've been assured in the sacred writings that unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain.  I firmly believe this, and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in the political building no better than the builders of Babel.

This is the one that really stood out to me:

Patrick Henry:  It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that our 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.

How can you not say that the original intent was to be “one nation under God?”  An editorial in the Columbia Tribune excellently pointed out that our Founders wanted tolerance for all religions.  Although the term separation of church and state was never mentioned in the Constitution , it is implied, but we must go back to the original intent.  After reading all the quotes from our Founding Fathers, can it possibly mean to not allow the nativity scene on the courthouse lawn or the ichthus on the war memorial? It is not about censorship but about freedom.  If a Jew wants a Star of David or a Muslim wants a crescent on the war memorial, fine.  If Muslim students need a place to pray at school, fine.  But it has begun to be more about censorship of mostly all things Christian.  What next?  No Thanksgiving?  No Christmas?  No crosses on the graves in Arlington National Cemetary?  Are those who are free to exercise their faith in our great country going to be “offended” at the many monuments in our capital of Washington, DC that mention God and insist that our history be 
sandblasted?
                                            

I am happy to live peaceably and worship alongside other faiths as was intended. But we must  recognize that the Muslim influence is becoming stronger as our world becomes smaller. And we must recognize that it is a fact that the Islam religion is based on the Quran telling them to persecute those who do not believe in Mohammed and the Quran.  Many Muslims may not even know that, but are allowing those who do to become stronger.  In the face of that, we must not forget who United States was meant to be  and what we stand for.

Irwin Lutzer pastor of the Moody Church in Chicago writes in his book The Cross and the Crescent that there are no examples in history of Christians living in Muslim-dominated lands being granted anything that even approaches equal rights.  In the United Kingdom there are now more than 1,700 official mosques many converted from former churches.  The once strong Christian presence in Turkey has essentially disappeared.. He points out that with the rise of the Muslim influence in the west we may expect many more requests that  Christian symbols be removed.  US officials in their effort to be politically correct are bending over backward to accommodate Muslims who are offended by symbols of the Christian faith.    But what they are really doing is censoring expressions of the Christian faith while freely  permitting the Muslim viewpoint which is to eradicate any infidels who do not practice their faith!  We do allow Muslims to work and worship in the United States in peace.  But we must not allow that voice to censor our history.That is where we MUST go back to the original intention of Amendent 1. Many faiths have worshipped alongside one another freely for the history of our nation.   Are we going to allow a continual but stealthy erosion of the voice of Christianity that was foundational in establishing that very freedom they enjoy?

 Personally I don’t want to become militant over whether the ichthus remains on the war memorial in Columbia, Mo which is the latest target of censorship that prompted my research. But what I do want is to remember on what the United States was founded. These quotes leave no question.  And what I do want is for Christians to not allow their faith to be censored and for our fight not to be just over symbols, but to exercise our right to be known by their love of all and freedom for all, including the Muslims that live and work peaceably in this nation.     

The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years.  These nations have progressed through the following sequence: 

   from bondage to spiritual faith

   from spriitual faith to great courage

   from courage to liberty

   from liberty to abundance

   from abundance to selfishness

   from selfishness to complacency

   from complacency to apathy

   from apathy to dependency

   from dependency back into bondage

I  fear if we are not careful we may be entering the last of that sequence.  I offer my own decidedly Christian voice as one that is for freedom for ALL and a  call for Christians to grow stronger, not in militancy, but in their faith so that whether we have symbols in the town square or not,  our influence of peace and love may continue to be a voice in this great nation. 

This is the proclamation George Washington made of the first Thanksgiving:

Whereas both Houses of Congress have… requested me to recommend to the people of the US a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness, for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed.

May we join together in a historically accepted thanksgiving for our free nation regardless of our expression of faith.

I Lift My Eyes Unto The Hills

                                    I Look Unto The Hills...

     Though there is snow on the ground outside now, I just came across vacation 
     pictures of  a sunny day in June where I was on vacation in the mountains of 
     Idaho.  In the midst of a  hectic fall, I look back to the time of perfect peace 
     where I sat out in the cool mountain air and was moved once more to poetry 
     as being the outlet for my heart running over.

     This always happens when I'm in the mountains.  Their beauty somehow
     restores me. I can't fathom anyone not thinking of  the Creator when looking
     at their vast majesty.  It happens also when I'm at the ocean or even under
     an open sky at  dawn or sunset.  It's there that I lift my eyes above the 
     mundane dailyness that  often  steals my focus. It's so easy to see only what 
     is in front of us - the world of  routine, of the practical, of the work of living. 
     It's so easy to get our mind so full of the next meal, chore, event, hurt, 
     or disappointment. 
 
     For truly, His creation speaks clearly of His invisible nature, His eternal 
    power and deity.  Surely there is no one, regardless of their belief, that
    hasn't stood under a clear night sky or a beautiful view of rolling hills without 
    feeling a sense of  romance, a  stirring deep within. But to some that sense 
    of romance may remain loverless, a  mystery they may not even understand 
    is spiritual. 

    The bible tells us:  For since the beginning of the world His invisible nature,
           namely His eternal power  and deity has been clearly perceived in the 
           things that have been made.  So they are without excuse, for although 
           they knew God they did not glorify Him and thank Him as God.  
                                                                                                       Rm.1:20-21 

     How sad that many may never look into their soul to find the Savior and 
    Creator that is  the author of  that sweet stirring. And how sad that many of 
    us who have welcomed our Saviour into the deepest recesses of our heart, 
    and know Him through His Word and our experience, go many days without 
    really lifting our eyes  to His glory, failing to glorify and thank Him.  

    For I know, that though we must accept some days as routine and mundane,
    I  don't have to take a trip to the mountains or the ocean to find His glory. 
    Surely, gazing upon the  splendor of His creation is heart-stirring.  But I can 
    lift my eyes to the hills sitting on my couch, waiting for Him to illuminate a 
    passage that lights up my heart like the most  beautiful of sunrises. 

   I may have to wait on His timing that isn't always as regular as the sunrises, 
   but is as sure.  And I must be patient because some dawns are signals of a 
   storm on the horizon. But if I wait on Him He'll lead me to passages that I've 
   read over and over but can shed new light into the present storm clouds in
   my life:

   When I've  needed  to change my default of withdrawing: 
                  Speak the truth in love. Eph:4-5                                                                                                                  
   When I've been hurt and want to lash out: 
                    Be angry but do not sin.  Eph. 4:26

   When I've been disappointed by someone: 
                    Not all have faith, but God is faithful. 2 Thess. 3:2-3                                                                               
   When I'm suffering:  
                   In this you greatly rejoice though now you have had to suffer
                   a little  while...these have come so that your faith...may be proved 
                   genuine... 1 Peter 1:6-7                                                                                                        
   
   Maybe it's not a mountain-top experience I need for restoration.  Maybe it's 
   just a change of perspective: His.


   I lift mine eyes to the hills .
   He restoreth my soul.
   When the world closes in,
   There my broken pieces are made whole.

   For the dark one is prowling,
   Desiring us to fall.
   But if we become still,
   We can hear the whispering call.

   For His still small voice
   Resides within.
   Flowers sprout from rock crevices
   Then the darkness will begin...

   To fade over into 
   My soul's horizon
   And the glory of daybreak
   Will bring forth the light rising...

   With the dawn of knowing
   He is ever with me.
   No matter what the darkness 
   He holds the key...

   To the perspective of safety.
   No matter what may befall
   He will walk us through it 
   For He is Lord of all.