4th of July 1999
Our constitution has a first amendment and it has several points. One on freedom of the press the other on freedom of religion. The religion clause has two parts, the establishment clause and the interference clause. In short the constitution has as a goal of neutrality toward religion.
Unfortunately there are many zealots on both sides of the issue both filled with unjustified fears.
On one side there are those who are desperately afraid that religion is going to take over government and everyone who does not convert will be forced to believe or will be burned at the stake.
On the other side are those who are afraid that government is restricting our freedom of religion so much that soon government agents will be arresting those who dare to read the Bible in public or wear God tee-shirts or even perhaps a cross.
In reality both fears are exaggerations but over the years there has been a movement toward more freedom from religion rather than freedom of religion.
That goal is for government to guarantee everyone the freedom to do whatever they feel God demands of them necessitates that the government must avoid both interference for religion or against religion.
In essence the religious freedom of each person is seen to come not from government at all instead it comes from God. That freedom is recognized as an area that government must not / can not restrict or endorse.
There are times where our country erred on the side of establishing too much religion. In the current day there is far too many attempts for the government to interfere with the life of the church.
An Example of too much endorsement of religious beliefs..
Excerpts from the Declaration to take up arms, July 6th, 1775 Everyone appointed to public office must say, I do profess faith in God the Father, and in the Lord Jesus Christ His only Son, and in the Holy Ghost. In God who is blessed forevermore I do acknowledge the Holy Scriptures and the Old and New Testaments which are given by divine inspiration. Delaware Constitution of 1776
An Example of proper endorsement of religious beliefs..
Public Statements of faith in God have been made by individuals or groups even cities since before the United States of America was born.
Benjamin Franklin I have lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth -- God Governs in the Affairs of Men, And if a Sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, Is it possible that an empire can rise without His aid?
America is a unique experiment of Faith and Freedom. Those who were a part of it saw their actions as guided by the hand and mind of God.
It is hoped that by God's assistance, some of the continents in the Ocean will be discovered....for the Glory of God. Christopher Columbus
It was the Lord who put into my mind (I could feel His hand upon me) the fact that it would be possible to sail from here to the Indies.... There is no question that the inspiration was from the Holy Spirit, because He comforted me with rays of marvelous inspiration from the Holy Scriptures.... I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics or maps. Christopher Columbus
The Mayflower Compact, November 11th, 1620 Jamestown (The Virginia Company's Charter): (Excerpt from preamble) ...Propagating of Christian religion to such people as yet live in darkness and miserable ignorance of the true knowledge and worship of God, and may in time bring the infidels and savages, living in these parts, to human civility and to a settled and quiet government King James I of England
The first act of the Jamestown Landing Party was to erect a magnificent cross representing the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The second act of the Colonists was to kneel down and commemorate the Last Supper together. Jamestown was the site of the first Protestant Church in America, and Robert Hunt laid down his life for this cause. Upon the base of the tallest and most conspicuous monument in Jamestown reads: ... Make yourselves all of one mind for the good of your country and your own, and to serve and fear God....
All persons living in this province, who confess and acknowledge the One Almighty and Eternal God to be the Creator, Upholder, and Ruler of the world, and that hold themselves obliged in conscience to live peaceably and justly in civil society, shall in no wise be molested or prejudiced for their religious persuasion or practice, in matters of faith and worship; nor shall they be compelled at any time to frequent or maintain any religious worship, place or ministry whatsoever. April 25, 1662- William Penn signed this to establish religious liberty in the new province of (Pennsylvania).
Declaration of Independence, July 4th, 1776
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. We shall not fight alone. God presides over the destinies of nations. The battle is not to the strong alone. Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, ALMIGHTY GOD! Give me liberty or give me death! Patrick Henry
Such being the impressions under which I have, in obedience to the public summons, repaired to the present station, it would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being, who rules over the universe, who presides in the council of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States.. ...Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation, seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency From President George Washington's Inaugural Address, April 30th, 1789, addressed to both Houses of Congress.
See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples;
But upon you the LORD shines, and over you appears his glory. [NAB]
He who shall introduce into public affairs the principles of a primitive Christianity, will change the face of the world Benjamin Franklin
I believe America was as said a grand experiment.
As others said a mission from God.
America was so blessed yet we have walked away from our faith and our morality
1. Sin is more open.
2. Sin is advertised.
3. Sin is taught perhaps more widely than ever before.
4. If God didn't spare Sodom, why should He spare America?
Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance. [NAB]
We are meant to be a light on a hill
lights for the world
How much light have we given off?
Except the Lord build the house, They labor in vain who build it. I firmly believe this. Benjamin Franklin, 1787, Constitutional Convention
We have staked the whole of all 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. President James Madison
of the Constitutional Convention
A general dissolution of Principles and Manners will more surely overthrow the Liberties of America than the whole Force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue they will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader . . . If virtue and knowledge are diffused among the people, they will never be enslaved. This will be their great security. Samuel Adams, 1779
It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible President George Washington, September 17th, 1796
Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports . . . And let us indulge with caution the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion . . . Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail to the exclusion of religious principle.
...The Smiles of Heaven can never be expected On a Nation that disregards the eternal rules of Order and Right, which Heaven Itself Ordained.
Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair; the rest is in the hands of God. Address to the Constitutional Convention 1787
It is extremely important to our nation , in a political as well as religious view, that all possible authority and influence should be given to the scriptures , for these furnish the best principles of civil liberty , and the most effectual support of republican government. The principles of all genuine liberty, and of wise laws and administrations are to be drawn from the Bible and sustained by it's authority. The man therefore who weakens or destroys the divine authority of that book may be accessory to all the public disorders which society is doomed to suffer .... Noah Webster
The Bible must be considered as the great source of all the truth by which men are to be guided in government as well as in all social transactions .... Noah Webster
The moral principles and precepts contained in the Scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws .... Noah Webster
All the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery, and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible .... Noah Webster
The religion which has introduced civil liberty is the religion of Christ and his apostles, which enjoins humility, piety and benevolence; which acknowledges in every person a brother, or a sister, and a citizen with equal rights. This is genuine Christianity , and to this we owe our free constitutions of government.... Noah Webster
It is the sincere desire of the writer (Noah Webster) that our citizens should early understand that the genuine source of correct republican principles is the Bible, particularly the New Testament or the Christian religion. Noah Webster
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. Noah Webster
Whether this [new government] will prove a blessing or a curse will depend upon the use our people make of the blessings which a gracious God hath bestowed on us. If they are wise, they will be great and happy. If they are of a contrary character, they will be miserable. Righteousness alone can exalt them as a nation [Proverbs 14:34]. Reader! Whoever thou art, remember this, and in thy sphere practice virtue thyself and encourage it in others. Patrick Henry
The Bible is worth all other books which have ever been printed. Patrick Henry
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? I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever. President Thomas Jefferson
The reason that Christianity is the best friend of Government is because Christianity is the only religion that changes the heart. President Thomas Jefferson
Of all systems of morality, ancient or modern, which have come under my observation, none appear to be so pure as that of Jesus. Thomas Jefferson, To William Canby, 1813
We have no government armed in power capable of contending in human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other. John Adams, address to the militia of Massachusetts, 1798.
If we make religion our business, God will make it our blessedness. John Adams
I hold the precepts of Jesus as delivered by Himself, to be the most pure,benevolent and sublime which have ever been preached to man... President Thomas Jefferson
The highest story of the American Revolution is this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity. President John Adams
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. And to the same Divine Author of every good and perfect gift [James 1:17] we are indebted for all those privileges and advantages, religious as well as civil, which are so richly enjoyed in this favored land. James Madison
We've staked the whole future of American civilization not on the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us . . . to Govern ourselves according to the commandments of God. The future and success of America is not in this Constitution, but in the laws of God upon which this Constitution is founded. President James Madison
Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers. And it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest, of a Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers. First Chief Justice of Supreme Court John Jay
Accept my thanks for your friendly letter of the 17th ult., and for the sermon and report which accompanied it. Whether the religion permits Christians to vote for infidel rulers, is a question which merits more consideration than it seems to have generally received... Although the mere expediency of public measures may not be a proper subject for the pulpit, yet , in my opinion, it is the right and duty of our pastors to press for the observance of all moral and religious duties, and to animadvert on every course of conduct that may be repugnant to them... John Jay in a letter to John bristed, April 23, 1811
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. James Wilson, a signer of the Constitution and an original Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court
Let the children...be carefully instructed in the principles and obligations of the Christian religion. This is the most essential part of education. The great enemy of the salvation of man, in my opinion, never invented a more effectual means of extirpating [removing] Christianity from the world than by persuading mankind that it was improper to read the Bible at schools. Benjamin Rush
It is no slight testimonial, both to the merit and worth of Christianity, that in all ages since its promulgation the great mass of those who have risen to eminence by their profound wisdom and integrity have recognized and reverenced Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of the living God. President John Quincy Adams
...so great is my veneration for the Bible, and so strong my belief, that when duly read and meditated on, it is of all books in the world, that which contributes most to make men good, wise, and happy---that the earlier my children begin to read it, the more steadily they pursue the practice of reading it throughout their lives, the more lively and confident will be my hopes that they will prove useful citizens to their country, respectable members of society, and a real blessing to their parents. President John Quincy Adams
The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were.... the general principles of Christianity. President John Quincy Adams
...a true American Patriot must be a religious man...He who neglects his duty to his maker, may well be expected to be deficient and insincere in his duty towards the public First Lady Abigail Adams
The Bible is the Rock on which this Republic rests. President Andrew Jackson
If there is anything in my thoughts or style to commend, the credit is due to my parents for instilling in me an early love of the Scriptures. If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity. Daniel Webster
Objects of government. We the people of Maine, in order to establish justice, insure tranquility, provide for our mutual defense, promote our common welfare, and secure to ourselves and our posterity the blessings of liberty, acknowledging with grateful hearts the goodness of the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe in affording us an opportunity, so favorable to the design; and, imploring God's aid and direction in its accomplishment, do agree to form ourselves into a free and independent State, by the style and title of the State of Maine and do ordain and establish the following Constitution for the government of the same.
...We, therefore, the people of Massachusetts, acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the goodness of the great Legislator of the universe, in affording us, in the course of His providence, an opportunity, deliberately and peaceably, without fraud, violence or surprise, of entering into an original, explicit, and solemn compact with each other; and of forming a new constitution of civil government, for ourselves and posterity; and devoutly imploring His direction in so interesting a design, do agree upon, ordain and establish the following Declaration of Rights, and Frame of Government, as the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts...
WE, the people of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, and humbly invoking His guidance, do ordain and establish this Constitution.
The Bible must be considered as the great source of all the truth by which men are to be guided in government as well as in all social transactions.... Noah Webster
The moral principles and precepts contained in the Scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws.... Noah Webster
All the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice , crime , ambition , injustice , oppression , slavery , and war , proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible.... Noah Webster
The religion which has introduced civil liberty is the religion of Christ and his apostles , which enjoins humility , piety and benevolence ; which acknowledges in every person a brother , or a sister , and a citizen with equal rights. This is genuine Christianity , and to this we owe our free constitutions of government.... Noah Webster
It is the sincere desire of the writer (Noah Webster) that our citizens should early understand that the genuine source of correct republican principles is the Bible , particularly the New Testament or the Christian religion. Noah Webster