God and Country

[David Atlee]

from my blog at http://theatleeappeal.com

We will be hearing about Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally up to the midterm elections. The message he and the rest of the speakers had for the nearly half-a-million attendees was pretty clear: Return to the roots that made America great. Whether some people want to believe it or not, America has been the greatest social experiment in the history of mankind. Never before has a nation experienced such tremendous freedom and prosperity. Yes, there have been some dark times – such as the Civil War and the discrimination towards Blacks in the mid 20th century. However, like Beck said, there are lots of positives to focus on. But it all boils down to America’s return to God’s principles that had such a strong role in the creation of this great nation. Don’t believe that the teachings and belief in God played a big role? Consider the following:

George Washington – America’s first General and President: “It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.” letter to Benedict Arnold, Sep. 14, 1775: “While we are contending for our own liberty, we should be very cautious not to violate the rights of conscience in others, ever considering that God alone is the judge of the hearts of men, and to him only in this case they are answerable.”

John Adams – America’s 2nd President: “I have examined all religions, as well as my narrow sphere, my straightened means, and my busy life, would allow; and the result is that the Bible is the best Book in the world. It contains more philosophy than all the libraries I have seen.” – a letter written to Thomas Jefferson in 1813

Thomas Jefferson – Author of the Declaration of Independence and 3rd President: “The Christian religion, when divested of the rags in which they [the clergy] have enveloped it, and brought to the original purity and simplicity of it’s benevolent institutor, is a religion of all others most friendly to liberty, science, and the freest expansion of the human mind.” –Thomas Jefferson to Moses Robinson, 1801. ME 10:237

John Hancock – President of the Continental Congress, first person to sign the Declaration of Independence. “I have the most animating confidence that the present noble struggle for liberty will terminate gloriously for America. And let us play the man for our God, and for the cities of our God; whilst we are using the means in our power, let us humbly commit our righteous cause to the great Lord of the Universe, who loveth righteousness and hateth iniquity. – taken from a speech on March 5, 1774 reflecting on the Boston Massacre.

Benjamin Franklin – Co-signer of the Declaration of Independence: “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?”

John Jay – Founding Father, Co-signer of the Declaration of Independence: “Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.” – from ‘The Public Papers of John Jay’

James Madison – known as the Father of the Constitution: “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.” – June 20, 1785

Alexander Hamilton – wrote 51 of the 85 ‘Federalist Papers’ : “For my own part, I sincerely esteem it a system which without the finger of God, never could have been suggested and agreed upon by such a diversity of interests.” – After the Constitutional Convention of 1787

Many will argue that the Founding Fathers were Deists and not Christians. Well, that might be true. There is a fair amount of evidence that some of the Founding Fathers might have been Deists. However, that is not the argument the likes of Glenn Beck or I am trying to make. Whether or not the Founding Fathers were born-again Christians is irrelevant. However, they were very vocal in their understanding of Biblical teachings and their relevance to the creation of America. Thomas Jefferson, who many claim was a Deist, wrote that we are “endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights..” in the Declaration of Independence. That is a direct acknowledgement of God.

Our country is at a crossroads right now. It is time we put people in office who will stand up for what our Founding Fathers envisioned: A government that followed Biblical principles, and a citizenry that took personal responsibility for their own well being. That is the message behind “Restoring Honor”.

[Mick McKenzie]

Very well said. Nice article.