Restore Christian America

[Soldier4Christ]

The opriginal thread has been accidently lost so I am going to revive it and repost the information that I have. If any of you have posts that were lost with this thread that would like to repost them please do.

[Soldier4Christ]

One of the best ways to teach patriotism as well as Christian history is by familiarizing children with American history from a Christian perspective. This is something that has been missing in our public schools and even in a lot of our private schools for many years. As parents it is our responsibility to insure that our children are taught the truth and are taught in the ways of the Lord. In order for us to do that we must know the truth ourselves. This truth is being irradicated from textbooks and being replaced with falsehoods. It is important not only for our children but for society as a whole.

One of the major events that has brought about this denegration of things in America was the removal of prayer and Bible study/reading in our schools along with the removal of all that pertains to God from our public. The following are charts that show this decline in our society starting with the removal of prayer in our schools in 1963.

Jeremiah 8:9 ... they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what kind of wisdom do they have?

























We see from these charts the importance of restoring our society to God.

[Soldier4Christ]

The following is a partial listing of landmarks throughout the United States showing the Christian foundation of this great nation.


The U.S. Capitol Building:


Prayer Room - A room set aside for prayer has a stained window with Washington in prayer.



In The House Chamber:


In God We Trust is inscribed in letters of gold behind the Speaker's rostrum.



A marble relief of Moses, is above the central Gallery door. The largest Church congregation in America in 1867 met here. Churches had been meeting in the Capitol from the beginning.



Senate:

In God We Trust - placed above Senate main door.



Statues of many early leaders are displayed throughout the Capitol. Most of these were Christians and many were ministers, including George Washington, James Garfield, Samuel Adams, Rev. Peter Muhlenberg, Rev. Roger Williams, Rev. Marcus Whitman, Daniel Webster, Lew Wallace, Rev. Jason Lee, John Winthrop, Rev. Jonathan Trumbull, Roger Sherman, Francis Willard

"What hath God Wrought!" - First message sent over the telegraph in 1844. On Samuel F.B. Morse Plaque outside old Supreme Court Chamber.




The White House:


This inscription is on the State Dining Room fireplace, it was authored by John Adams.

It reads:

"I pray Heaven to Bestow the Best of Blessings on THIS HOUSE and on All that shall hereafter Inhabit it. May none but Honest and Wise Men ever rule under this Roof."


U.S. Supreme Court:


Moses on the rear facade

Moses inside the Supreme Court's courtroom

The Ten Commandments on the Court Chamber doors inside the U.S. Supreme Court



U.S. District Court:


In front of the U.S. District Court Building is a carving of a cross and the Ten Commandments




Library of Congress:


Moses holding the Ten Commandments.


Painting called "Knowledge" in the North Hall that says, "Ignorance is the curse of God knowledge the wing wherewith we fly to Heaven".


Library of Congress:


Located in the rotunda of the Library of Congress is a plaque that states, "ONE GOD, ONE LAW, ONE ELEMENT AND ONE FAROFF DIVINE EVENT TO WHICH THE WHOLE CREATION MOVES."

On the walls and ceiling of the Library of Congress are many Biblical inscriptions. For example:

The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not. (John 1:5)

Wisdom is the principal thing therefore get wisdom and withall thy getting, get understanding. (Proverbs 4:7)

In the Main Reading Room

What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God. (Micah 6:Cool

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handywork. (Psalm 19:1)


In the National Archives is a plaque of the Ten Commandments.

Outside of the Ronald Reagan Building is the "Liberty of Worship" statute resting on the Ten Commandments.



The Washington Monument:


Inscribed upon the monument's capstone are the Latin words: Laus Deo, which means:

"Praise be to God"

Along the stairway within the monument there are 190 caved tributes donated by states, cities, individuals, societies, and foreign powers. Many of these contain scriptures and references to God.

Examples of some of these inscriptions include:

"In God We Trust"
Exodus 28:36 & 39:30
Zechariah 14:20
John 5:39
Acts 17:11
Proverbs 10:7 & 22:6


Jefferson Memorial:


"Almighty God hath created the mind free, all attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burthens ... are a departure from the plan of the Holy Author of our religion ... no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship or ministry or shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief, but all men shall be free to profess and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion. I know but one code of morality for men whether acting singly or collectively."

Another inscription (in part) states:

"God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the Liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever."



The Lincoln Memorial:


On the north chamber wall are inscribed excerpts from Lincoln's second inaugural address.


"Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces, but let us judge not, that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered. That of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes. "Woe unto the world because of offenses; for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh." If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him? Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."   3
  With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."



The Liberty Bell:

Inscribed on the bell:

Leviticus 25:10 And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.


The Governor's Palace:


Governors Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson once lived in this Governor's Palace located in Williamsburg Virginia.

On November 11, 1779, while Jefferson was Governor and living in the Palace he issued a proclamation appointing "a day of publick and solemn thanksgiving and prayer to Almighty God, earnestly recommending to all the good people of this commonwealth, to set apart the said day for those purposes, and to the several Ministers of religion to meet their respective societies thereon, to assist them in their prayers, edify them with their discourses, and generally to perform the sacred duties of their function, proper for the occasion.

...for the continuance of his favor and protection to these United States;...that He would... spread the light of christian knowledge through the remotest corners of the earth;...That he would in mercy look down upon us, pardon all our sins, and receive us into his favour; and finally, that he would establish the independence of these United States upon the basis of religion and virtue, and support and protect them in the enjoyment of peace, liberty and safty."

The Parlor Room has 34 Scripture prints hanging on the walls. These drawings are of scenes from the life of Christ.

[Soldier4Christ]

John Jay, 1777
The first Chief Justice of the United States

"Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and the interest, of a Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers."


James Wilson,
a signer of the Constitution and an original Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court

"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."


Justice Samuel Chase
Runkel v. Winemiller, 1799

"Religion is of general and public concern, and on its support depend, in great measure, the peace and good order of government, the safety and happiness of the people. By our form of government, the Christian religion is the established religion; and all sects and denominations of Christians are placed upon the same equal footing, and are equally entitled to protection in their religious liberty."


Justice Joseph Story

"The real object of the First Amendment was not to countenance [approve of], much less to advance Mohammedanism, or Judaism, or infidelity [secularism], by prostrating [overcoming] Christianity, but to exclude all rivalry among Christian sects [denominations]..."
Justice Joseph Story
A Familiar Exposition of the Constitution of the United States 1840

"We are not to attribute this prohibition of the national religious establishment [in the First Amendment] to any indifference to religion in general, and especially to Christianity (which none could hold in more reverence than the framers of the Constitution)... at the time of the adoption of the Constitution, the general, if not the universal, sentiment in America was, that Christianity ought to receive encouragement from the State so far as was not incompatible with the private rights of conscience and the freedom of religious worship.

... Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall, when the wise are banished from the public councils, because they dare to be honest, and the profligate [immoral] are rewarded, because they flatter the people, in order to betray them."
Justice Joseph Story
Vidal v. Girard's Executors 1844

"Christianity... is not to be maliciously and openly reviled and blasphemed against, to the annoyance of believers or the injury of the public..."
Justice Joseph Story

"There is not a truth to be gathered from history more certain, or more momentous, than this: that civil liberty cannot long be separated from religious liberty without danger, and ultimately without destruction to both.

"Wherever religious liberty exists, it will, first or last, bring in and establish political liberty."
Chief Justice John Marshall
In a letter to Jasper Adams, May 9, 1833

"The American population is entirely Christian, and with us Christianity and Religion are identified. It would be strange indeed, if with such a people, our institutions did not presuppose Christianity, and did not often refer to it, and exhibit relations with it."
Thomas Cooley
In his General Principles of Constitutional Law 1890

"It was never intended by the Constitution that the government should be prohibited from recognizing religion, or that religious worship should never be provided for in cases where a proper recognition of Divine Providence in the working of government might seem to require it... The Christian religion was always recognized in the administration of the common law of the land, the fundamental principles of that religion must continue to be recognized in the same cases and to the same extent as formerly."
Judge Gallagher
Baer v. Kolmorgen
The Supreme Court of New York 1958

"Much has been written in recent years...to "a wall of separation between church and State." ...It has received so much attention that one would almost think at times that it is to be found somewhere in our Constitution."
Justice Potter Stewart

"I think that the Court's task, in this as in all areas of constitutional adjudication, is not responsibly aided by the uncritical invocation of metaphors like the "wall of separation," a phrase nowhere to be found in the Constitution."
Justice William Rehnquist
Wallace v. Jafree 1985

"It is impossible to build sound consitutional doctrine upon a mistaken understanding of Constitutional history... The establishment clause had been expressly freighted with Jefferson's misleading metaphor for nearly forty years... There is simply no historical foundation for the proposition that the framers intended to build a wall of separation [between church and state]... The recent court decisions are in no way based on either the language or intent of the framers."
Justice William Rehnquist

"But the greatest injury of the "wall" notion is its mischievous diversion of judges from the actual intentions of the drafters of the Bill of Rights... The "wall of separation between church and State" is a metaphor based on bad history, a metaphor which has proved useless as a guide to judging. It should be frankly and explicitly abandoned."
—U.S. Supreme Court, 1811—
The People v. Ruggles
Justice James Kent delivered the Court's opinion:

"The defendant was indicted... in December, 1810, for that he did, on the 2nd day of September, 1810... wickedly, maliciously, and blasphemously, utter, and with a loud voice publish, in the presence of hearing of divers good and Christian people, of and concerning the Christian religion, and of and concerning Jesus Christ, the false, scandalous, malicious, wicked and blasphemous words following: "Jesus Christ is a bastard, and his mother must be a whore", in contempt of the Christian religion... the defendant was tried and found guilty, and was sentenced by the court to be imprisoned for three months, and to pay a fine of $500.

Such words uttered with such a disposition were an offense at common law. In Taylor's case the defendant was convicted upon information of speaking similar words, and the Court... said that Christianity was parcel of the law, and to cast contumelious reproaches upon it, tended to weaken the foundation of moral obligation, and the efficacy of oaths.

And in the case of Rex vs. Woolston's, on a like conviction, the Court said... that whatever strikes at the root of Christianity tends manifestly to the dissolution of civil government... the authorities show that blasphemy against God and... profane ridicule of Christ or the Holy Scriptures (which are equally treated as blasphemy), are offenses punishable at common law, rather uttered by words or writings... because it tends to corrupt the morals of the people, and to destroy good order.

Such offenses have always been considered independent of any religious establishment or the rights of the Church. They are treated as affecting the essential interest of civil society...

We stand equally in need, now as formerly, of all the moral discipline, and of those principles of virtue, which help to bind society together.

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; and to scandalize the author of these doctrines is not only... impious, but... is a gross violation of decency and good order.

Nothing could be more injurious to the tender morals of the young, then to declare such profanity lawful...

The free, equal, and undisturbed enjoyment of religious opinion, whatever it may be, and free and descent discussions on any religious subject, is granted and secured; but to revile... the religion professed by almost the whole community, is an abuse of that right...

We are a Christian people, and the morality of the country is deeply engrafted upon Christianity, and not upon the doctrines of worship of those impostors [other religions]...

[We are] people whose manners are refined and whose morals has been elevated and inspired with a more enlarged benevolence, by means of the Christian religion. Though the Constitution has discarded religious establishments, it does not forbid judicial cognizance of those offenses against religion and morality which have no reference to any such establishment...

This [constitutional] declaration (noble and magnanimous as it is, when duly understood) never meant to withdraw religion in general, and with it the best sanctions of moral and social obligation from all consideration and notice of Law...

To construe it as breaking down the common law barriers against licentious, wanton, and impious attacks upon Christianity itself, would be an enormous perversion of its meaning...

Christianity in its enlarged sense, as a religion revealed and taught in the Bible, is part and parcel of the law of the land...

Nor are we bound by any expression of the Constitution, as some has strangely supposed, either not to punish at all, or to punish indiscriminately like attacks upon the religion of Mahomet and the Grand Lama; and for this plain reason, that we are a Christian people, and the morality of this country is deeply engrafted upon Christianity, and not upon the doctrines or worship of these impostors...

[Soldier4Christ]

The Court is accordingly of the opinion that the judgment... must be affirmed."
—U. S. Supreme Court, 1892—
Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States

"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.... "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 [which] 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 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. Those 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 government, the preservation of liberty, and the happiness of mankind."
—U.S. Supreme Court, 1931—
U.S. vs. Macintosh

"We are a Christian people... and acknowledge with reverence the duty of obedience to the will of God."
—U. S. Supreme Court, 1952—
Zorach v. Clauson

"The First Amendment, however, does not say that in every respect there shall be a separation of Church and State. Rather, it studiously defines the manner, the specific ways, in which there shall be no concert or union or dependency one on the other.

That is the common sense of the matter. Otherwise the state and religion would be aliens to each other—hostile, suspicious, and even unfriendly...

Municipalities would not be permitted to render police or fire protection to religious groups. Policemen who helped parishioners into places of worship would violate the Constitution. Prayers in our legislative halls; the appeals to the Almighty in the messages of the Chief Executive; the proclamation making Thanksgiving Day a holiday; "so help me God" in our courtroom oaths—these and all other references to the Almighty that run through our laws, or public rituals, our ceremonies, would be flouting the First Amendment. A fastidious atheist or agnostic could even object to the supplication with which the Court opens each session: God save the United States and this Honorable Court.

We are a religious people and our institutions presuppose a Supreme Being... When the state encourages religious instruction or cooperates with religious authorities by adjusting the schedule of public events to sectarian needs, it follows the best of our traditions.

For it then respects the religious nature of our people and accommodates the public service to their spiritual needs. To hold that it may not would be to find in the Constitution a requirement that the government show a callous indifference to religious groups. That would be preferring those who believe in no religion over those who do believe...

We find no constitutional requirement making it necessary for government to be hostile to religion and to throw its weighed against the efforts to widen the scope of religious influence. The government must remain neutral when it comes to competition between sects...

We cannot read into the Bill of Rights such a philosophy of hostility to religion."

[Soldier4Christ]

Benjamin Rush
Signer of the Declaration of Independence and the
"Father of Public Schools"

"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

“[T]he only foundation for a useful education in a republic is to be laid in religion. Without this, there can be no virtue and without virtue, there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments. Without religion, I believe that learning does real mischief to the morals and principles of mankind.”
Fisher Ames
First Session Congressman from Massachusetts; writer of the First Amendment

"Should not the Bible regain the place it once held as a schoolbook? Its morals are pure, its examples are captivating and noble... The reverence for the sacred book that is thus early impressed lasts long; and, probably, if not impressed in infancy, never takes firm hold of the mind... In no Book is there so good English, so pure and so elegant, and by teaching all the same they will speak alike, and the Bible will justly remain the standard of language as well as of faith."
Fisher Ames
Sept. 20, 1789, Palladium magazine

"We have a dangerous trend beginning to take place in our education. We're starting to put more and more textbooks into our schools... We've become accustomed of late of putting little books into the hands of children containing fables and moral lessons... We are spending less time in the classroom on the Bible, which should be the principle text in our schools... The Bible states these great moral lessons better than any other manmade book."
Gouverneur Morris
Signer and writer of the final draft of the Constitution

"Religion is the only solid basis of good morals; therefore education should teach the precepts of religion, and the duties of man towards God."
William Holmes McGuffey
Considered the "Schoolmaster of the Nation", published the McGuffey's Reader in 1836. By 1963 125 million copies were sold making it the most used textbook of all times.

From it's foreword McGuffey wrote:

      The Christian religion is the religion of our country. From it are derived our prevalent notions of the character of God, the great moral governor of the universe. On its doctrines are founded the particularities of our free institutions.

      The Ten Commandments and the teachings of Jesus are not only basic but plenary.

Lesson 37 from McGuffey's Eclectic First Reader entitled—Evening Prayer

      At the close of the day, before you go to sleep, you should not fail to pray to God to keep you from sin and from harm. You ask your friends for food, and drink, and books, and clothes; and when they give you the things, you thank them, and love them for the good they do you. So you should ask your God for those things which he can give you, and which no one else can give you.
      You should ask him for life, and health, and strength; and you should pray to him to keep your feet from the ways of sin and shame. You should thank him for all his good gifts; and learn, while young, to put your trust in him; and the kind care of God will be with you, both in your youth and your old age.

Lesson 62 entitled—Don't Take Strong Drink

      No little boy or girl should ever drink rum or whiskey, unless they want to become drunkard's. Man who drink are glad to have any excuse for doing it... and the man who uses it, becomes a sot. Then he is seen tottering through the streets, a shame to himself and to all his family. And oh, how dreadful to die a drunkard. The Bible says no drunkard shall inherit the kingdom of heaven. Whiskey makes the happy miserable, and it causes the rich to become poor.

In the preface of his Eclectic Third Reader—1837

      In making [my] selections, [I have] drawn from the purest fountains the English ligature... For the copious extracts made from the Sacred Scripture, [I make] no apology.
      Indeed, upon a review of the work, [I am] not sure but an apology may be due for [my] not having still more liberally transferred to [my] pages the chaste simplicity, the thrilling pathos, the living descriptions, and the matchless sublimity of the sacred writings.
      From no source has the author drawn more copiously than from the Sacred Scriptures. For this certainly apprehend no censure. In a Christian country, that man is to be pitied, who, at this day, can honestly object to imbuing the minds of youth with the language and spirit of the Word of God.

McGuffey instructs:

      1. The Bible is evidently to give us correct information concerning the creation of all things, by the omnipotent Word of God; to make known to us the state of holiness and happiness of our first parents in Paradise, and their dreadful fall from that condition by transgression against God, which is the original cause of all our sin and misery...
      3. The Scriptures are especially designed to make us wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus; to reveal to us the mercy of the Lord in him; to form our minds after the likeness and God our Savior; to build up our souls in wisdom and faith, in love and holiness; to make us thoroughly furnished unto good works, enabling us to glorify God on earth; and, to lead us to an imperishable inheritance among the spirits of just men made perfect, and finally to be glorify with Christ in heaven.

Lesson 21 from the Eclectic Third Reader:

      1. The morality taught by Jesus Christ was purer, sounder, sublimer and more perfect than had ever before entered into the imagination, or preceded from the lips of man...

Lesson 31 entitled—On Speaking Truth

      1. A little girl once came into the house, and told her mother a story about something which seemed very improbable.
      2. The persons who were sitting in the room with her mother did not believe the little girl, for they did not know her character. But the mother replied at once, "I have no doubt that it is true, for I never knew my daughter to tell a lie." Is there not something noble in having such a character as this?
      3. Must not that little girl have felt happy in the consciousness of thus possessing her mother's entire confidence? Oh, how different must have been her feelings from those of the children whose words cannot be believed, and who is regarded by everyone with suspicion? Shame, shame on the child who has not magnanimity enough to tell the truth...
      10. How awful must be the scene which will open before you, as you enter the eternal world! You will see the throne of God: how bright, how glorious, will it burst upon your sight! You will see God, the Savior, seated upon the majestic throne. Angels, in number more than can be counted, will fill the universe, with their glittering wings, and their rapturous songs. Oh, what a scene to behold! And then you will stand in the presence of his countless throng, to answer for every thing you have done while you lived.
      11. Every action and every thought of your life will be fresh in your mind. You know it is written in the Bible, "God will bring every working into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil." How must the child then feel who has been guilty of falsehood and deception, and who sees it then all brought to light! No liar can enter the kingdom of heaven. Oh, how dreadful must be the confusion in shame, with which the deceitful child will then be overwhelmed! The Angels will all see your sin and disgrace.
      12. And do you thank they will wish to have a liar enter heaven and be associated with them? No! They will turn from you with disgust. The Savior will look upon you in his displeasure. Conscience will read your soul. And you must hear the awful sentence, "Depart from me, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."
      Questions:
      1. What is the subject of this lesson?
      2. What did the little girl do?
      3. What did the company think?
      4. What did her mother say of her?
      5. How must the little girl have felt when her mother said she could not doubt her word?...


cont'd on page two

[Soldier4Christ]

Page Two

"Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well the main end of his life and studies is to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life (John 17:3) and therefore to lay Christ in the bottom as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning. And seeing the Lord only giveth wisdom, let every one seriously set himself by prayer in secret to seek it of Him (Prov. 2, 3). Every one shall so exercise himself in reading the Scriptures twice a day that he shall be ready to give such an account of his proficiency therein."
Connecticut,1690

"...there are many persons unable to read the English tongue and thereby incapable to read the holy Word of God... it is ordered that all parents and masters shall cause their respective children and servants, as they are capable, to be taught to read distinctly the English tongue."
Yale, 1701

"The Scriptures... morning and evening [are] to be read by the students at the times of prayer in the school... studiously endeavor[ing] in the education of said students to promote the power and purity of religion."
Princeton
Rev. Dr. John Witherspoon

"Every student shall attend worship in the college hall morning and evening at the hours appointed and shall behave with gravity and reverence during the whole service. Every student shall attend public worship on the Sabbath... Besides the public exercises of religious worship on the Sabbath, there shall be assigned to each class certain exercises for their religious instruction suited to the age and standing of the pupils... and no student belonging to any class shall neglect them."
Columbia College, 1787


"No candidate shall be admitted into the College... unless he shall be able to render into English... the Gospels from the Greek... It is also expected that all students attend public worship on Sundays."
Noah Webster
"Education is useless without the Bible." Daniel Webster
His defense of Dartmouth College before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1819

"Whereas... the Reverend Eleazar Wheelock [Founder of Dartmouth College]... educated a number of the children of the Indian natives with a view to their carrying the Gospel in their own language and spreading the knowledge of the great Redeemer among their savage tribes. And... the design became reputable among the Indians insomuch that a larger number desired the education of their children in said school [Dartmouth College]... for the education and instruction of youths... in reading, writing and all parts of learning which shall appear necessary and expedient for civilizing and Christianizing the children."
Thomas Paine Criticizes the Current
Public School Science Curriculum

In a speech he delivered in Paris on January 16, 1797, Thomas Paine harshly criticized what the French were then teaching in their science classes-especially the philosophy they were using. Interestingly, that same science philosophy of which Thomas Paine was so critical is identical to that used in our public schools today. Paine's indictment of that philosophy is particularly significant in light of the fact that all historians today concede that Thomas Paine was one of the very least religious of our Founders. Yet, even Paine could not abide teaching science, which excluded God's work and hand in the creation of the world and of all scientific phenomena. Below is an excerpt from that speech.

Thomas Paine
on "The Study of God"
Delivered in Paris on January 16, 1797, in a
Discourse to the Society of Theophilanthropists

"It has been the error of the schools to teach astronomy, and all the other sciences and subjects of natural philosophy, as accomplishments only; whereas they should be taught theologically, or with reference to the Being who is the author of them: for all the principles of science are of Divine origin. Man cannot make, or invent, or contrive principles. He can only discover them; and he ought to look through the discovery to the Author.

cont'd on page three

[Soldier4Christ]

Page Three

When we examine an extraordinary piece of machinery, an astonishing pile of architecture, a well executed statue or a highly finished painting where life and action are imitated, and habit only prevents our mistaking a surface of light and shade for cubical solidity, our ideas are naturally led to think of the extensive genius and talents of the artist. When we study the elements of geometry, we think of Euclid. When we speak of gravitation, we think of Newton. How then is it, that when we study the works of God in the creation, we stop short, and do not think of God? It is from the error of the schools in having taught those subjects as accomplishments only, and thereby separated the study of them form the Being who is the author of them. . . .

The evil that has resulted from the error of the schools in teaching natural philosophy as an accomplishment only has been that of generating in the pupils a species of atheism. Instead of looking through the works of the creation to the Creator himself, they stop short, and employ the knowledge they acquire to create doubts of His existence. They labor with studied ingenuity to ascribe everything they behold to innate properties of matter; and jump over all the rest, by saying that matter is eternal."

While Benjamin Franklin was serving in London as diplomat from the Colonies to the King, Franklin met Englishman Thomas Paine (born 1737, died 1809). Franklin arranged for him to move to America in 1774 and helped set him up in the printing business. In 1776, Paine wrote Common Sense, which helped fuel the separation of America from Great Britain. He then served as a soldier in the American Revolution. He returned to England in 1787, and then went to France in 1792 as a supporter of the French Revolution. In 1794, he published his Age of Reason, the deistic work, which brought him much criticism from his former American friends. Upon his return to America in 1802, he found no welcome and eventually died as an outcast.

Congress of the Confederation
Sept. 10, 1782 in response to the need for Bibles Congress granted approval to print -- "a neat edition of the Holy Scriptures for the use of schools." This endorsement of Congress was printed on its front page:





"Whereupon, Resolved, That the United States in Congress assembled... recommend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United States, and hereby authorize [Robert Aitken] to publish this recommendation in the manner he shall think proper."

—United States Supreme Court, 1844—

Vidal v. Girard's Executors

A Deist from France died in Philadelphia leaving $7 million to establish an orphanage and school with the stipulation that no religious influence be allowed. The city rejected the proposal.

"The plan of education proposed is anti-Christian, and therefore repugnant to the law... The purest principles of morality are to be taught. Where are they found? Whoever searches for them must go to the source from which a Christian man derives his faith—the Bible... There is an obligation to teach what the Bible alone can teach, a pure system of morality...

Both in the New and Old Testaments [religious instruction's] importance is recognized. In the Old it is said, "Thou shalt diligently teach them to thy children," and the New, "Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not..." No fault can be found with Girard for wishing a marble college to bear his name forever, but it is not valuable unless it has a fragrance of Christianity about it."

Justice Joseph Story gave the court's unanimous opinion:

"Christianity... is not to be maliciously and openly reviled and blasphemed against, to the annoyance of believers or the injury of the public...

It is unnecessary for us, however, to consider the establishment of a school or collage, for the propagation of... Deism, or any other form of infidelity. Such a case is not to be presumed to exist in a Christian country...

Why may not laymen instruct in the general principles of Christianity as well as ecclesiastics... And we cannot overlook the blessings, which such [lay]men by their conduct, as well as their instructions, may, nay must, impart to their youthful pupils.

Why may not the Bible, and especially the New Testament... be read and taught as a Divine Revelation in the [school] — its general precepts expounded, its evidences explained and its glorious principles of morality inculcated?

What is there to prevent a work, not sectarian, upon the general evidences of Christianity, from being read and taught in the college by lay teachers? It may well be asked, what is there in all this, which is positively enjoined, inconsistent with the spirit or truths of the religion of Christ? Are not these truths all taught by Christianity, although it teaches much more?

Where can the purest principles of morality be learned so clearly or so perfectly as from the New Testament?"

—United States Supreme Court, 1948—

McCollum v. Board of Education

"Traditionally, organized education in the Western world was Church educated. It could hardly be otherwise when the education of children was primarily study of the Word and the ways of God. Even in the Protestant countries, where there was a less close identification of Church and State, the basis of education was largely the Bible, and its chief purpose inculcation of piety."

Calvin Coolidge

Address to the Holy Name Society in Washington, D.C. September 21, 1924

"The worst evil that could be inflicted upon the youth...would be to leave them without restraint...at the mercy of their own uncontrolled inclinations. Under such conditions education would be impossible, and all orderly development...hopeless. I do not need to picture the result."

President Coolidge concluded:

"It seems...perfectly plain that...the right to equality, liberty and property...have for their foundation reverence for God. If we could imagine that swept away...our American government could not long survive."

[Soldier4Christ]

Many of our founding fathers are quoted by people to give the indication that they were not Christians. Many of the quotes used to come to this conclusion have been taken out of context and therefore twisted to meet a persons given agenda.

First of all though it must be noted that it is generally accepted that over 250 men were instrumental in the foundation of our country, thus qualifying for the designation of "founding father". Take a look at the following list:

56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence
14 Presidents from 1774 to 1789 [President of the United States in Continental Congress]
First 4-6 Presidents of the United States beginning with George Washington
36+ prominent military leaders of the Revolutionary War
55 Men in the Constitutional Convention
38 Signers of the Constitution
13 State Governors responsible for leading the ratification of the Constitution
90 Members of the First Congress—creators of the Bill of Rights

Plus:
Earliest members of the Supreme Court
Others like Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, and Noah Webster who called for the Constitutional Convention

When a particular founder is quoted and appears to NOT be a Christian, always remember that there are these 250 + men. Most of them are NEVER questioned nowadays in regards to their faith. A few like John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and Benjamin Franklin, and James Madison have been isolated with quotes to try to show they were not Christians. We never hear Charles Carroll, Alexander Hamilton, Elias Budinout, John Quincy Adams, Patrick Henry, or many others questioned in regards to faith, with any serious allegations.


Many times you will see quotes that omits material with an ellipsis " ...... ". Be careful when reading these types of quotes because they are missing material that may change the meaning of the quote. This is done quite frequently by those that have an agenda and want to "prove" their point by eliminating a portion of the quote that disproves the point they are trying to make. It is acceptable to use ellipsis in order to conserve space but not when it changes the meaning of the quote.

Another thing that we must take in consideration is what is known as "life seasons". A life season refers to a time in our lives where actions, beliefs, words, and motives may differ from other times in our lives.
For instance, a teenager may believe that he will never die, at least not soon, and has little to no concern for safety. His actions are affected and he drives like a maniac everywhere he goes and talks about doing daring things and brags when he does them.

Often a life season is a temporary phenomenon. Another life season we may encounter is the time in our lives when we have young children. Suddenly we are concerned about safety, wholesomeness in our actions and words, and we may become embarrassed about our former wild days [or just laugh at them!]. Other life seasons occur when a relative dies, a financial reversal happens, or some other major event. During those times, we may say or do things that do not characterize our true, and dearly held beliefs, but we say them out of anxiety, frustration, or other emotions. Therefore we need to look at the overall comments made by them, not just one lone quote.

Historical Revisionism: 1) The changing or re-writing of history done to accomplish a social agenda and to agree with current beliefs 2) Lies

It is a known fact that history is often revised to suit the needs of the speaker. Hitler revised history to fit his desires and beliefs. Revised history can appear so true that it is often believed without a question. This is exactly what happend during WWII. We could give many contemporary examples of historical revisionism. Many times the revision is not done knowingly, but un-knowingly...but it is revision nonetheless.

In our current discussion, we must regard the possibility that history could be revised in regards to the faith of our founders and their intent for our country from a religious standpoint. When examining a quote, please consider the possibility that the quote is a product of historical revisionism [including any quote I give you!!!].

Begin your studies by reading all the inaugural addresses of our presidents. These documents have been meticulously protected and are widely available. Read the Northwest Ordinance. Read George Washington's farewell address. After reading these documents, formulate a tentative position on the faith and intent of our founders. Do this apart from any of your previously held beliefs. Then look up the religious affliliations of our presidents. Are any of them Jewish, Muslim, or atheistic? How many attended church? Then look at our currency, "In God we trust"...is this a deistic belief? Do you know what Deism is? Study deistic beliefs and compare them to what you see on our coins. Investigate Supreme court rulings from the first 100 years of our nation. Was Christianity and religion alientated from public life? What did the US Supreme Court say? These cases and the written opinions have also been wonderfully preserved. After this initial study, you will be ready to tackle larger issues and able to study letters, public speeches, etc.

Never forget that historical revisionism must be dealt with in any serious study of history, including the founding of our own country.



John Adams, "This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it!!!"

This quote is taken from a letter from John Adams to Thomas Jefferson, April 19, 1817; page 2. Library of Congress page that contains this excerpt: http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/vc006646.jpg

In the this letter, John Adams is recalling a conversation between a Parson and a Schoolteacher (pedagogue);
_________________________________________________________________
"...The Parson and the Pedagogue lived much together, but were eternally disputing about government and religion. One day, when the Schoolmaster had been more than commonly fanatical and declared if he were a Monarch, He would have but one Religion in his Dominion. The Parson cooly replied 'Cleverly! You would be the best man in the world, if you had no religion.'
Twenty times, in the course of my late reading, have I been upon the point of breaking out, 'This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it!!!' But in this exclamatic I should have been as fanatical as Bryant or Cleverly. Without religion this world would be something not fit to be mentioned in polite company, I mean Hell..."
_________________________________________________________________

I have seen many people quote John Adams as saying that "This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it!" --- but notice that this is taken severely out of context and that Mr. Adams is relaying his frustration with those who fight between denominations, supposing that their particular Christian denomination is best and should be the only one [as the Schoolmaster is noted as saying in the above letter]. John Adams believed that government should never impose a denomination/particular religion upon the people. And in his frustration he said that he almost wished there to be no religion, but this of course was not his true wish. His true wish was for peace between denominations and lack of governmental pressure to adhere to a certain denomination. As he said above, "Without religion this world would be something not fit to be mentioned in polite company, I mean Hell..."

Taking quotes out of context:
Notice how Adams could be misunderstood if one or two phrases were quoted out of context? That is exactly what is done by many who do not want to admit to our Founders faith and vision for faith in government. Many who use quotes improperly do so out of ignorance, others simply knowingly lie.

[Soldier4Christ]

On August 1, 1776, Samuel Adams stood before a large crowd on the steps of the Philadelphia Statehouse and delivered a speech before the formal signing of the Declaration Of Independence on August 2, 1776. In his speech he stated: "We have explored the temple of Royalty and found that the idol that we have bowed down to has Eyes which see not, Ears that hear not our Prayers, and a heart like the nether millstone. We have this day restored the Sovereign to Whom alone all men ought to be obedient; He reigns in Heaven, and with a propitious Eye beholds His subjects assuming that freedom of thought, and dignity of self direction, which He bestowed upon them. From the rising to the setting Sun, may His Kingdom come."


Jesus said unto him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:37-40

In the same manner, the Constitution and Bill of Rights hang on Jefferson's first two paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence.

Justice William O. Douglas of the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1961 case of McGowan vs. Maryland: "The institutions of our society are founded on the belief that there is an authority higher than the authority of the State; that there is a moral law which the State is powerless to alter; that the individual possess rights, conferred by the Creator which government must respect. The Declaration Of Independence stated the now familiar theme: 'We hold these Truths to be self evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.' And the body of the Constitution as well as the Bill of Rights enshrined these principles."  (The following year, prayer was removed from schools.)



The opening paragraph of the Declaration of Independence in which Thomas Jefferson also provided the draft for the Declaration):

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation." The second paragraph continues: 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, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness...."

"Unalienable rights" are "entitled" if they do not violate "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" which lays out the boundaries and rules for America's Laws, just as athletes are "entitled" to play according to the boundaries and rules of their sport. Otherwise there would be chaos. Civil Rights and Liberties are "entitled" by "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God." Yet marriage is being redefined and schools are now teaching our children that which "goes against nature" is normal. What then is the real "hate crime?" Being out of the boundaries of "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God," as is homosexuality, depicts the chaos in the facts and consequenses of that lifestyle. Or did Thomas Jefferson write the opening paragraph in vain, but not a letter to the Baptists?

The origin of this statement from Sir William Blackstone (1723-1780) Knight, King's Counsel, Solicitor to the Queen, Member of Parliament, and a Justice of the Court of Common Pleas and the King's Bench. Book 1, Section II of the Commentaries, entitled "Of the Nature of Laws in General."  Precisely: "This law of nature, being coeval [existing at the same time - ed.] with mankind, and dictated by God himself, is of course superior in obligation to any other. It is binding over all the globe in all countries, and at all times: no human laws are of any validity, if contrary to this; and such of them as are valid derive all their force and all their authority, mediately or immediately, from this original."

And: "This law of nature, being co-eval with mankind and dictated by God himself, is of course superior in obligation to any other. It is binding over all the globe, in all countries, and at all times: no human laws are in validity, if contrary to this; and such of them as are valid derive all their force, and all their authority, mediately or immediately, from this original."

"Upon these two foundations, the law of nature and the law of revelation, depend all human laws; that is to say, no human laws should be suffered [permitted] to contradict these." William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England, 4 vols. (Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, [1765–1769] 1979), 1:38, 41, 42.

Thomas Jefferson further complies when he said "A free people claim their rights as derived from the laws of nature, and not as the gift of their chief magistrate." AND "[It is] God who 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 a Gift of God?"

This means God, not the State, nor the Federal Government is the author of "Rights," according to "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God," regardless of what the ACLU or the "despotic branch" would coerce us into believing.

So why do liberals, despotic judges and the ACLU believe otherwise? And if these quotes from Jefferson properly represents his intent for our Nation, then why does the liberal left continue to misrepresent a letter he wrote to the Baptists and twist the phrase "Separation of Church and State" to deceive and steal America's Christian Heritage? And why are they getting away with it?

Therefore, the law is ignored And justice is never upheld. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore, justice comes out perverted. Habakkuk 1:4 (NASB)



First Prayer in Congress

As recorded in the Journals of the Continental Congress the Rev. Mr. Jacob Duche, an Episcopal clergyman, was invited to open the First Congress with prayer which was held in Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, PA. The Rev. Mr. Duche first read Psalms 35 from the Psalter for the Seventh day of September, 1774, then proceeded to extemporaneously pray the following prayer:

"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 that 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 seeth 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 Savior, Amen."

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."

[Soldier4Christ]

John Witherspoon, Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Member of the Continental Congress, President of Princeton College and ordained Pastor. Spoken in a sermon delivered May 17, 1776.




The Dominion of Providence Over the Passions of Men
by John Witherspoon
May, 1776

In the first place, I would take the opportunity on this occasion, and from this subject, to press every hearer to a sincere concern for his own soul's salvation. There are times when the mind may be expected to be more awake to divine truth, and the conscience more open to the arrows ofconviction than at others. A season of public judgment is of this kind. Can you have a clearer view of the sinfulness of your nature, than when the rod of the oppressor is lifted up, and when you see men putting on the habit of the warrior, and collecting on every hand the weapons of hostility and instruments of death? I do not blame your ardour in preparing for the resolute defense of your temporal rights; but consider, I beseech you, the truly infinite importance of the salvation of your souls. Is it of much moment whether you and your children shall be rich or poor, at liberty or in bonds? Is it of much moment whether this beautiful country shall increase in fruitfulness from year to year, being cultivated by active industry, and possessed by independent freemen, or the scanty produce of the neglected fields shall be eaten up by hungry publicans, while the timid owner trembles at the tax-gatherer's approach? And is it of less moment, my brethren, whether you shall be the heirs of glory of the heirs of hell? Is your state on earth for a few fleeting years of so much moment? And is it of less moment what shall be your state through endless ages! Have you assembled together willingly to hear what shall be said on public affairs, and to join in imploring the blessing of God on the counsels and arms of the United Colonies, and can you be unconcerned what shall become of you for ever, when all the monuments of human greatness shall be laid in ashes, for "the earth itself, and all the works that are therein shall be burnt up."

Wherefore, my beloved hearers, as the ministry of reconciliation is committed to me, I beseech you in the most earnest manner, to attend to "the things that belong to your peace, before they are hid from your eyes". How soon, and in what manner a seal shall be set upon the character and state of every person here present, it is impossible to know. But you may rest assured, that there is no time more suitable, and there is none so safe as that which is present, since it is wholy uncertain whether any other shall be yours. Those who shall first fall in battle, have not many more warnings to receive. There are some few daring and hardened sinners, who despise eternity itself, and set their Maker at defiance; but the far greater number, by staving off their convictions to a more convenient season, have been taken unprepared, and thus eternally lost. I would therefore earnestly press the apostle's exhortation, 2 Cor 6: 1-2... "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."

Suffer me to beseech you, or rather to give you warning, not to rest satisfied with a form of godliness, denying the power thereof. There can be no true religion, till there be a discovery of your lost state by nature and practice, and an unfeigned acceptance of Christ Jesus, as he is offered in the gospel. Unhappy are they who either despise his mercy, or are ashamed of his cross. Believe it, "There is no salvation in any other." "There is no other name under heaven given amongst men by which we must be saved." Unless you are united to him by a lively faith, not the resentment of a haughty monarch, the sword of divine justice hangs over you, and the fulness of divine vengeance shall speedily overtake you. I do not speak this only to the heaven-daring profligate or grovelling sensualist, but to every insensible, secure sinner; to all those, however decent and orderly in their civildeportment, who live to themselves, and have their part and portion in this life; in fine, to all who are yet in a state of nature, for "except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God". The fear of man may make you hide your profanity; prudence and experience may make you abhor intemperance and riot; as you advance in life one vice may supplant another and hold its place; but nothing less than the sovereign grace of God can produce a saving change of heart and temper, or fit you for his immediate presence.

While we give praise to God, the supreme Disposer of all events, for his interposition in our behalf, let us guard against the dangerous error of trusting in, or boasting of an arm of flesh. I could earnestly wish, that while our arms are crowned with success, we might content ourselves with a modest ascription of it to the power of the Highest. It has given me great uneasiness to read some ostentatious, vaunting expressions in our newspapers, though happily, I think, much restrained of late. Let us not return to them again. If I am not mistaken, not only the Holy Scriptures in general, and the truths of the glorious gospel in particular, but the whole course of providence, seem intended to abase the pride of man, and lay the vain-glorious in the dust.

From what has been said you may learn what encouragement you have to put your trust in God, and hope for his assistance in the present important conflict. He is the Lord of hosts, great in might, and strong in battle. Whoever hath his countenance and approbation, shall have the best at last. I do not mean to speak prophetically, but agreeably to the analogy of faith, and the principles of God's moral government. I leave this as a matter rather of conjecture than certainty, but observe, that if your conduct is prudent, you need not fear the multitude of opposing hosts.

If your cause is just, you may look with confidence to the Lord, and intreat him to plead it as his own. You are all my witnesses, that this is the first time of my introducing any political subject into the pulpit. At this season, however, it is not only lawful but necessary, and I willingly embrace the opportunity of declaring my opinion without any hesitation, that the cause in which America is now in arms, is the cause of justice, of liberty, and of human nature. So far as we have hitherto proceeded, I am satisfied that the confederacy of the colonies has not been the effect of pride, resentment, or sedition, but of a deep and general conviction that our civil and religious liberties, and consequently in a great measure the temporal and eternal happiness of us and our posterity, depended on the issue. The knowledge of God and his truths have from the beginning of the world been chiefly, if not entirely confined to those parts of the earth where some degree of liberty and political justice were to be seen, and great were the difficulties with which they had to struggle, from the imperfection of human society, and the unjust decisions of unsurped authority. There is not a single instance in history, in which civil liberty was lost, and religious liberty preserved entire. If therefore we yield up our temporal property, we at the same time deliver the conscience into bondage.
 

[Soldier4Christ]

President Thomas Jefferson, author of the phrase "Separation of church and state," asked Congress to ratify a treaty with the Kaskaskia Indians, which they did this day, December 3, 1803. It stated: "And whereas the greater part of the said tribe have been baptized and received into the Catholic Church, to which they are much attached, the United States will give annually, for seven years, one hundred dollars toward the support of a priest of that religion, who will engage to perform for said tribe the duties of his office, and also to instruct as many of their children as possible, in the rudiments of literature." The treaty, signed by Jefferson, concluded: "The United States will further give the sum of three hundred dollars to assist the said tribe in the erection of a church."




On Thomas Jeffersons tombstone, which he designed and for which he wrote the inscription reads that Thomas Jefferson was "author of the Declaration of American Independence, of the State of Virginia for religious freedom, and Father of the University of Virginia" and, as he requested, "not a word more."




John Adams, The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States, Charles Francis Adams, editor (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co. 1854), Vol. IX, p. 229, October 11, 1798.):

The moment the idea is admitted into society, that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence. If "Thou shalt not covet," and "Thou shalt not steal," were not commandments of Heaven, they must be made inviolable precepts in every society, before it can be civilized or made free.




John Quincy Adams, Letters of John Quincy Adams, to His Son, on the Bible and Its Teachings (Auburn: James M. Alden, 1850), p. 61.):

There are three points of doctrine the belief of which forms the foundation of all morality. The first is the existence of God; the second is the immortality of the human soul; and the third is a future state of rewards and punishments. Suppose it possible for a man to disbelieve either of these three articles of faith and that man will have no conscience, he will have no other law than that of the tiger or the shark. The laws of man may bind him in chains or may put him to death, but they never can make him wise, virtuous, or happy.




Fisher Ames, Framer of the First Amendment (Source: Fisher Ames, An Oration on the Sublime Virtues of General George Washington (Boston: Young & Minns, 1800), p. 23.):

Our liberty depends on our education, our laws, and habits . . . it is founded on morals and religion, whose authority reigns in the heart, and on the influence all these produce on public opinion before that opinion governs rulers.




Charles Carroll of Carrollton,  Signer of the Declaration of Independence (Source: Bernard C. Steiner, The Life and Correspondence of James McHenry (Cleveland: The Burrows Brothers, 1907), p. 475. In a letter from Charles Carroll to James McHenry of November 4, 1800.):

Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time; they therefore who are decrying the Christian religion, whose morality is so sublime & pure, [and] which denounces against the wicked eternal misery, and [which] insured to the good eternal happiness, are undermining the solid foundation of morals, the best security for the duration of free governments.





James McHenry. Signer of the Constitution Source: Bernard C. Steiner, One Hundred and Ten Years of Bible Society Work in Maryland, 1810-1920 (Maryland Bible Society, 1921), p. 14:

[P]ublic utility pleads most forcibly for the general distribution of the Holy Scriptures. The doctrine they preach, the obligations they impose, the punishment they threaten, the rewards they promise, the stamp and image of divinity they bear, which produces a conviction of their truths, can alone secure to society, order and peace, and to our courts of justice and constitutions of government, purity, stability and usefulness. In vain, without the Bible, we increase penal laws and draw entrenchments around our institutions. Bibles are strong entrenchments. Where they abound, men cannot pursue wicked courses, and at the same time enjoy quiet conscience.




Benjamin Rush, Signer of the Declaration of Independence (Source: Benjamin Rush, Essays, Literary, Moral and Philosophical (Philadelphia: Thomas and William Bradford, 1806), p. 8.):

The only foundation for a useful education in a republic is to be laid in religion. Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments.

pp. 93-94:

We profess to be republicans, and yet we neglect the only means of establishing and perpetuating our republican forms of government, that is, the universal education of our youth in the principles of Christianity by the means of the Bible. For this Divine Book, above all others, favors that equality among mankind, that respect for just laws, and those sober and frugal virtues, which constitute the soul of republicanism.


Source: Benjamin Rush, Letters of Benjamin Rush, L. H. Butterfield, editor (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1951), p. 936, to John Adams, January 23, 1807.):

By renouncing the Bible, philosophers swing from their moorings upon all moral subjects. . . . It is the only correct map of the human heart that ever has been published. . . . All systems of religion, morals, and government not founded upon it [the Bible] must perish, and how consoling the thought, it will not only survive the wreck of these systems but the world itself. "The Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it." [Matthew 1:18]

(Source: Benjamin Rush, An Address to the Inhabitants of the British Settlements in America Upon Slave-Keeping (Boston: John Boyles, 1773), p. 30.):

Remember that national crimes require national punishments, and without declaring what punishment awaits this evil, you may venture to assure them that it cannot pass with impunity, unless God shall cease to be just or merciful.




James Wilson, Signer of the Constitution (Source: James Wilson, The Works of the Honourable James Wilson (Philadelphia: Bronson and Chauncey, 1804), Vol. I, p. 106.):

Far from being rivals or enemies, religion and law are twin sisters, friends, and mutual assistants. Indeed, these two sciences run into each other. The divine law, as discovered by reason and the moral sense, forms an essential part of both.




Over 15,000 writings of America's founders were examined to determine the primary sources for establishing our government. The number one source was the Bible.  From these writings it has been determined that Jeremiah 17:9 and Isaiah 33:22 were the basis for separation of powers and America's three branches of Government. Ezra 7:24 was the premise for tax exemptions. Article 4 Section 4 of the Constitution was derived from Exodus 18:21 which formed the basis of a Republic form of Government. The judicial branch of government in Article III Section 3, was derived from Deuteronomy 17:6 and Ezekiel 18:20.

[Soldier4Christ]

Did you know....(What your teachers or professors may not have taught.)

How America's Constitution Convention Began: Constitutional Convention: June 28, 1787, Thursday, was embroiled in a bitter debate over how each state was to be represented in the new government. The hostile feelings created by the smaller states being pitted against the larger states was so bitter that some delegates actually left the Convention. Benjamin Franklin, being the President (Governor) of Pennsylvania, hosted the rest of the 55 delegates attending the Convention. Being the senior member of the convention, at 81 years of age, he commanded the respect of all present, and, as recorded on James Madison's detailed records, he arose to address the Congress in this moment of crisis:

"Mr. President, the small progress we have made after four or five weeks close attendance & continual reasoning's with each other  - our different sentiments on almost every question, several of the last producing as many noes as ayes, is methinks a melancholy proof of the imperfection of the Human Understanding. We indeed seem to feel our own want of political wisdom, since we have been running about in search of it. We have gone back to ancient history for models of government, and examined the different forms of those Republics, which, having been formed with the seeds of their own dissolution, now no longer exist. And we have viewed Modern States all around Europe, but find none of their Constitutions suitable to our circumstance.

In this situation of this Assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understanding?

In the beginning of the Contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger we had daily prayer in this room for the Divine protection - Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and 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?

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 possible 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." (Psalm 127:1) I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and bye word down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing Governments by Human wisdom and leave it to chance, war and conquest.

I therefore beg leave to move - that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on out 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."

Jonathan Dayton, delegate from New Jersey, reported the reaction of Congress to Dr. Franklin's rebuke: "The Doctor sat down; and never did I behold a countenance at once so dignified as was that of Washington at the close of the address; nor were the members of the convention generally less affected. The words of the venerable Franklin fell upon our ears with a weight and authority, even greater than we may suppose an oracle to have had in a Roman senate." And: "We assembled again; and...every unfriendly feeling had been expelled, and a spirit of conciliation had been cultivated." (America's God and Country: Encyclopedia of Quotations by William J. Federer pp. 150-152)

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In 1950, the Florida Supreme Court declared: "A people unschooled about the sovereignty of God, the Ten Commandments, and the ethics of Jesus, could never have evolved the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution. There is not one solitary fundamental principle of our democratic policy that did not stem directly from the basis moral concepts as embodied in the Decalogue…." [Ten Commandments]

"After reviewing an estimated 15,000 items, including newspaper articles, pamphlets, books, monographs, etc., written between 1760-1805 by the 55 men who wrote the constitution, Professors Donald S. Lutz and Charles S. Hyneman, in their work 'The Relative Influence of European Writers on Late Eighteenth-Century American Political Thought' revealed that the Bible, especially the book of Deuteronomy, contributed 34% of all quotations used by our Founding Fathers."

"Additional sources the founders quoted took 60% of their quotes from the Bible. Direct and indirect citations combined reveal that the majority of all quotations referenced by the Founding Fathers are derived from the Bible."

The U.S. Congress of 1803, at the request of President Thomas Jefferson, allocated federal funds for the salary of a minister and for the construction of a church. On December 3, 1803, the U.S. Congress, following the request of President Jefferson, ratified a treaty with the Kaskaskia Indians.  This treaty was significant because Congress, recognizing that most members of the tribe had become Christians, deemed to give an annual subsidy of $100 for the support of a priest during a seven-year period.  That priest, as the Congress noted, was to perform “the duties of his office, and... instruct as many... children as possible.”

[Soldier4Christ]

Schools were originally set up by Churches for the purpose of Bible teaching.

In 1690 Connecticut established a Literacy Law with a fine of $25 (extremely considerable for that time) because children must be able to read if they are to read the Scriptures.

Also in 1690, Benjamin Harris' New England Primer textbook with a memorization rhyming alphabet was introduced using Scripture to teach reading and pronunciation. This Primer was reprinted and used for 210 years, until 1900. And Benjamin Rush warned if America ever removed the Bible from the classroom, all of our time will be spent fighting crime.

In 1781 Congress ruled that a new English edition of the Bible be printed and used by schools.

In 1782, the U.S. Congress voted in favor of a resolution recommending and approving the Bible for use in the schools.

Noah Webster provided the text book, History of the United States, used for over 60 years in public schools contained this statement: "The moral principles and precepts contained in the Scripture ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws." And " 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."

Fisher Ames, the founding father who actually wrote the First Amendment, expressed his belief that the Bible was to play a prominent role in public education when he said: "It has been the custom of late years to put a number of little books into the hands of children, containing fables and moral lessons. Why then, if these books for children must be retained,… should not the bible regain the place it once held as a school book? Its morals are pure, its examples captivating and noble. The reverence for the sacred book that is thus impressed lasts long… (T)he bible will justly remain the standard of language as well as faith." And "We are spending less time in the classroom on the Bible, which should be the principle text in our schools. The Bible states these great moral lessons better than any other manmade book."

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The Myth of "Separation of Church and State" The phrase "separation of church and state" is used so many times that many people believe it is actually in the Constitution. This phrase occurs nowhere in the Constitution. In order to understand the original purpose of the First Amendment, all one has to do is read from the pages of The New England Primer. This book was first printed in 1690 and was a mandatory textbook for every student entering school throughout the 1700s. Almost every student read from the pages of this book through the early 1900s. This book contains what is known as The Shorter Catechism. Of the 107 questions in the Catechism, 40 deal specifically with the Ten Commandments. Students learned not only the alphabet and grammar, but were also taught Christian principles. The New England Primer used biblical concepts to teach the alphabet. For the letter "A", the students learned, "In Adam's Fall, We sinned all." For the letter "C", the students recited: "Christ crucified, For sinners died." The early founders believed that schools should be the means through which religion was taught to the masses.

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October 12, 1816 John Jay, America’s 1st Supreme Court Justice set forth in clear and concise terms his belief that America’s leaders must be first and foremost, Christian: "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."

The American Bible Society was started by an act of Congress and John Adams, our second president, served as its first leader.

Twelve of the original 13 colonies incorporated the entire Ten Commandments into their civil and criminal codes.

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It truly is a shame most of what you read in this thread has been erased from public school textbooks by revisionists intent on removing the Truth about our nation's Christian roots. What is the Truth? Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth and the life."

[Soldier4Christ]

The Father of our Country experienced a miracle early in his military career.

This account is widely known and was included in most school history textbooks, until recent changes caused it to be deleted from many books.

During the French and Indian war at the Battle of the Monongahela, young Colonel Washington was engaged in a fierce skirmish with the Indians.  An easy target in his bold red coat, he crisscrossed the battlefield carrying General Braddock's orders to the troops.  The Indian warriors later acknowledged that they were targeting all officers--and particularly Washington--in the bright garb.  Yet Washington survived.  There were eighty-six British and American officers involved in the battle; sixty-three of them died.  Colonel Washington was the only officer on horseback who was not killed, and later, the Indians testified that they repeatedly shot at him, and were surprised that he never fell.  They believed he was protected by an invisible power and that no bullet, bayonet, arrow or tomahawk could harm him.

Years later, the Indian chief sought Washington out in order to tell him what had happened in the battle.  The Chief said, "I am a chief and ruler over my tribes.  I have traveled a long and weary path that I might see the young warrior of the great battle.  [On that day] I called to my men and said, 'Quick, let your aim be certain, and he dies.'  Our rifles were leveled, rifles which, but for you, knew not how to miss--'twas all in vain, a power mightier far than we, shielded you. I am come to pay homage to the man who is the particular favorite of Heaven, and who can never die in battle."

Washington himself later wrote to his brother John, "By the all-powerful dispensations of Providence, I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectation; for I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet escaped unhurt, although death was leveling my companions on every side of me!"