Let's throw away the 1st Amendment...
Let's start at the beginning, shall we?
When the American Congress first met in Carpenter's Hall to discuss the upcoming British conflicts, you know what the first thing they did was? They PRAYED. Not just a little, quick, short prayer, but they prayed with deep emotion, for a great deal of time. Some of those in attendance were Patrick Henry, John Adams, John Jay, George Washington, and Samuel Adams. These are our founding fathers, and they PRAYED.
During the American Revolution the Continental Congress issued 15 separate proclamations calling the nation (it's people) to pray, to fast, and to give thanksgiving depending on the circumstances at the time. These proclamations were overtly filled with Christian language.
Proclamation - Humiliation Fasting and Prayer - 1798 John Adams - 03/23/1798
AS the safety and prosperity of nations ultimately and essentially depend on the protection and blessing of Almighty God; and the national acknowledgment of this truth is not only an indispensable duty which the people owe to Him, but a duty whose natural influence is favorable to the promotion of that morality and piety, without which social happiness cannot exist, nor the blessings of a free government be enjoyed; and as this duty, at all times incumbent, is so especially in seasons of difficulty and of danger, when existing or threatening calamities, the just judgments of God against prevalent iniquity are a loud call to repentance and reformation; and as the United States of America are at present placed in a hazardous and afflictive situation, by the unfriendly disposition, conduct and demands of a foreign power, evinced by repeated refusals to receive our messengers of reconciliation and peace, by depredations on our commerce, and the infliction of injuries on very many of our fellow citizens, while engaged in their lawful business on the seas: —Under these considerations it has appeared to me that the duty of imploring the mercy and benediction of Heaven on our country, demands at this time a special attention from its inhabitants.
These proclamations have happened throughout this countries history. In 2014, this year, President Obama declared a National Day of Prayer, to be observed every year on the 1st Thursday in May.
- On the Liberty Bell, we find a verse from the Bible, Leviticus 25:10. It is called the Liberty Bell for this reason, "Proclaim liberty throughout the land, to all the inhabitants thereof."
- Every morning the Congress of the United States, read from the Bible before they began the functions to which they were tasked, they still did this in Reagan's time in office.
- In 1782, Congress agreed to, approved of, and appointed a congressional committee to oversee a project that consisted of producing an English-language Bible. In the front of that Bible is a congressional endorsement declaring: "Whereupon, Resolved, That the United States in Congress assembled... recommend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United States."
- "George Washington openly acknowledged that it had been by the direct intervention of God that he remained alive." (See below for acknowledgment notation 1) Surviving an incident during the French and Indian War, in which his coat had four bullet holes, and he had not taken a bullet himself. Those he fought later told him that they had given up shooting at him, when they saw that he was protected by God. Washington is quoted as saying: "I now exist and appear in the land of the living by the miraculous care of Providence that protected me beyond all human expectation".
- Founding Father John Adams said "The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were... the general principles of Christianity."
One of the first textbooks of the time was called The New England Primer. I'm including some of the text from that book so you can see what the kids of that day were learning in school.
The New England Primer - 1777
HOW glorious is our heavenly King,
Who reigns
above tha Sky!
O LORD God who knowest all Things, thou seest me by
Night as well as by Day.
ALMIGHTY God the Maker of every thing in Heaven and Earth;
the Darkness goes away, and the Day light comes at thy Command. Thou art good
and doest good continually.
P
|
PETER deny'd
His Lord and cry'd. |
Who saves lost Men ?
|
Jesus
Christ.
|
Who is Jesus Christ ?
|
The
Son of God.
|
Among the alphabet, and grammar, spelling, and pronunciation the bulk of this first text was Christian in origin, and very much Biblical in origin.
US Government modeled after the Bible:
- We set up our government, three distinct branches, based on Isaiah 33:22.
- Separation of Powers from Jeremiah 17:9.
- Tax exemptions for churches in Ezra 7:24.
Other interesting items
- 1892 U.S. Supreme Court declared unanimously: "No purpose of action against religion can be imputed to any legislation, state or national, because this is a religious people... This is a Christian nation."
- 1844 A Philadelphia run school adopted a policy that kept Christian ministers from coming on campus. This case went all the way to the Supreme Court, where it was determined unanimously that this "government" run school should teach Christianity and the Bible, the source of "the purest principles of morality".
So let's look at the beginning:
Why did our forefathers come to this country. MOST of them came here to escape religious persecution. You see in Europe when the Protestants took over, the Catholics suffered. When the Catholics took over, the Protestants suffered. Many thousands of years of suffering on one side, then the other. Our forefathers founded this nation on the freedom to be whatever Christian you wanted to be. To be able to not fear a "Catholic State" or a "Protestant State". So that each side could be free of persecution to believe in God the Father, the way they know they are supposed to. Having a government that runs the country without taking a side on this issue is very important, for the well being and the peace of mind of the people. (But please note, there are 2 sides of this coin, Catholic & Protestant, not many, not 100, not 1000's, but 2, this country was founded as a Christian nation).
Our forefathers fought for the rights of religious expression for ALL Christians, before, during and after the separation from Great Britain.
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
"No law respecting an establishment of religion" that means that there will never be a "Catholic State" or a "Protestant State" but that ALL Christians will be free to practice their religion, they can gather, they can have their meeting, their ceremonies, they can talk, speak to others, they can produce pamphlets, documents, and assemble with others that believe as they do. ALL Christians do not have to fear persecution. ALL Christians have the freedom to proclaim who they are without fear of repercussions.
"Free exercise thereof" means that I can be a Christian ANYWHERE I want to be. I can speak about my religion to anyone that I want to. I can carry my Bible with me where ever I want to go. There will be NO law passed to deny me the right to carry my Bible with me where ever I want to go.
PERIOD... this is very CUT and DRY. Nothing to read between the lines here. In this Christian nation, I am free to be whatever branch of Christian that I want to. Catholic, Baptist, Pentecostal, Methodist.... the list is truly endless now.
George Washington said in is Farewell Address in 1796:
"The name of American, which belongs to you in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of patriotism more than any appellation derived from local discriminations. With slight shades of difference, you have the same religion, manners, habits, and political principles." (Slight shades of difference, cause they were all Christians).
"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports." (Crucial, mandatory supports)
"Let it simply be asked: Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle."
With this in mind, I would have to ask, if we aren't using God's morals, set down in the Scripture of the Bible. Then whose morals are we using? If we adhere to the morals of the Satanic groups, then murder is not a bad thing. If we were to follow that of Islam, then marrying an infant, and consummating the marriage when the child is 9 years of age, would be okay. These things are far from okay, in the Christian morals.
So... when established this country was founded on Christianity. And Washington warned us in his farewell letter that we need to maintain our Christianity in this nation in order to maintain prosperity.
Where did it go awry?
Thomas Jefferson wrote a "private" letter to the Danbury Baptist Church. In this letter he states:
"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinion, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof thus building a wall of separation between church and State."
The government will "make NO law" or "prohibit the free exercise thereof". Make "NO" law, I just can't get over that line. IT's so specifically clear, that the government will not take a stand on either side of the religious issue. The government will not keep you from being on whichever side you choose. But it's pretty clear that the forefathers considered the sides of religion as sides of Christianity, and did not take into consideration the other religions.
"Thus building a wall of separation between church and state", this part was specific to the first amendment, clarifying that State would not mandate how the church could operate, or how the people could worship within the church.
So with that phrase, "thus building a wall of separation between church and state" pulled OUT of the Danbury letter from Jefferson, pulled out of the context with which it was said, twisted just slightly, and used in 1962, we lose our 1st Amendment.
The End
1962 - Engel v. Vitale
A non-sectarian, non-denominational prayer in the New York school system, designed to promote good moral character of the students, spiritual training and help combat juvenile delinquency was challenged all the way to the Supreme Court.
" Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon thee, and we beg Thyu blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our Country."
Justice Hugo Black wrote the following for the majority, "It is no part of the business of government to compose official prayers... the Regent's prayer are inconsistent both with the purposes of the Establishment Clause and the Establishment Clause itself." There were NO previous cases cited establishing jurisprudence, as this was the first of it's kind to contradict the 1st Amendment. For 170 years following the ratification of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, no Court had ever struck down any prayer, in any form, in any location." (2)
"The Warren Court decided to ignore the Founding Fathers intent and the Constitution and substitute the "Separation of Church and State" for the 1st Amendment" (2)
1963 - Murray v. Curlett
A Communist Atheist, Madalyn O'Hair, took the Baltimore school board to court for allowing prayer in school. Local court judge J. Gilbert Pendergast threw it out, "It is abundantly clear that petitioners' real objective is to drive every concept of religion out of the public school system". The Maryland Court of Appeals upheld Pendergast's decision. The Supreme Court convened and heard from Leonard Kerpelman who erroneously cited the "Separation of church and State clause" and couldn't tie it to the Constitution. But, the National Council of Churches and several Jewish organizations chiming in on O'Hair's side, and no-one opposing them, the Supreme Court ruled 8 to 1 in favor of abolishing school prayer.
1963 - Abington School District v. Schempp
A Pennsylvania school required Bible verses be read at the beginning of the school day. Students could be excluded if desired. The Schempp child chose to participate, but the parents took it to court. It was determined by the Warren Court that these activities encroached on both the Free Exercise Clause and the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment since the readings and recitations were essentially religious ceremonies and were "intended by the State to be so".
So with three strikes... the First Amendment is no more. As a teacher I was not allowed to talk about God, even when asked. I had to avoid conversations of this type all together. Anything that could be construed as a moral predilection had to be avoided. Any indication that I leaned one direction or another was to be eliminated from any and all conversations. I was not allowed to openly display my Bible, nor the cross hanging from my neck. In a position of "power" such as teacher, we are not allowed to influence the decisions of the minds that are under our tutelage.
All this is well and fine. I completely understand it.
BUT...
The Thomas More Law Center (TMLC) today announced its representation of John Kevin Wood, and his wife, Melissa, in their battle with La Plata High School in Maryland over the Islamic indoctrination of their 11th-grade daughter in her World History class. Their daughter was required to complete assignments where she had to affirm that “There is no god but Allah” and the other Five Pillars of Islam.
Islam is a religion and it's in our schools, this child was required to affirm that "There is no god but Allah", this violates the Christian Commandments.
Van Buren Secular Student Alliance first in Arkansas
Atheism is now a religion??? WHAT???
Religion: the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.
Atheism: disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods.
These are two totally contradictory terms. You can't be both!!!
Even though they are not religions, they are recognized by the U.S. government as having protection under the 1st Amendment equivalent to that of other religions, and is allowed in our school systems.
Christianity is NOT allowed in our school systems.
This is totally wrong... Many groups have come to America since the founding fathers set this country up as a Christian nation. Many religions have found their ways to our shores. There is no way, at all, to have a nation where MANY religions all have power, equality, or co-existence, there is no way to practice many different religions in one place without interfering with the practices of others.
As a Christian I can not sit idly by and watch as a grown man consummates his marriage to a 9 year old. I can not sit idly by knowing my neighbor is manufacturing child pornography.
And on the flip side of this coin, followers of Islam can not sit idly by and allow non-Muslim's do blasphemy their god, they are required by their law to behead those that commit this type of blasphemy. If someone steals from them, they have to take their right hand as compensation. This list goes on.
Mormons are allowed to have multiple wives.
Jews are not allowed to eat unclean meat.
Can we truly all practice freely, our religions, as we are ordered to by God, when they are not cohesive, co-existent religions? Sure some of them can exist together, but, No, this is not possible for all of them.
George Washington said we have to maintain morality and religion. All of them aren't possible at once, and the morals of some differ drastically. The laws of our country, are based on Christian morals. The Constitution and Bill of Rights was written with Christian morals in mind.
It's quite clear with the status of the country today with our moral decline, teen pregnancies, crime rates, divorces, broken homes, parent less kids, that eliminating our moral base in 1962-63 was a mistake. Let's fix this before it's too late.
I have to agree with Washington at this point, religion and morality are indispensable supports. This country has to pick one, and hold it dear to it's heart, and right or wrong, cling to it's fundamentals. We can not be a Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Atheist, Secular, Satanist, Wiccan country. There is not a law on the books of this country that does not violate some aspect of one of these "religions". It's time we went back to our Christian roots, and quit trying to make everyone else happy, it's time we focused on God like we were meant to. It's time we, as Christians, take the next step, to secure the future for our children.
Moment of Silence
This is where we are now. We have a minute of silence. To contemplate, pray, or do some silent activity. In the schools, yes this minute is quiet, and respected by all. And it's a small step in the right direction, but many more steps are needed.
To the Atheist this minute of time, seems like FOREVER. To the typical kid, the moment of silence, is sleep time, text time, hurry up and finish that homework time. It's not prayer time, it's not God's time, but it should be.
With what we have now, can prayer be put back in schools? No probably not. I would not force it down anyone's throats like it was back in the 1700's. God gave us the freedom to choose him. All should have the ability to choose. All should have the choice to participate or abstain.
Christianity was removed from the public school system. It's time the other religions were removed too. Making a child praise a god that is not his, is not what he believes, is not right from either standpoint. I am content with my child learning about God and Christianity from me, and our church family. They don't need to hear it from school. I don't want them being forced to blasphemy themselves and violate the Words of God to "learn" about other religions either. I can teach them that just fine as well. A child should never ever ever have to choose between God and a grade from a teacher. NO teacher should ever introduce a topic as sensitive as this in the public school forum, and require it of anyone.
And as for the 1st Amendment, I want my child to be allowed
to carry her Bible with her wherever she likes, whenever she
likes, and not be told, "your in school, you can't have that
here". The 1st Amendment was formed FIRST for the
freedom to exercise your religion. NOT the freedom to
exercise your religion everywhere, except school, except
in court, except in the doctors office, except on a bus,
train, plane, except at the park, a restaurant, the list is
endless. But quite frankly, THAT is what the first
Amendment was about, the ability to be a Christian in all
these places without fear of reprisal, especially in SCHOOL.
in court, except in the doctors office, except on a bus,
train, plane, except at the park, a restaurant, the list is
endless. But quite frankly, THAT is what the first
Amendment was about, the ability to be a Christian in all
these places without fear of reprisal, especially in SCHOOL.
Acknowledgements:
1) Americas Godly Heritage - David Barton
2) free2pray.info/court-cases
Other resource material used from wallbuilders.com, the Declaration of Inpendance, The Constitution of the United States, George Washington's Farewell Address, Jefferson letter to Danbury Baptist Church, Yale Law School, Oyez (Chicago Kent College of Law), and USCourts.gov
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