When I wrote my last article I suspected that it would cause me to receive a few negative comments in response. However it took me by surprise that the reason some people disagreed with what I had written was because they deny the existence of God.

A majority of the people who disagreed with me because of their disbelief stated that because they could not conclusively prove that God exists, that He must be a figment of man’s imagination, or a myth. A rather lengthy, and sometimes heated, discussion took place on my blog in regards to that very subject.

In that these people refuse to believe in God without having seen proof of His existence, they very much like the apostle Thomas who doubted the resurrection of Jesus without being able to see it for himself.

My belief does not require proof, it is based upon faith. One of the definitions for faith is, “belief or trust: belief in, devotion to, or trust in somebody or something, especially without logical proof .” In the Book of John, Chapter 20, Christ said, “…blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”

In the Second Epistle of Paul to Timothy we find the following, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”

However, since these people do not accept that the Bible is the word of God, they are no more likely to believe what is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” That was the common theme of my last article, that we had forsaken God, and His Laws, and were therefore suffering the consequences.

Yet there was something else that was mentioned quite often in all the comments to my article, that being that there was no mention of God in our nation’s founding documents. Now that is something I can disprove, and quite easily I might add.

Our Declaration of Independence states, “…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…”

Furthermore, it goes on to say, “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…”

Those two statements taken on their own should be enough to convince anyone that our founders did believe in the existence of some sort of a Creator, or God, therefore disproving the statement that there was no mention of Him in our founding documents.

However, if one were inclined to take the time, they could find numerous other references to God amongst the writings of our nation’s founders.

In his first inaugural address, George Washington stated, “Such being the impressions under which I have, in obedience to the public summons, repaired to the present station, it would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes, and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success the functions allotted to his charge.”

People seem to have forgotten that our nation was first colonized for the very reason of religious freedom. In fact, the first Charter of Virginia, dated April 10, 1606, states, “We, greatly commending, and graciously accepting of, their Desires for the Furtherance of so noble a Work, which may, by the Providence of Almighty God, hereafter tend to the Glory of his Divine Majesty, in propagating of Christian Religion to such People, as yet live in Darkness and miserable Ignorance of the true Knowledge and Worship of God…”

After we had won the war for our nation’s independence, and ratified our Constitution, a Bill of Rights was added to define certain rights which were considered so important that they be specifically included in our Constitution.

One would have to wonder why the very first of those rights dealt with the freedoms of religion and speech, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”

If you read that carefully, you will see that it DOES NOT say that congress will ban religion, rather that it will pass no law respecting an establishment of religion. The intent was that congress shall not force religion upon people, nor define a national faith.

The First Amendment was put there so that people could be free to choose which faith they wished to worship, or choose not to worship without coercion. However, the last part of the amendment clearly states, that there shall be no prohibitions upon the free exercise of your faith.

The anti-religion enthusiasts constantly harp about the wall of separation between church and state as if it is some sacred term found in our founding documents. That term comes from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists.

In this letter, Jefferson was assuring the Danbury Baptists that their right to freely worship would not be infringed upon due to their being a minority in Connecticut, where the majority were Congregationalists.

His letter merely stated, “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 legitimate powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, 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.”

In 1785, James Madison wrote a Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments. He did so to oppose a bill proposed by Patrick Henry which would have taxed the people for the support of the Christian religion. Madison felt that this was a violation of the First Amendment, in that the government was respecting a particular establishment of religion.

I don’t know about you, but I found the following quotes to be quite informative as to the beliefs of the author of the First Amendment in regards to religious freedom.

Madison began by saying, “Because we hold it for a fundamental and undeniable truth, “that religion or the duty which we owe to our Creator and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence.” The Religion then of every man must be left to the conviction and conscience of every man; and it is the right of every man to exercise it as these may dictate. This right is in its nature an unalienable right.”

He continues by stating that just because a person lives among others who may, or may not believe in God, that his right to worship cannot be restricted, “We maintain therefore that in matters of Religion, no man’s right is abridged by the institution of Civil Society and that Religion is wholly exempt from its cognizance.”

Finally, Madison concludes with, “Because Religion be exempt from the authority of the Society at large, still less can it be subject to that of the Legislative Body. The latter are but the creatures and vicegerents of the former. Their jurisdiction is both derivative and limited: it is limited with regard to the co-ordinate departments, more necessarily is it limited with regard to the constituents. The preservation of a free Government requires not merely, that the metes and bounds which separate each department of power be invariably maintained; but more especially that neither of them be suffered to overleap the great Barrier which defends the rights of the people. The Rulers who are guilty of such an encroachment, exceed the commission from which they derive their authority, and are Tyrants. The People who submit to it are governed by laws made neither by themselves nor by an authority derived from them, and are slaves.”

Madison was not the only founding father to write regarding religious freedom. A year after Madison’s Remonstrance against Religious Assessments Thomas Jefferson wrote The Virginia Act For Establishing Religious Freedom.

Jefferson clearly states that God has given man the right to choose whether they wish to believe, or not, and which faith they choose to follow, “Well aware that Almighty God hath created the mind free; that all attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burdens, or by civil incapacitations, tend only to beget habits of hypocrisy and meanness, and are a departure from the plan of the Holy Author of our religion, who being Lord both of body and mind, yet chose not to propagate it by coercions on either, as was in his Almighty power to do…”

In concluding, Jefferson wrote, “Be it therefore enacted by the General Assembly, That no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burdened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion, and that the same shall in nowise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities.”

Many may lay hold to the claim that Jefferson was a deist, that he did not believe in the Christian faith. That may be because of the following statement, “Nothing can be more exactly and seriously true than what is there [the very words only of Jesus] stated; that but a short time elapsed after the death of the great reformer of the Jewish religion, before his principles were departed from by those who professed to be his special servants, and perverted into an engine for enslaving mankind, and aggrandising their oppressors in Church and State; that the purest system of morals ever before preached to man, has been adulterated and sophisticated by artificial constructions, into a mere contrivance to filch wealth and power to themselves…”

Whether or not you choose to argue that Jefferson did not believe in the Christian God, it is really irrelevant to the discussion at hand. The fact remains that most of the other founding fathers did believe in God, and that their faith played heavily into the crafting of our current system of government.

John Adams stated, “The general principles upon which the Fathers achieved independence were the general principals of Christianity…”

John Hancock wrote, “In circumstances as dark as these, it becomes us, as Men and Christians, to reflect that whilst every prudent measure should be taken to ward off the impending judgments, …at the same time all confidence must be withheld from the means we use; and reposed only on that God rules in the armies of Heaven, and without His whole blessing, the best human counsels are but foolishness… Resolved; …Thursday the 11th of May…to humble themselves before God under the heavy judgments felt and feared, to confess the sins that have deserved them, to implore the Forgiveness of all our transgressions, and a spirit of repentance and reformation …and a Blessing on the … Union of the American Colonies in Defense of their Rights [for which hitherto we desire to thank Almighty God]…”

And for those who believe the Ten Commandments have no place in our lives, read what John Quincy Adams wrote in a letter to his son, “The Law given from Sinai [The Ten Commandments] was a civil and municipal as well as a moral and religious code.”

And, in a speech given before the Virginia General Assembly, James Madison said, “We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We’ve staked the future of all our political institutions upon our capacity…to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.”

We, as a nation, have forgotten both our political, and spiritual heritage. We have forsaken the principles of limited government, and the principles found in the Bible which were meant to guide our lives.

Could this be because, as Thomas Paine said, “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.

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 creation to the Creator himself, they stop short, and employ the knowledge they acquire to create doubts of his existence.”

How is it that we as a nation can support a President who hosts a gay, bisexual and transgender event to celebrate Gay Pride Month? Is it acceptable for a President, or any elected representative to support issues which go against Christian values, then denounce those who speak out against them because of their Christian beliefs?

I am, by no means, saying we need to elect pastors and priests as our representatives. However, how can we as a supposedly God-fearing nation elect people to represent us who support issues which go against the teachings found in the Bible?

Issues such as abortion, and gay rights are diametrically opposed to the Christian faith, yet we continually elect representatives because they stand for the right of the individual to violate God’s Laws.

Something John Jay wrote ought to be considered by all who profess to be followers of Christ, “Whether our religion permits Christians to vote for infidel rulers is a question which merits more consideration than it seems yet to have generally received either from the clergy or the laity. It appears to me that what the prophet said to Jehoshaphat about his attachment to Ahab ["Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord?" 2 Chronicles 19:2] affords a salutary lesson.”

We have placed too much faith in our government to solve all our problems, yet in the Book of Psalms we read, “Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.”

Second Timothy could very well describe the people of this country today, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,”

I understand that there are those who do not believe as I do, and I can accept that fact. However, I cannot accept the fact that there are those who would prohibit me from freely expressing myself because my viewpoints stem from my religious beliefs.

But, for those who profess to be Christians a verse found in First Timothy ought be seriously pondered, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.”

Then again, I could quote from 1 Proverbs, which states, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

All I know is that our nation is suffering from unemployment, crime, and rampant immorality. That does not sound like the type nation found in Psalms 33, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.”

In the Book of James we read, “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

Finally, in the Book of Luke we find, “And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.”

So, on this Independence Day, I would like for people to ponder these thoughts. Have we allowed our government to become our master, instead of our servant? Have we forsaken the God from which we derive our rights and our liberty?

Something to think about aside from all the beer, barbecue, and fireworks…