CHRISTIANS IT IS YOUR GOD GIVEN DUTY TO BE THE SALT AND THE LIGHT IN OUR DECAYING CULTURE. THIS INCLUDES THE CIVIC ARENA!
October 13, 2010
One of the most perplexing and controversial issues for the Church today is whether or not Christians are called to be involved politics. When our nation was being formed this was not even an issue because our Founding Fathers understood the significance faith in God played in the birth of the greatest nation to ever exist.
“Religion and morality are indispensible. It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.” ~ George Washington.
“The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.” ~ John Quincy Adams.
“This day ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.” ~ John Adams wrote in a letter to his wife Abigail concerning congress approving our Declaration of Independence.
Furthermore, our founding documents are a reflection of the covenant God made with our Founding Fathers. The Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights were founded upon the Torah the first five books of the Bible written by Moses, the book of Isaiah, and the four Gospels. The Bills Of Rights are the first ten amendments to our Constitution and correspond to the Ten Commandments outlined in God’s Law. Our three branches of government the Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branch were modeled after Isaiah 33:22, “For the Lord is our judge (Judicial Branch), the Lord is our lawgiver (Legislative Branch), the Lord is our king (Executive Branch); it is he who will save us (not the government)!
The separation of church and state is NOT in our constitution and our Founding Fathers wanted to protect the church from being controlled by the government. Our First Amendment says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” We have bought the lie Satan uses to keep us from being a light in the civic arena as we are called to do.
While researching this subject, I wondered if the definition of politics has changed over the years. As I suspected, just as the truth concerning our history in our children’s textbooks has changed, the definition of the word politics is vastly different from its original meaning too.
According to the 1828 edition of Noah Webster’s American Dictionary of the English language the definition of politics is as follows:
POL'ITICS, n. The science of government;that part of ethicswhich consists in the regulation and government of a nation or state, for the preservation of its safety, peace and prosperity; comprehending the defense of its existence and rights against foreign control or conquest, the augmentation of its strength and resources,and the protection of its citizens in their rights,with the preservation and improvement of their morals. Politics, as a science or an art, is a subject of vast extent and importance.
According to the on-line Merriam-Webster dictionary the definition of politics has evolved to:
1 a : the art or science of government b : the art or science concerned with guiding or influencing governmental policy c : the art or science concerned with winning and holding control over a government
2 : political actions, practices, or policies
3 a : political affairs or business; especially : competition between competing interest groups or individuals for power and leadership (as in a government) b : political life especially as a principal activity or profession c : political activities characterized by artful and often dishonest practices
4 : the political opinions or sympathies of a person
5 a : the total complex of relations between people living in society b : relations or conduct in a particular area of experience especially as seen or dealt with from a political point of view <office politics> <ethnic politics>
Doesn’t it astonish you how the “original intent” of concepts and ideals has changed over the years? This is why as believers we will consult the only source for absolute truth on this subject—God’s Word. As stated in Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” His Word is as relevant today as when it was written.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:13-16, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” The sprinkling of our salt should permeate our communities, our nation and our world to prevent further decay.
How can the body of Christ be used as salt to prevent further decay in our society if we refuse to get involved with the political process which sets in motion legislation such as same-sex marriage, abortion, gay rights, hate crimes, etc. which will ultimately affect us all? As believers how can we say we don’t believe in abortion yet we vote for those individuals who introduce legislation to proliferate it?
Do you truly believe God would not want people who believe in Him and live by His precepts NOT to influence and speak out against those legislative issues or candidates that are in direct opposition to what His word says? God is asking and waiting for our response to the question posed in Psalm 94:16 which states, “Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?”
Let’s begin our quest to understand God’s perspective and answer on this timely issue based on myriad examples found throughout His Word. The only reason Christians believe they shouldn’t get involved in the political arena is because the leaders in the church are silent due to their tax exempt status.
As Edmund Burke states, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” We are instructed in God’s word to pull down strongholds and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. Paul exhorts in Romans 1:29-32, “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
This scripture adequately describes the morals and character of people who are held captive by Satan and is a snapshot of the moral decay in our culture as well. If we look back to the original meaning of politics which states, “… and the protection of its citizens in their rights, with the preservation and improvement of their morals,” we can surmise that the citizens morals are only as good as their devotion to the precepts and principles found in God’s word. We have indeed drifted far from the original intent of our Creator and Founding Fathers.
God uses His people to manifest His will on earth. In America “we the people” have the privilege of using our voice to influence and hold accountable our leaders we elect to represent us. We are God’s personal representatives and are called to be a light in every area of society. We don’t stop being Christians just because we leave the church parking lot! It is only then we enter the mission field and can make a difference. The purpose of attending church is to draw closer to God so we can get refilled with the Holy Spirit. Only then are we empowered to make a difference in the marketplace, schools, work, ball fields, etc.
If God’s people just read and study the Bible and don’t apply it and only surround ourselves with fellow believers how do we use our salt to permeate the darkness in our society to prevent further decay? Furthermore, how do we win the souls of those in captivity by Satan? We don’t.
Not only does God establish those in authority but He expects His people to support them financially by paying taxes and addresses this issue in His word. Romans 13:1-2 states, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”
“This is why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing.” Romans 13:6 .
In Romans 13:6 it says, “…for the authorities are God’s servants.” Why are we financing, giving our time and electing candidates who are NOT servants of God? We should be voting into office candidates whose character and ideology are based on God’s values! It is very apparent by the leaders we currently have elected into office that “we the people” have not voted based on the precepts and principles found in God’s word! What does God’s word have to say about bribery, lies, corruption and injustice we see so prevalent in our leaders? Have we been deceived into believing if someone professes to be good for our economy their character doesn’t matter? The character, integrity and beliefs of the people we elect is the only thing we should consider.
Christians who do NOT believe we should be involved in politics often quote the following scripture out of context. This scripture is in reference to Jesus’ response about paying taxes which we already know is a mandate from the Lord based on Romans 13:6. “The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people. Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. So the spies questioned him: "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" He saw through their duplicity and said to them, "Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?" "Caesar's," they replied. He said to them, "Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." Luke 20:19-25.
In other words, Jesus is reiterating we must pay the government the taxes due and we must give to God our tithes and offerings. We are to do both which is further substantiated in Romans 13:7, “Give everyone (God, government, blacks, whites, Hispanics, native Indians, men, women, children) what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes, if revenue, then revenue, if respect, then respect, if honor then, honor.” Jesus didn’t say just pay your tithes and offerings and forget about supporting those in authority.
We have already established there is no authority except that which God has established and He places believers and non-believers (King Cyrus) in key positions to fulfill His purposes. If God himself is involved in the political process, what makes us think we are not called to represent Him in this realm as well? Jesus said in John 15:20, “…no servant is greater than his master.”
Can you imagine what the outcome might have been if the people in the following examples in the Bible refused to be involved in the political arena?
God placed Moses in Pharaoh’s home to receive the best education, training and experience he would need for the sole purpose of preparing him for the leadership to deliver the Hebrew people from the slavery and bondage of Egypt and their pilgrimage in the desert for 40 years. Moses, just like many believers today, did not want to meddle in the affairs of the governing authorities of his day but God had other plans as illustrated in Exodus 9:1, “Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: "Let my people go, so that they may worship me."
God place Joseph second in command under Pharaoh in order to save Egypt and the Hebrew people from starvation due to severe famine which occurred in the land.
Esther was an orphan who was being raised by a relative named Mordecai (Esther 2:7). Yet in God’s sovereignty, this unknown girl became the queen of one of the largest empires in the entire world. (Esther 2:17). God did this so that at the appropriate time this woman could be used by God to protect the entire Jewish nation from genocide by a crafty and wicked Persian government official named Haman (Esther 8:1-7).
Daniel was taken as a prisoner of war while he was still a young man (Dan. 1:1-6). Yet in God’s sovereign plan this man became the most spiritual influential government official of ancient history and perhaps in all human history. This took place despite a carefully laid plan to take his life (Dan. 6:1-7). What other man is history has ever been appointed prime minister under four different world empires? Yet that is what God caused to happen to this most unusual man. More amazing still is the testimony of Daniel’s political enemies about his character and integrity. Even his enemies could find no fault in him (Dan. 6:1-5). Throughout his long and unusual government career Daniel gave a powerful, effective and absolutely fearless testimony to the living God and his holy standards. His personal testimony was so powerful, in fact, that at least one of the kings under whom he served (Nebuchadnezzar) was converted to faith in the true God and wrote out the testimony of his conversion for the entire Babylonian empire to read (Daniel 4:1-2).
Nehemiah gave up a responsible government post in the palace of the king of a superpower to go rebuild a provincial city that had been destroyed in a war.
John the Baptist spoke out publically on the social issue of marriage and divorce and told King Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” This attempt to urge the King to repent from His sins and live for God ultimately led John to be thrown in prison and be beheaded.
These are just a few of the examples found in God’s word and clearly it is the plan of God to have certain persons from among his own people occupy the highest offices of government at certain times in history. It was by the hand of God through circumstances which brought each person into power.
If you truly believe we as Christians are not to be involved with “politics” why do you bother to vote?
How will you vote in Nov 2010?
“For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Chronicles 3:17
If Christians took the time to know what our founding documents stated they would know how we should respond to elected officials who do not honor God’s word and mock Him with each new piece of legislation they pass. It is up to “we the people” to carry the torch to shine God’s light of truth on issues and people which are eroding the core values our nation was founded on.
George Washington stated, “The power under the Constitution will always be in the people. It is entrusted forcertain defined purposes, and for a certain limited period, to representatives of their own choosing; and whenever it is executed contrary to their interest, or not agreeable to their wishes, their servants can, and undoubtedly will, be recalled.”
Our current elected officials are mocking God, not hearing the voices of “We the People” and doing what they please. In the Bible the word “hearing” does not mean what we think. The word actually means “doing.” Our government is intentionally, maliciously and recklessly NOT “doing” what the majority of people in this country want. This in itself is grounds for dismissal!
In our Declaration of Independence it says, “But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.” It our right, and duty to throw off such Government!
How long will “We the People” allow these abuses and usurpations to go on? What will we tell our children and grandchildren why we didn’t cease this tyranny, but more important, what will we tell our Creator when we will all stand before Him and have to give an account of what we did with the talents He gave us to use for His Kingdom? Don’t tell me Christians are not supposed to get involved with the civic arena and influence our culture. It is not about politics—it is about standing up for what God our Creator has entrusted us with. “We the people” are both citizens of the United States and believers too are we not? Do you pay taxes? Do you have a right for your voice to be heard? Absolutely! Keep reading.
Our Declaration of Independence states…
“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.— That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, AND to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.”
The 2010 election is almost upon us and never before in our country’s history has the need for your involvement been more critical and it doesn’t stop after the election is over. It is NOT about allegiance to the democratic or republican parties. Both are corrupt beyond comprehension. Was God the focus when the republicans were in office before? No!
Furthermore, we must our faith into action by:
Prayer 2 Chronicles 7:14. Without God in the equation everything we are doing will be in vain. Pray that God would change our leader's hearts and open their eyes, otherwise that he would remove these people from their position of influence. Also pray that God would place His people in leadership positions in our government.
We need to vote for candidates based on OUR values.
We must educate ourselves and others on:
1. Our Judeo-Christian Values
2. Our Constitution and Declaration of Independence
3. Laws and legislative issues
4. Political candidates and what they really stand for. Do not listen to what they “say,” watch and learn from what they “do.” If in doubt, vote out all the incumbents. We need to vote in candidates not based on party affiliation, but those who will preserve, defend and uphold our constitution.
James A. Garfield, twentieth president of the United States and also a minister of the gospel, stated in A Century of Congressdated July 1877, “Now, more than ever before, the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption. If it be intelligent, brave and pure, it is because the people demand these high qualities to represent them in the national legislature….” “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.” (Proverbs 29:2 KJV).
If God’s people refuse to arise and take back our country we deserve everything we will reap and may God have mercy on us.
October 13, 2010
One of the most perplexing and controversial issues for the Church today is whether or not Christians are called to be involved politics. When our nation was being formed this was not even an issue because our Founding Fathers understood the significance faith in God played in the birth of the greatest nation to ever exist.
“Religion and morality are indispensible. It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.” ~ George Washington.
“The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.” ~ John Quincy Adams.
“This day ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.” ~ John Adams wrote in a letter to his wife Abigail concerning congress approving our Declaration of Independence.
Furthermore, our founding documents are a reflection of the covenant God made with our Founding Fathers. The Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights were founded upon the Torah the first five books of the Bible written by Moses, the book of Isaiah, and the four Gospels. The Bills Of Rights are the first ten amendments to our Constitution and correspond to the Ten Commandments outlined in God’s Law. Our three branches of government the Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branch were modeled after Isaiah 33:22, “For the Lord is our judge (Judicial Branch), the Lord is our lawgiver (Legislative Branch), the Lord is our king (Executive Branch); it is he who will save us (not the government)!
The separation of church and state is NOT in our constitution and our Founding Fathers wanted to protect the church from being controlled by the government. Our First Amendment says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” We have bought the lie Satan uses to keep us from being a light in the civic arena as we are called to do.
While researching this subject, I wondered if the definition of politics has changed over the years. As I suspected, just as the truth concerning our history in our children’s textbooks has changed, the definition of the word politics is vastly different from its original meaning too.
According to the 1828 edition of Noah Webster’s American Dictionary of the English language the definition of politics is as follows:
POL'ITICS, n. The science of government;that part of ethicswhich consists in the regulation and government of a nation or state, for the preservation of its safety, peace and prosperity; comprehending the defense of its existence and rights against foreign control or conquest, the augmentation of its strength and resources,and the protection of its citizens in their rights,with the preservation and improvement of their morals. Politics, as a science or an art, is a subject of vast extent and importance.
According to the on-line Merriam-Webster dictionary the definition of politics has evolved to:
1 a : the art or science of government b : the art or science concerned with guiding or influencing governmental policy c : the art or science concerned with winning and holding control over a government
2 : political actions, practices, or policies
3 a : political affairs or business; especially : competition between competing interest groups or individuals for power and leadership (as in a government) b : political life especially as a principal activity or profession c : political activities characterized by artful and often dishonest practices
4 : the political opinions or sympathies of a person
5 a : the total complex of relations between people living in society b : relations or conduct in a particular area of experience especially as seen or dealt with from a political point of view <office politics> <ethnic politics>
Doesn’t it astonish you how the “original intent” of concepts and ideals has changed over the years? This is why as believers we will consult the only source for absolute truth on this subject—God’s Word. As stated in Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” His Word is as relevant today as when it was written.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:13-16, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” The sprinkling of our salt should permeate our communities, our nation and our world to prevent further decay.
How can the body of Christ be used as salt to prevent further decay in our society if we refuse to get involved with the political process which sets in motion legislation such as same-sex marriage, abortion, gay rights, hate crimes, etc. which will ultimately affect us all? As believers how can we say we don’t believe in abortion yet we vote for those individuals who introduce legislation to proliferate it?
Do you truly believe God would not want people who believe in Him and live by His precepts NOT to influence and speak out against those legislative issues or candidates that are in direct opposition to what His word says? God is asking and waiting for our response to the question posed in Psalm 94:16 which states, “Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?”
Let’s begin our quest to understand God’s perspective and answer on this timely issue based on myriad examples found throughout His Word. The only reason Christians believe they shouldn’t get involved in the political arena is because the leaders in the church are silent due to their tax exempt status.
As Edmund Burke states, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” We are instructed in God’s word to pull down strongholds and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. Paul exhorts in Romans 1:29-32, “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
This scripture adequately describes the morals and character of people who are held captive by Satan and is a snapshot of the moral decay in our culture as well. If we look back to the original meaning of politics which states, “… and the protection of its citizens in their rights, with the preservation and improvement of their morals,” we can surmise that the citizens morals are only as good as their devotion to the precepts and principles found in God’s word. We have indeed drifted far from the original intent of our Creator and Founding Fathers.
God uses His people to manifest His will on earth. In America “we the people” have the privilege of using our voice to influence and hold accountable our leaders we elect to represent us. We are God’s personal representatives and are called to be a light in every area of society. We don’t stop being Christians just because we leave the church parking lot! It is only then we enter the mission field and can make a difference. The purpose of attending church is to draw closer to God so we can get refilled with the Holy Spirit. Only then are we empowered to make a difference in the marketplace, schools, work, ball fields, etc.
If God’s people just read and study the Bible and don’t apply it and only surround ourselves with fellow believers how do we use our salt to permeate the darkness in our society to prevent further decay? Furthermore, how do we win the souls of those in captivity by Satan? We don’t.
Not only does God establish those in authority but He expects His people to support them financially by paying taxes and addresses this issue in His word. Romans 13:1-2 states, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”
“This is why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing.” Romans 13:6 .
In Romans 13:6 it says, “…for the authorities are God’s servants.” Why are we financing, giving our time and electing candidates who are NOT servants of God? We should be voting into office candidates whose character and ideology are based on God’s values! It is very apparent by the leaders we currently have elected into office that “we the people” have not voted based on the precepts and principles found in God’s word! What does God’s word have to say about bribery, lies, corruption and injustice we see so prevalent in our leaders? Have we been deceived into believing if someone professes to be good for our economy their character doesn’t matter? The character, integrity and beliefs of the people we elect is the only thing we should consider.
Christians who do NOT believe we should be involved in politics often quote the following scripture out of context. This scripture is in reference to Jesus’ response about paying taxes which we already know is a mandate from the Lord based on Romans 13:6. “The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people. Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. So the spies questioned him: "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" He saw through their duplicity and said to them, "Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?" "Caesar's," they replied. He said to them, "Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." Luke 20:19-25.
In other words, Jesus is reiterating we must pay the government the taxes due and we must give to God our tithes and offerings. We are to do both which is further substantiated in Romans 13:7, “Give everyone (God, government, blacks, whites, Hispanics, native Indians, men, women, children) what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes, if revenue, then revenue, if respect, then respect, if honor then, honor.” Jesus didn’t say just pay your tithes and offerings and forget about supporting those in authority.
We have already established there is no authority except that which God has established and He places believers and non-believers (King Cyrus) in key positions to fulfill His purposes. If God himself is involved in the political process, what makes us think we are not called to represent Him in this realm as well? Jesus said in John 15:20, “…no servant is greater than his master.”
Can you imagine what the outcome might have been if the people in the following examples in the Bible refused to be involved in the political arena?
God placed Moses in Pharaoh’s home to receive the best education, training and experience he would need for the sole purpose of preparing him for the leadership to deliver the Hebrew people from the slavery and bondage of Egypt and their pilgrimage in the desert for 40 years. Moses, just like many believers today, did not want to meddle in the affairs of the governing authorities of his day but God had other plans as illustrated in Exodus 9:1, “Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: "Let my people go, so that they may worship me."
God place Joseph second in command under Pharaoh in order to save Egypt and the Hebrew people from starvation due to severe famine which occurred in the land.
Esther was an orphan who was being raised by a relative named Mordecai (Esther 2:7). Yet in God’s sovereignty, this unknown girl became the queen of one of the largest empires in the entire world. (Esther 2:17). God did this so that at the appropriate time this woman could be used by God to protect the entire Jewish nation from genocide by a crafty and wicked Persian government official named Haman (Esther 8:1-7).
Daniel was taken as a prisoner of war while he was still a young man (Dan. 1:1-6). Yet in God’s sovereign plan this man became the most spiritual influential government official of ancient history and perhaps in all human history. This took place despite a carefully laid plan to take his life (Dan. 6:1-7). What other man is history has ever been appointed prime minister under four different world empires? Yet that is what God caused to happen to this most unusual man. More amazing still is the testimony of Daniel’s political enemies about his character and integrity. Even his enemies could find no fault in him (Dan. 6:1-5). Throughout his long and unusual government career Daniel gave a powerful, effective and absolutely fearless testimony to the living God and his holy standards. His personal testimony was so powerful, in fact, that at least one of the kings under whom he served (Nebuchadnezzar) was converted to faith in the true God and wrote out the testimony of his conversion for the entire Babylonian empire to read (Daniel 4:1-2).
Nehemiah gave up a responsible government post in the palace of the king of a superpower to go rebuild a provincial city that had been destroyed in a war.
John the Baptist spoke out publically on the social issue of marriage and divorce and told King Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” This attempt to urge the King to repent from His sins and live for God ultimately led John to be thrown in prison and be beheaded.
These are just a few of the examples found in God’s word and clearly it is the plan of God to have certain persons from among his own people occupy the highest offices of government at certain times in history. It was by the hand of God through circumstances which brought each person into power.
If you truly believe we as Christians are not to be involved with “politics” why do you bother to vote?
How will you vote in Nov 2010?
“For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Chronicles 3:17
If Christians took the time to know what our founding documents stated they would know how we should respond to elected officials who do not honor God’s word and mock Him with each new piece of legislation they pass. It is up to “we the people” to carry the torch to shine God’s light of truth on issues and people which are eroding the core values our nation was founded on.
George Washington stated, “The power under the Constitution will always be in the people. It is entrusted forcertain defined purposes, and for a certain limited period, to representatives of their own choosing; and whenever it is executed contrary to their interest, or not agreeable to their wishes, their servants can, and undoubtedly will, be recalled.”
Our current elected officials are mocking God, not hearing the voices of “We the People” and doing what they please. In the Bible the word “hearing” does not mean what we think. The word actually means “doing.” Our government is intentionally, maliciously and recklessly NOT “doing” what the majority of people in this country want. This in itself is grounds for dismissal!
In our Declaration of Independence it says, “But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.” It our right, and duty to throw off such Government!
How long will “We the People” allow these abuses and usurpations to go on? What will we tell our children and grandchildren why we didn’t cease this tyranny, but more important, what will we tell our Creator when we will all stand before Him and have to give an account of what we did with the talents He gave us to use for His Kingdom? Don’t tell me Christians are not supposed to get involved with the civic arena and influence our culture. It is not about politics—it is about standing up for what God our Creator has entrusted us with. “We the people” are both citizens of the United States and believers too are we not? Do you pay taxes? Do you have a right for your voice to be heard? Absolutely! Keep reading.
Our Declaration of Independence states…
“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.— That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, AND to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.”
The 2010 election is almost upon us and never before in our country’s history has the need for your involvement been more critical and it doesn’t stop after the election is over. It is NOT about allegiance to the democratic or republican parties. Both are corrupt beyond comprehension. Was God the focus when the republicans were in office before? No!
Furthermore, we must our faith into action by:
Prayer 2 Chronicles 7:14. Without God in the equation everything we are doing will be in vain. Pray that God would change our leader's hearts and open their eyes, otherwise that he would remove these people from their position of influence. Also pray that God would place His people in leadership positions in our government.
We need to vote for candidates based on OUR values.
We must educate ourselves and others on:
1. Our Judeo-Christian Values
2. Our Constitution and Declaration of Independence
3. Laws and legislative issues
4. Political candidates and what they really stand for. Do not listen to what they “say,” watch and learn from what they “do.” If in doubt, vote out all the incumbents. We need to vote in candidates not based on party affiliation, but those who will preserve, defend and uphold our constitution.
James A. Garfield, twentieth president of the United States and also a minister of the gospel, stated in A Century of Congressdated July 1877, “Now, more than ever before, the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption. If it be intelligent, brave and pure, it is because the people demand these high qualities to represent them in the national legislature….” “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.” (Proverbs 29:2 KJV).
If God’s people refuse to arise and take back our country we deserve everything we will reap and may God have mercy on us.
WILL AMERICA SURVIVE TO CELEBRATE ANOTHER BIRTHDAY? IT DEPENDS ON YOU!
July 4, 2010
Independence Day, more commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a time when fellow Americans commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Typically this day is associated with parades, barbecues, picnics and culminates with spectacular displays of fireworks. Yet, how many of us take the time to reflect on what it cost our ancestors to secure this freedom we take for granted? How many of us seek to understand why America became the greatest nation ever to exist?
Since its conception America has been a melting pot of diverse ethnicities and cultures. It is in this vast wealth of different experiences and perspectives the people within our nation created a new cultural climate which gave wind to the human spirit. This ingenuity of collective creative thoughts enabled the people within our country to create the free-enterprise culture which exists today. America is God’s spiritual vineyard and He blessed our country because of our compassion to the poor, the homeless, the widows and the orphans; we were instrumental in spreading the Gospel to the nations; and we have always been supportive of Israel. As a result America prospered greatly and became the premier world power.
The underlying factor which made America the greatest nation ever to exist was not our differences but those things which joined us together in unity. The Founding Fathers of our great country had one common denominator: their trust and devotion to God, our Creator. They shared the belief that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This core belief formed an unbreakable alliance to one another to stand up and declare our independence from the tyrannical rule of Great Britain. From the beginning America was destined to be the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey and held the promise of freedom for the common man to determine their own destiny. This sentiment was echoed by Patrick Henry who cried out, “Give me liberty or give me death.” As a result, America became “One Nation under God” and personifies the truth of 2 Corinthians 3:17, “The Lord is the Spirit. Wherever the Lord’s Spirit is, there is freedom.”
Let’s journey back in time to when our nation was being formed to become the greatest countries ever to exist. George Washington stated in his first inaugural address on April 20, 1709, “…The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally stakes, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.” In the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776, Thomas Jefferson stated, “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.” At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Benjamin Franklin stated, “Gentlemen, I am convinced that God governs in the affairs of men. If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? I move that prayer imploring the assistance of Heaven be held every morning before we proceed to business.”
In August 1862, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed in the Gettysburg Address, “That these men shall not have lived in vain; that under God the nation they built shall have a new birth of freedom, and that a government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth!” Perhaps foreshadowing things to come, Theodore Roosevelt, on March 30, 1912, stated, “We, here in America, hold in our hands the hopes of the world, the fate of the coming years; and shame and disgrace will be ours if in our eyes the light of high resolve is dimmed, if we trail in the dust the golden hopes of men.”
America is still the greatest nation ever to exist and we have always embraced people from all ethnic groups. This has not changed. What has changed is that today’s multiculturalism seeks to silence, undermine and eradicate our Judeo-Christian heritage and replace it with their unique ethnic viewpoint. In other words, their worldview of how things should be is the one they would like to see our country embrace. American culture was based upon Judeo-Christian principles, which was based upon teachings from both the Old and New Testament. Paul wrote, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16).
The downward spiral for our country started in 1963 when Madelyn Murray O'Hair, an atheist, won a lawsuit against the Baltimore School System, which voted in her favor 8-1 to ban school prayer and label it "unconstitutional". This ruling started America’s slippery decline away, not only from our Constitution, but our Creator, too. Where was the outcry from the Body of Christ when this happened? As is now the case, the silence was deafening.
As a result we have almost five decades of Americans who don’t know the Lord and what His Word says, because they don’t take the time to find out. We are all too busy. We have become our own gods and seek to replace the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob with many false gods. The majority of these people “who knew not the Lord” are now in a position of power and influence and seek to invoke their “worldview” over God’s! They are parents, teachers, and government leaders. More tragically, this majority includes some ministers and pastors as well.
As Christians we all become a part of God's family when we accept His free gift of salvation through His son Jesus Christ. This is not dependent on our race, station in life, or country of origin. As Christians we must know and obey God’s precepts written in His Word. The same concept holds true when people choose to become citizens of the United States of America.
Did you know the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights all contain phrases that originated in the Torah, the first five books of the Bible written by Moses? These early documents were founded upon the Torah, the book of Isaiah, and the four Gospels. The Bill of Rights are the first ten amendments to our Constitution and correspond to the Ten Commandments outlined in God’s Law. Contrary to popular opinion, we are indeed a Christian nation.
The U.S. Constitution is the document which governs the supreme law of our land. There is a thought process of many in our country who believe the U.S. Constitution is no longer applicable to this generation—it has become antiquated—it is no longer relevant to today’s issues. These are the same people who believe the same about the Bible. The Word of God is as relevant today as when it was written. It does not matter what is socially acceptable or politically correct. Hebrews 13:8 states, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” God’s Word is no different.
Freedom is a privilege not a right and it must be protected. Our founding documents were written under the divine providence of Almighty God, and every public official takes an oath to uphold, defend and protect the Constitution of the United States of America.
This 4th of July, why not renew your commitment to God and our country.
Fellow Americans: Today as we celebrate our 234th birthday, ask yourselves as President Kennedy once asked us, "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.”
Seek God! He is the one who gave us the responsibility to be the stewards of this great nation. As stated in Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”
A good place to start is to get a One Year Bible, arranged in 365 daily readings. Will you devote 30 minutes a day to read God’s Word, so you can know His truth?
Also educate yourselves about our nation’s Judeo-Christian heritage by reading:
Nightmare on Pennsylvania Avenue by Perry Stone
Plucking The Eagle’s Wings by Perry Stone
The 5,000 Year Leap – A Miracle That Changed the World by W. Cleon Skousen.
Just as Christians need to read God’s word to understand His precepts so they can obey them, the same holds true for our founding documents. Every American should be required to read and understand the Declaration of Independence, our U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. When people come to our country legally, they have to do this. Americans are not against foreigners coming to our country to have a better life. This is part of the “American Dream.”
One issue which is causing division and strife within our nation at this time is the fact that the President wants to grant amnesty to illegal aliens. The word “illegal” has a lot to do with this controversial issue. Our Constitution does not give our President the right to grant amnesty, citizenship, or voting rights. Such action would need to originate in the House of Representatives and come to the President as a bill passed by both the House and Senate.
It is only by giving God first place in our hearts and lives will we once again become the people worthy enough to inhabit the land of the free and the home of the brave! Happy Birthday, America!
Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
~ By Francis Scott Key 1814
July 4, 2010
Independence Day, more commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a time when fellow Americans commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Typically this day is associated with parades, barbecues, picnics and culminates with spectacular displays of fireworks. Yet, how many of us take the time to reflect on what it cost our ancestors to secure this freedom we take for granted? How many of us seek to understand why America became the greatest nation ever to exist?
Since its conception America has been a melting pot of diverse ethnicities and cultures. It is in this vast wealth of different experiences and perspectives the people within our nation created a new cultural climate which gave wind to the human spirit. This ingenuity of collective creative thoughts enabled the people within our country to create the free-enterprise culture which exists today. America is God’s spiritual vineyard and He blessed our country because of our compassion to the poor, the homeless, the widows and the orphans; we were instrumental in spreading the Gospel to the nations; and we have always been supportive of Israel. As a result America prospered greatly and became the premier world power.
The underlying factor which made America the greatest nation ever to exist was not our differences but those things which joined us together in unity. The Founding Fathers of our great country had one common denominator: their trust and devotion to God, our Creator. They shared the belief that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This core belief formed an unbreakable alliance to one another to stand up and declare our independence from the tyrannical rule of Great Britain. From the beginning America was destined to be the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey and held the promise of freedom for the common man to determine their own destiny. This sentiment was echoed by Patrick Henry who cried out, “Give me liberty or give me death.” As a result, America became “One Nation under God” and personifies the truth of 2 Corinthians 3:17, “The Lord is the Spirit. Wherever the Lord’s Spirit is, there is freedom.”
Let’s journey back in time to when our nation was being formed to become the greatest countries ever to exist. George Washington stated in his first inaugural address on April 20, 1709, “…The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally stakes, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.” In the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776, Thomas Jefferson stated, “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.” At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Benjamin Franklin stated, “Gentlemen, I am convinced that God governs in the affairs of men. If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? I move that prayer imploring the assistance of Heaven be held every morning before we proceed to business.”
In August 1862, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed in the Gettysburg Address, “That these men shall not have lived in vain; that under God the nation they built shall have a new birth of freedom, and that a government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth!” Perhaps foreshadowing things to come, Theodore Roosevelt, on March 30, 1912, stated, “We, here in America, hold in our hands the hopes of the world, the fate of the coming years; and shame and disgrace will be ours if in our eyes the light of high resolve is dimmed, if we trail in the dust the golden hopes of men.”
America is still the greatest nation ever to exist and we have always embraced people from all ethnic groups. This has not changed. What has changed is that today’s multiculturalism seeks to silence, undermine and eradicate our Judeo-Christian heritage and replace it with their unique ethnic viewpoint. In other words, their worldview of how things should be is the one they would like to see our country embrace. American culture was based upon Judeo-Christian principles, which was based upon teachings from both the Old and New Testament. Paul wrote, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16).
The downward spiral for our country started in 1963 when Madelyn Murray O'Hair, an atheist, won a lawsuit against the Baltimore School System, which voted in her favor 8-1 to ban school prayer and label it "unconstitutional". This ruling started America’s slippery decline away, not only from our Constitution, but our Creator, too. Where was the outcry from the Body of Christ when this happened? As is now the case, the silence was deafening.
As a result we have almost five decades of Americans who don’t know the Lord and what His Word says, because they don’t take the time to find out. We are all too busy. We have become our own gods and seek to replace the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob with many false gods. The majority of these people “who knew not the Lord” are now in a position of power and influence and seek to invoke their “worldview” over God’s! They are parents, teachers, and government leaders. More tragically, this majority includes some ministers and pastors as well.
As Christians we all become a part of God's family when we accept His free gift of salvation through His son Jesus Christ. This is not dependent on our race, station in life, or country of origin. As Christians we must know and obey God’s precepts written in His Word. The same concept holds true when people choose to become citizens of the United States of America.
Did you know the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights all contain phrases that originated in the Torah, the first five books of the Bible written by Moses? These early documents were founded upon the Torah, the book of Isaiah, and the four Gospels. The Bill of Rights are the first ten amendments to our Constitution and correspond to the Ten Commandments outlined in God’s Law. Contrary to popular opinion, we are indeed a Christian nation.
The U.S. Constitution is the document which governs the supreme law of our land. There is a thought process of many in our country who believe the U.S. Constitution is no longer applicable to this generation—it has become antiquated—it is no longer relevant to today’s issues. These are the same people who believe the same about the Bible. The Word of God is as relevant today as when it was written. It does not matter what is socially acceptable or politically correct. Hebrews 13:8 states, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” God’s Word is no different.
Freedom is a privilege not a right and it must be protected. Our founding documents were written under the divine providence of Almighty God, and every public official takes an oath to uphold, defend and protect the Constitution of the United States of America.
This 4th of July, why not renew your commitment to God and our country.
Fellow Americans: Today as we celebrate our 234th birthday, ask yourselves as President Kennedy once asked us, "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.”
Seek God! He is the one who gave us the responsibility to be the stewards of this great nation. As stated in Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”
A good place to start is to get a One Year Bible, arranged in 365 daily readings. Will you devote 30 minutes a day to read God’s Word, so you can know His truth?
Also educate yourselves about our nation’s Judeo-Christian heritage by reading:
Nightmare on Pennsylvania Avenue by Perry Stone
Plucking The Eagle’s Wings by Perry Stone
The 5,000 Year Leap – A Miracle That Changed the World by W. Cleon Skousen.
Just as Christians need to read God’s word to understand His precepts so they can obey them, the same holds true for our founding documents. Every American should be required to read and understand the Declaration of Independence, our U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. When people come to our country legally, they have to do this. Americans are not against foreigners coming to our country to have a better life. This is part of the “American Dream.”
One issue which is causing division and strife within our nation at this time is the fact that the President wants to grant amnesty to illegal aliens. The word “illegal” has a lot to do with this controversial issue. Our Constitution does not give our President the right to grant amnesty, citizenship, or voting rights. Such action would need to originate in the House of Representatives and come to the President as a bill passed by both the House and Senate.
It is only by giving God first place in our hearts and lives will we once again become the people worthy enough to inhabit the land of the free and the home of the brave! Happy Birthday, America!
Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
~ By Francis Scott Key 1814
THE DESTINY OF OUR COUNTRY IS IN “YOUR” HANDS!
“Now, more than ever before, the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption. If it be intelligent, brave and pure, it is because the people demand these high qualities to represent them in the national legislature….” ~ James A. Garfield, twentieth President of the United States and minister of the gospel
“Our ‘enemies’ manifest themselves in people through ideas that destroy the foundational truths upon which this country was built, such as the idea that there is no right and wrong, the widespread acceptance of sexual debauchery and the self-centered lifestyle that has become the norm. We should know the positions of every political candidate from the president down to our local school board, but electing someone to office will not save or destroy our nation. Allowing bad ideas to go unchallenged will be our downfall.” ~ James Robison
Please do your homework and then your "DUTY" as an American citizen! VOTE! This is YOUR county and this is YOUR opportunity to express YOUR VOICE as Congress has turned a deaf ear to all of us !
MAKE THAT DIFFERENCE HAPPEN! VOTE!
Action #1-WE MUST BE “DOERS” OF WHAT OUR FOUNDING DOCUMENTS ALREADY HAS GIVEN US THE RIGHT TO DO
As you are well aware our Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights were written by our Founding Fathers by the divine inspiration of Almighty God!
Our current administration led by Barrack Hussein Obama is mocking God, not hearing the voices of “We the People” and doing what they please. In the Bible the word “hearing” does not mean what we think. The word actually means “doing.” So our government is intentionally, maliciously and recklessly NOT “doing” what the majority of people in this country want. This in itself is grounds for dismissal!
In our Declaration of Independence it says, “But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.” It our right, and duty to throw off such Government! How long will “We the People” allow these abuses and usurpation to go on? What will we tell our children and grandchildren why we didn’t cease this tyranny, but more important, what will we tell our Creator when we will all stand before Him?
Our Declaration of Independence states…
“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.— That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, AND to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.”
We as Christians should not sit silent and be paralyzed by our fear of the future. We must stand up for what we believe in and fight to keep the Godly values that our nation was founded on intact now. If we don’t, we will lose our freedom of speech and our freedom of religion.
“The power under the Constitution will always be in the people. It is entrusted for certain defined purposes, and for a certain limited period, to representatives of their own choosing; and whenever it is executed contrary to their interest, or not agreeable to their wishes, their servants can, and undoubtedly will, be recalled.” ~ George Washington
If Christians took the time to know what our founding documents stated they would know how we should respond to elected officials who do not honor God’s Word and mock Him with each new piece of legislation they pass. The first lie Satan and his cohorts want you to believe is that our nation was NOT founded on Judeo-Christian values.
I will give you some tools you must use to educate yourself, your family, friends, neighbors and most definitely the people in your church. As stated earlier we cannot count on most leaders in the church to teach us these things. It is up to “we the people” to carry the torch to shine God’s light of truth on issues and people which are eroding the core values our nation was founded on.
Utilize the resources at Wall Builders at http://www.wallbuilders.com
Read the following books:
Plucking the Eagle’s Wings – Perry Stone
Nightmare on Pennsylvania Avenue – Perry Stone
The 5,000 Year Leap – A Miracle That Changed the World by W. Cleon Skousen.
Politically and culturally speaking the United States is just like the Republic of the Roman Empire. The same reasons which caused the Roman Empire to erode from within is the same exact path the United States is currently on.
Edward Gibbon wrote his six-volume book History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire in the late 1700s. He summed up five reasons why great civilizations eventually faded away and died. America is on this same path and it is unfolding before our very eyes. My comments are below the titles.
1. The undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home as the foundation for human society.
The destruction of the nation always begins with the family. Divorces are at an all time high resulting in single families often with no influence from the father, taking away parental authority, homosexual and same-sex marriage agenda, etc.).
2. Higher and higher taxes and public (government) spending.
Have you looked at our national debt clock lately? With the passage of Health Care Reform Bill and other programs the American people are against in the first place, the only way to pay for these programs is through higher taxes. Our children and grandchildren will pay the price. President Obama promised no more taxes for people earning less than $200,000 a year. Have you renewed your auto tag or driver’s license recently? How many people who earn less than $200,000 drive vehicles? This is just the beginning.
3. The craze for pleasure, sports, and the increase of violence and brutality in sports.
Never before has the addiction to being entertained been more important to American society. All we have to do is check our calendars and checkbook to see what we really value. Our priorities are so messed up in the area of sports and entertainment and the proof is in the astronomical salaries these people get paid while our teachers earn minimum salaries. How much time do you spend at the ball field, movie theatre or playing on the internet, gambling, or watching television?
4. The building of great armaments when the real enemy was within: the decay of individual responsibilities.
How much money do you think we spend on Homeland Security at all the airports when we are allow our borders to be wide open to whoever seeks to come across? Terrorist have infiltrated our country through our borders and are already in place across our nation. The number of lawsuits prevalent in our society including the one currently issued by the Obama administration against the Arizona illegal immigrant bill has replaced our individual accountability and responsibility. We have a blame someone else mentality—it’s not my fault.
5. The decay of religion: faith fading into mere form, losing touch with life, religion losing its power to guide the people.
Nearly 90 percent of Americans, according to the CIA World Factbook, identify themselves with a religion. But only 12 percent of American adults say faith is a top priority in their life, according to a new study released by the Barna Group. http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100726/studyfew-americans-say-faith-is-top-priority/index.html. In 2009 Newsweek’s cover story was the 'End of Christian America'. It is for these very reasons, America will perish. We have forsaken God. America WAS a Christian nation.
The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations is about two hundred years. America is now 234 years old and we are at #7 below. It has been reported in recent years that empires appear to go through a series of eight cycles:
1. From bondage to spiritual faith
2. From spiritual faith to great courage
3. From courage to liberty
4. From liberty to abundance
5. From abundance to complacency
6. From complacency to apathy
7. From APATHY to dependency
8. From dependency back to bondage
HOW WILL YOU VOTE IN THE UPCOMING ELECTION?
The 2010 election is almost upon us and never before in our country’s history has the need for your involvement been more critical. It is NOT about allegiance to the democratic or republican parties. Both are corrupt beyond comprehension. Was God the focus when the republicans were in office before? No! We need to vote in candidates not based on party affiliation, but those who will preserve, defend and uphold our constitution. We desperately need men and women with Godly, conservative values to run for public office to serve “we the people.” Furthermore, we must our faith into action by:
Prayer 2 Chronicles 7:14. Without God in the equation everything we are doing will be in vain.
We may not survive as a nation to enact the proposed changes at the end of this email.
We need to vote for candidates based on OUR values.
We need to let our voice be heard by contacting our elected officials whether or not they will listen. At the very least tell them we are going to vote them out of their position of influence and power.
We must educate ourselves and others on:
a) Our Judeo-Christian Values
b) Our Constitution and Declaration of Independence
c) Laws and Legislative Issues
d) Political candidates and what they really stand for. Do not listen to what they “say,” watch and learn from what they “do.” If in doubt, vote out all the incumbents.
We, the People, have got to take this Country back and we HAVE to do it peacefully. That's what the Framers of our Constitution envisioned.
How should you vote in November? The choice is up to you after all you have free will. Let your convictions as Christians be your guide.
Following are some items that are definitely outside the box in how we currently do things but are worthy of our consideration:
The entire Congress of the United States is corrupt. Both Houses and both major parties. I realize that a few members of each House are trustworthy, but, as a group they are absolutely the most corrupt bunch ever to disgrace our nation.
In November of 2010 the entire House of Representative will stand for re-election—all 435 of them. One third of the Senate, a total of 33 of them, will also stand for re-election.
VOTE EVERY INCUMBENT OUT, every one of them! No matter their Party affiliation. This strategy applies at the local level too.
Let’s start all over in the House of Representatives with 435 people who have absolutely no experience in running that body, with no political favors owed to anyone so they can serve “we the people.”
Let’s make them understand that they work for us. They are answerable to us and they simply have to run that body with some common sense and integrity.
Two years later, in 2012, vote the next third of the incumbents in the Senate out.
We can do the same thing in 2014 and, but that time we have put all new people in that body as well.
Here are some other proposals we need to think about implementing:
Impose term limits on the new representatives-a total of 8 years (two terms) for representatives.
A total of 12 years (two terms) for Senators. No more career politicians!
We should immediately repeal the Health Care Reform Bill. Our health care does need reform, but the key in passing the right reform is to require elected officials to rely on the same health care reform the rest of us will use. It is only then the issue will be addressed with the Spirit of Excellence it deserves and will be what is best for all Americans.
Make it mandatory that all members of congress take a pay cut. They would only get raises based on their performance. They would not be able to vote themselves raises any longer.
Social Security is almost bankrupt and we must address this issue. Once again if congress did not have their golden parachutes guaranteeing them comfort once they leave office they would revamp this immediately. Effectively immediately congress must have to rely on the same retirement plan the rest of us has to. You would see a stop to outsourcing all our jobs oversees and many other abominations currently happening. All the money people pay into social security would go into a private fund that can be invested for their exclusive use to retire on. I have taken into account those who cannot work because of genuine reasons and those who choose not too because they don’t want to. See next two proposals.
The churches would either lose their tax exempt status or they would have to substantiate using at least what they save by not paying taxes to get back to being the church in the book of Acts. This is the minimal amount and does NOT take into account the tithes and offerings they collect. Do they dare rob God? Many are and will be held accountable. It is the churches responsibility NOT the governments to take care of widows, orphans and those who cannot take care of themselves due to issues beyond their control. This fund would include taking care of the people who could not afford health insurance, etc. If they choose not to show how they are using their money to take care of those less fortunate, then the tax money collected would be put in a fund for this purpose.
Effective immediately all people collecting welfare who do not work would have to report every day to perform various services throughout their community. What they currently receive in welfare would be calculated into an hourly wage. If they show up for work, they get paid. If they don’t they won’t. They will get 5 paid sick days per year and 1 week’s paid vacation per year. No more free handouts and programs of entitlement. It is only then they will seek to better themselves and become productive members of society.
We need to elect Godly men and women with conservative Christian values who will seek God for His guidance for wisdom in all their decisions while in office.
We need to divide all the problems presently plaguing our country and get experts who have integrity and give them six months to a year to come up with solutions. They would not get paid for this. They would do it because they love God and our country and want a better future for our children and grandchildren.
We need to mandate every business roll back prices for the sake of our country. This would include corporations, oil companies, schools—no one would be exempt. With the extra money people save from paying lower prices they must get out of debt. We could offer a special tax incentive for those who could substantiate saving money after a period of one year. This includes our government. All new spending would be suspended.
We need to give tax incentives to encourage businesses to invest in expanding their payroll—thus creating new jobs. We would empower small businesses with what they need to be successful.
Illegal immigrant issues – If people of other nations want to come to our country, they must be required to do what it takes to become a citizen of the United States—and this includes learning our language, which is English. It also includes paying taxes like the rest of Americans do. It should not be used as a license for a "free" lunch. They chose to come to the United States of America and must respect what our country represents. Illegal aliens are getting free welfare (food, housing, education) without having to take the necessary steps to become a citizen of the United States. This is not a racist comment and should not be twisted as such. The key problem with this issue is these people are “Illegal.”
DEALING WITH THE ILLEGAL ALIEN ISSUE IS A THREE-FOLD PROCESS
1. How to secure the border
2. What do with the estimated 12 million illegal aliens presently residing in the U.S.
3. Identify and prosecute employers who hire illegal aliens
Currently there is an estimated 12 million illegal aliens in the United States and without adequate enforcement of the border this number will continue to escalate exponentially. I find it incredible that citizens of the United States when we travel get treated with stringent security measures to ensure we are not a threat to Homeland Security, yet we allow our borders to be wide open to not only to illegal aliens but any one intent on inflicting harm on our nation (terrorists).
What should we do about preventing more people from coming into our country illegally?
National guards must be deployed until the wall is built. Immediately build a 12 foot chain linked fence along the entire southern perimeter of the United States border with barbed wire at the top. The whole fence would be electric. The fence must extend at least 5 feet deep so they cannot dig tunnels under the wall. The fence would be a total of 17 feet deep (12feet on top 5 feet below). LARGE SIGNS IN SPANISH WOULD SAY, "DANGER ELECTRIC FENCE" ALL ALONG THE BORDER. Adequate numbers of National Guard units must be deployed until the fence is erected. We could build this fence within six months time and it would provide temporary jobs. Imagine that? Video cameras should be erected along the entire perimeter and the video should be monitored by the border control agents 24/7. Once the wall is built the border agents should be able to manage the situation.
What should we do with the illegal’s currently residing in the United States?
Most people feel like it is not the right thing to deport them immediately out of this country once they are identified because families are involved and we have compassion. Therefore, we should identify those who are in this country illegally by granting amnesty with the following conditions to be met within a pre-determined time frame. We must reduce the time it takes to become a United States Citizen to make it more obtainable. After the pre-determined time frame if these conditions are not met within 18 months, they will be deported back to Mexico—end of story.
1. No voting rights until they become citizens of the United States legally.
2. They must apply for U.S. Citizenship and obtain their U.S. citizen status.
3. They must take English classes and pass a written and oral test.
4. All taxes they have not paid since they have been in this country must be paid back with payment installments. If a citizen of the United States evaded taxes we would
a. Owe back taxes
b. Pay fines
c. Be incarcerated (jail or prison)
Employers Hiring Illegal Aliens
Without people hiring illegal aliens, there would be less incentive for people coming over the border for jobs which should go to Americans.
1. Pay a hefty fine
2. If they continue to hire illegal aliens the CEO or owner of the business goes to jail or prison.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. If you like the way things are going in our country, and then do nothing….but be prepared to reap the
“The power under the Constitution will always be in the people. It is entrusted for certain defined purposes, and for a certain limited period, to representatives of their own choosing; and whenever it is executed contrary to their interest, or not agreeable to their wishes, their servants can, and undoubtedly will, be recalled.” ~ George Washington
If Christians took the time to know what our founding documents stated they would know how we should respond to elected officials who do not honor God’s Word and mock Him with each new piece of legislation they pass. The first lie Satan and his cohorts want you to believe is that our nation was NOT founded on Judeo-Christian values.
I will give you some tools you must use to educate yourself, your family, friends, neighbors and most definitely the people in your church. As stated earlier we cannot count on most leaders in the church to teach us these things. It is up to “we the people” to carry the torch to shine God’s light of truth on issues and people which are eroding the core values our nation was founded on.
Utilize the resources at Wall Builders at http://www.wallbuilders.com
Read the following books:
Plucking the Eagle’s Wings – Perry Stone
Nightmare on Pennsylvania Avenue – Perry Stone
The 5,000 Year Leap – A Miracle That Changed the World by W. Cleon Skousen.
Politically and culturally speaking the United States is just like the Republic of the Roman Empire. The same reasons which caused the Roman Empire to erode from within is the same exact path the United States is currently on.
Edward Gibbon wrote his six-volume book History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire in the late 1700s. He summed up five reasons why great civilizations eventually faded away and died. America is on this same path and it is unfolding before our very eyes. My comments are below the titles.
1. The undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home as the foundation for human society.
The destruction of the nation always begins with the family. Divorces are at an all time high resulting in single families often with no influence from the father, taking away parental authority, homosexual and same-sex marriage agenda, etc.).
2. Higher and higher taxes and public (government) spending.
Have you looked at our national debt clock lately? With the passage of Health Care Reform Bill and other programs the American people are against in the first place, the only way to pay for these programs is through higher taxes. Our children and grandchildren will pay the price. President Obama promised no more taxes for people earning less than $200,000 a year. Have you renewed your auto tag or driver’s license recently? How many people who earn less than $200,000 drive vehicles? This is just the beginning.
3. The craze for pleasure, sports, and the increase of violence and brutality in sports.
Never before has the addiction to being entertained been more important to American society. All we have to do is check our calendars and checkbook to see what we really value. Our priorities are so messed up in the area of sports and entertainment and the proof is in the astronomical salaries these people get paid while our teachers earn minimum salaries. How much time do you spend at the ball field, movie theatre or playing on the internet, gambling, or watching television?
4. The building of great armaments when the real enemy was within: the decay of individual responsibilities.
How much money do you think we spend on Homeland Security at all the airports when we are allow our borders to be wide open to whoever seeks to come across? Terrorist have infiltrated our country through our borders and are already in place across our nation. The number of lawsuits prevalent in our society including the one currently issued by the Obama administration against the Arizona illegal immigrant bill has replaced our individual accountability and responsibility. We have a blame someone else mentality—it’s not my fault.
5. The decay of religion: faith fading into mere form, losing touch with life, religion losing its power to guide the people.
Nearly 90 percent of Americans, according to the CIA World Factbook, identify themselves with a religion. But only 12 percent of American adults say faith is a top priority in their life, according to a new study released by the Barna Group. http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100726/studyfew-americans-say-faith-is-top-priority/index.html. In 2009 Newsweek’s cover story was the 'End of Christian America'. It is for these very reasons, America will perish. We have forsaken God. America WAS a Christian nation.
The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations is about two hundred years. America is now 234 years old and we are at #7 below. It has been reported in recent years that empires appear to go through a series of eight cycles:
1. From bondage to spiritual faith
2. From spiritual faith to great courage
3. From courage to liberty
4. From liberty to abundance
5. From abundance to complacency
6. From complacency to apathy
7. From APATHY to dependency
8. From dependency back to bondage
HOW WILL YOU VOTE IN THE UPCOMING ELECTION?
The 2010 election is almost upon us and never before in our country’s history has the need for your involvement been more critical. It is NOT about allegiance to the democratic or republican parties. Both are corrupt beyond comprehension. Was God the focus when the republicans were in office before? No! We need to vote in candidates not based on party affiliation, but those who will preserve, defend and uphold our constitution. We desperately need men and women with Godly, conservative values to run for public office to serve “we the people.” Furthermore, we must our faith into action by:
Prayer 2 Chronicles 7:14. Without God in the equation everything we are doing will be in vain.
We may not survive as a nation to enact the proposed changes at the end of this email.
We need to vote for candidates based on OUR values.
We need to let our voice be heard by contacting our elected officials whether or not they will listen. At the very least tell them we are going to vote them out of their position of influence and power.
We must educate ourselves and others on:
a) Our Judeo-Christian Values
b) Our Constitution and Declaration of Independence
c) Laws and Legislative Issues
d) Political candidates and what they really stand for. Do not listen to what they “say,” watch and learn from what they “do.” If in doubt, vote out all the incumbents.
We, the People, have got to take this Country back and we HAVE to do it peacefully. That's what the Framers of our Constitution envisioned.
How should you vote in November? The choice is up to you after all you have free will. Let your convictions as Christians be your guide.
Following are some items that are definitely outside the box in how we currently do things but are worthy of our consideration:
The entire Congress of the United States is corrupt. Both Houses and both major parties. I realize that a few members of each House are trustworthy, but, as a group they are absolutely the most corrupt bunch ever to disgrace our nation.
In November of 2010 the entire House of Representative will stand for re-election—all 435 of them. One third of the Senate, a total of 33 of them, will also stand for re-election.
VOTE EVERY INCUMBENT OUT, every one of them! No matter their Party affiliation. This strategy applies at the local level too.
Let’s start all over in the House of Representatives with 435 people who have absolutely no experience in running that body, with no political favors owed to anyone so they can serve “we the people.”
Let’s make them understand that they work for us. They are answerable to us and they simply have to run that body with some common sense and integrity.
Two years later, in 2012, vote the next third of the incumbents in the Senate out.
We can do the same thing in 2014 and, but that time we have put all new people in that body as well.
Here are some other proposals we need to think about implementing:
Impose term limits on the new representatives-a total of 8 years (two terms) for representatives.
A total of 12 years (two terms) for Senators. No more career politicians!
We should immediately repeal the Health Care Reform Bill. Our health care does need reform, but the key in passing the right reform is to require elected officials to rely on the same health care reform the rest of us will use. It is only then the issue will be addressed with the Spirit of Excellence it deserves and will be what is best for all Americans.
Make it mandatory that all members of congress take a pay cut. They would only get raises based on their performance. They would not be able to vote themselves raises any longer.
Social Security is almost bankrupt and we must address this issue. Once again if congress did not have their golden parachutes guaranteeing them comfort once they leave office they would revamp this immediately. Effectively immediately congress must have to rely on the same retirement plan the rest of us has to. You would see a stop to outsourcing all our jobs oversees and many other abominations currently happening. All the money people pay into social security would go into a private fund that can be invested for their exclusive use to retire on. I have taken into account those who cannot work because of genuine reasons and those who choose not too because they don’t want to. See next two proposals.
The churches would either lose their tax exempt status or they would have to substantiate using at least what they save by not paying taxes to get back to being the church in the book of Acts. This is the minimal amount and does NOT take into account the tithes and offerings they collect. Do they dare rob God? Many are and will be held accountable. It is the churches responsibility NOT the governments to take care of widows, orphans and those who cannot take care of themselves due to issues beyond their control. This fund would include taking care of the people who could not afford health insurance, etc. If they choose not to show how they are using their money to take care of those less fortunate, then the tax money collected would be put in a fund for this purpose.
Effective immediately all people collecting welfare who do not work would have to report every day to perform various services throughout their community. What they currently receive in welfare would be calculated into an hourly wage. If they show up for work, they get paid. If they don’t they won’t. They will get 5 paid sick days per year and 1 week’s paid vacation per year. No more free handouts and programs of entitlement. It is only then they will seek to better themselves and become productive members of society.
We need to elect Godly men and women with conservative Christian values who will seek God for His guidance for wisdom in all their decisions while in office.
We need to divide all the problems presently plaguing our country and get experts who have integrity and give them six months to a year to come up with solutions. They would not get paid for this. They would do it because they love God and our country and want a better future for our children and grandchildren.
We need to mandate every business roll back prices for the sake of our country. This would include corporations, oil companies, schools—no one would be exempt. With the extra money people save from paying lower prices they must get out of debt. We could offer a special tax incentive for those who could substantiate saving money after a period of one year. This includes our government. All new spending would be suspended.
We need to give tax incentives to encourage businesses to invest in expanding their payroll—thus creating new jobs. We would empower small businesses with what they need to be successful.
Illegal immigrant issues – If people of other nations want to come to our country, they must be required to do what it takes to become a citizen of the United States—and this includes learning our language, which is English. It also includes paying taxes like the rest of Americans do. It should not be used as a license for a "free" lunch. They chose to come to the United States of America and must respect what our country represents. Illegal aliens are getting free welfare (food, housing, education) without having to take the necessary steps to become a citizen of the United States. This is not a racist comment and should not be twisted as such. The key problem with this issue is these people are “Illegal.”
DEALING WITH THE ILLEGAL ALIEN ISSUE IS A THREE-FOLD PROCESS
1. How to secure the border
2. What do with the estimated 12 million illegal aliens presently residing in the U.S.
3. Identify and prosecute employers who hire illegal aliens
Currently there is an estimated 12 million illegal aliens in the United States and without adequate enforcement of the border this number will continue to escalate exponentially. I find it incredible that citizens of the United States when we travel get treated with stringent security measures to ensure we are not a threat to Homeland Security, yet we allow our borders to be wide open to not only to illegal aliens but any one intent on inflicting harm on our nation (terrorists).
What should we do about preventing more people from coming into our country illegally?
National guards must be deployed until the wall is built. Immediately build a 12 foot chain linked fence along the entire southern perimeter of the United States border with barbed wire at the top. The whole fence would be electric. The fence must extend at least 5 feet deep so they cannot dig tunnels under the wall. The fence would be a total of 17 feet deep (12feet on top 5 feet below). LARGE SIGNS IN SPANISH WOULD SAY, "DANGER ELECTRIC FENCE" ALL ALONG THE BORDER. Adequate numbers of National Guard units must be deployed until the fence is erected. We could build this fence within six months time and it would provide temporary jobs. Imagine that? Video cameras should be erected along the entire perimeter and the video should be monitored by the border control agents 24/7. Once the wall is built the border agents should be able to manage the situation.
What should we do with the illegal’s currently residing in the United States?
Most people feel like it is not the right thing to deport them immediately out of this country once they are identified because families are involved and we have compassion. Therefore, we should identify those who are in this country illegally by granting amnesty with the following conditions to be met within a pre-determined time frame. We must reduce the time it takes to become a United States Citizen to make it more obtainable. After the pre-determined time frame if these conditions are not met within 18 months, they will be deported back to Mexico—end of story.
1. No voting rights until they become citizens of the United States legally.
2. They must apply for U.S. Citizenship and obtain their U.S. citizen status.
3. They must take English classes and pass a written and oral test.
4. All taxes they have not paid since they have been in this country must be paid back with payment installments. If a citizen of the United States evaded taxes we would
a. Owe back taxes
b. Pay fines
c. Be incarcerated (jail or prison)
Employers Hiring Illegal Aliens
Without people hiring illegal aliens, there would be less incentive for people coming over the border for jobs which should go to Americans.
1. Pay a hefty fine
2. If they continue to hire illegal aliens the CEO or owner of the business goes to jail or prison.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. If you like the way things are going in our country, and then do nothing….but be prepared to reap the
I am not the only one sounding the trumpet on this issue!
In Pastor Jim Hagee's July/August issue of “JH Magazine” on the cover he has the following headliner banner. "If we do not use our freedom to defend our freedom, we will lose our freedom." The article itself has the title, "Wake Up America! It's time for another D-Day!" Here is an excerpt from the article written from Pastor Hagee. “Wake up Pastors! State by state legislation is being passed making it legal for men to marry men and women to marry women. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob labels that as “an abomination.” The culture war in America is raging and the majority of America’s pastors are on the sidelines with a silence that is deafening. The liberal “tyrants of tolerance” have a bull’s eye on your pulpit. There is a so called “hate crimes” bill now pending before the Senate that will force you to permit and or perform same-sex marriages even if it’s in violation of your faith. Don’t be the “dumb dog” in the pulpit the prophet Isaiah clearly describes in chapter fifty six, refusing to bark when danger approaches the house of his master of the flock of sheep he’s supposed to be guarding. It has been said and bares repeating that the hottest place in hell is preserved for those who remain silent in the day of danger. WAKE UP AMERICA! The church must realize that these atrocities are currently happening to our nation. Ignoring them will not make them go away. It is time for the Church to unite and fight! We must get informed and educate ourselves on what is at stake. If America is going to survive, Bible-believing Christians need to get involved! This is not my fight, it is OUR fight! We are living in a time where action is required! We need to carry this fight to the adversaries of this nation and the world and rally the good people of America to WAKE UP!
“We the people”, especially the body of Christ, have the responsibility to not only vote, but to be a voice for those issues that violate what God's word says. When we remain silent then our leaders do whatever they want and are not accountable to the people. For instance, many Christians voted for President Obama based on the financial crisis our nation is experiencing. They abandoned their role as God's children to vote according to what God's word says about issues such as abortion, same sex marriage, stem cell research, etc. I believe with all my heart that if the leaders of the church would stand firm on the issues facing our nation and gather their flock and unite the body of Christ to be heard in mainstream media and the political arena, we could make a tremendous impact on our nation. The left wing special interest groups are getting their way because we remain silent. They are organized, have the money to back them and are winning. There are all kinds of different Christian organizations such as American Family Association, Focus on the Family, and Concerned Women for America that fight for what is right all the time. Can you imagine the impact the body of Christ would have if we became organized, bought our way into the secular media and stood firm on what we believe!
United we will stand, and divided we will fall!
Some of you may have lost a job or career for standing up for what you believed was morally right. We are supposed to draw this line in the sand for everything we do, and our government is no different. It takes courage and strength to stand firm in your convictions and to confront wrongdoing in the face of opposition.
In the Bible we have one example when Ish-Bosteth may have been right to speak out against Abner's behavior, but he didn't have the moral strength to maintain his authority (this is what is so lacking in America's churches). Lack of moral backbone became the root of Israel's troubles--the same is true for our nation. Furthermore, as Romans 13:1-7 teaches that God has placed the government and its leaders in power. We may not know why, but we are to respect the positions and roles of those to whom God has given authority. There is an exception to this however. Because God is our highest authority, we should not allow our leaders to pressure us to violate God's laws.
OUR COUNTRY WAS FOUNDED ON GODLY PRINCIPLES
Dear Fellow Americans,
This was sent out by Focus on the Family on May 15, 2009. If you take the time to read the bill I guarantee you that you'll have a new appreciation for the role played by the Christian faith in the founding of our country, and you will be much better equipped to sort through the noise as the debate over the Supreme Court vacancy reaches high decibel levels in the coming times ahead.
For now, I only want to alert you to one of the more amazing bills ever to have been introduced in Congress. It will serve as a valuable primer to help you understand the strong role played by the Christian faith in the foundation of the country. It's a quick read and its facts cannot be denied.
The bill, called H. Res. (for House Resolution) 397 would, if passed, designate the first week in May as "America's Spiritual Heritage Week." It was introduced by Rep. Randy Forbes of Virginia, and timed to coincide with this year's National Day of Prayer on May 7. Dr. Dobson appeared personally at the press conference in Washington, D.C., to lend his support to the legislation.
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 397
Affirming the rich spiritual and religious history of our Nation's founding and subsequent history and expressing support for designation of the first week in May as `America's Spiritual Heritage Week' for the appreciation of and education on America's history of religious faith.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 4, 2009
Mr. FORBES (for himself, Mr. MCINTYRE, Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. MCCOTTER, Mr. NEUGEBAUER, Mr. AKIN, Mr. LATTA, Mr. JORDAN of Ohio, Mr.FRANKS of Arizona, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Ms. FOXX, Mr. GINGREY of Georgia, Mr. JONES, Mr. WOLF, Mr.TURNER, Mr. ADERHOLT, Mr. CONAWAY, Mr. SMITH of Texas, Mr. HOEKSTRA, Mr. YOUNG of Florida, Mr. WAMP, Mr. KLINE of Minnesota, Mr.DAVIS of Tennessee, and Mr. BISHOP of Utah) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
RESOLUTION
Affirming the rich spiritual and religious history of our Nation's founding and subsequent history. Religious faith was not only important in official American life during the periods of discovery, exploration, colonization, and growth but has also been acknowledged and incorporated into all 3 branches of the Federal Government from their very beginning:
Whereas the Supreme Court of the United States affirmed this self-evident fact in a unanimous ruling declaring `This is a religious people. From the discovery of this continent to the present hour, there is a single voice making this affirmation';Whereas political scientists have documented that the most frequently cited source in the political period known as The Founding Era was the Bible;
Whereas the first act of America's first Congress in 1774 was to ask a minister to open with prayer and to lead Congress in the reading of four chapters in the Bible;
Whereas Congress regularly attended church and Divine service together en masse;
Whereas throughout the American Founding, Congress frequently appropriated money for missionaries and for religious instruction, a practice that Congress repeated for decades after the passage of the Constitution and the First Amendment;
Whereas in 1776, Congress approved the Declaration of Independence with its 4 direct religious acknowledgments referring to God as the Creator (`All people are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness'), the Lawgiver (`the laws of nature and nature's God'), the Judge (`appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world'), and the Protector (`with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence');
Whereas upon approving the Declaration of Independence, John Adams declared that the Fourth of July `ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty';
Whereas 4 days after approving the Declaration, the Liberty Bell was rung;
Whereas the Liberty Bell was named for the Biblical inscription from Leviticus 25:10 emblazoned around it:`Proclaim liberty throughout the land, to all the inhabitants thereof';
Whereas in 1777, Congress, facing a National shortage of `Bibles for our schools, and families, and for the public worship of God in our churches,' announced that they `desired to have a Bible printed under their care & by their encouragement' and therefore ordered 20,000 copies of the Bible to be imported `into the different ports of the States of the Union';
Whereas in 1782, Congress pursued a plan to print a Bible that would be `a neat edition of the Holy Scriptures for the use of schools' and therefore approved the production of the first English language Bible printed in America that contained the congressional endorsement that`the United States in Congress assembled . . . recommend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United States';
Whereas in 1782, Congress adopted (and has reaffirmed on numerous subsequent occasions) the National Seal with its Latin motto`Annuit Coeptis,' meaning `God has favored our undertakings,' along with the eye of Providence in a triangle over a pyramid, the eye and the motto `allude to the many signal interpositions of Providence in favor of the American cause';
Whereas the 1783 Treaty of Paris that officially ended the Revolution and established America as an independent begins with the appellation `In the name of the most holy and undivided Trinity';
Whereas in 1787, at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin declared, `God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? . . . Without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel';
Whereas the delegates to the Constitutional Convention concluded their work by in effect placing a religious punctuation mark at the end of the Constitution in the Attestation Clause, noting not only that they had completed the work with `the unanimous consent of the States present' but they had done so `in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty seven';
Whereas James Madison declared that he saw the finished Constitution as a product of `the finger of that Almighty Hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in the critical stages of the Revolution,' and George Washington viewed it as `little short of a miracle,' and Benjamin Franklin believed that its writing had been `influenced, guided, and governed by that omnipotent, omnipresent, and beneficent Ruler, in Whom all inferior spirits live, and move, and have their being';
Whereas, from 1787 to 1788, State conventions to ratify the United States Constitution not only began with prayer but even met in church buildings;
Whereas in 1795, during construction of the Capitol, a practice was instituted whereby `public worship is now regularly administered at the Capitol, every Sunday morning, at 11 o'clock';
Whereas in 1789, the first Federal Congress, the Congress that framed the Bill of Rights, including the First Amendment, appropriated Federal funds to pay chaplains to pray at the opening of all sessions, a practice that has continued to this day, with Congress not only funding its congressional chaplains but also the salaries and operations of more than 4,500 military chaplains;
Whereas in 1789, Congress, in the midst of framing the Bill of Rights and the First Amendment, passed the first Federal law touching education, declaring that `Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged';
Whereas in 1789, on the same day that Congress finished drafting the First Amendment, it requested President Washington to declare a National day of prayer and thanksgiving, resulting in the first Federal official Thanksgiving proclamation that declared `it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His
protection and favor';
Whereas in 1800, Congress enacted naval regulations requiring that Divine service be performed twice every day aboard `all ships and vessels in the navy,' with a sermon preached each Sunday; Whereas in 1800, Congress approved the use of the just-completed Capitol structure as a church building, with Divine services to be held each Sunday in the Hall of the House, alternately administered by the House and Senate chaplains;
Whereas in 1853, Congress declared that congressional chaplains have a `duty . . . to conduct religious services weekly in the Hall of the House of Representatives';
Whereas by 1867, the church at the Capitol was the largest church in Washington, DC, with up to 2,000 people a week attending Sunday service in the Hall of the House;
Whereas by 1815, over 2,000 official governmental calls to prayer had been issued at both the State and the Federal levels, with thousands more issued since 1815;
Whereas in 1853, the United States Senate declared that the Founding Fathers `had no fear or jealousy of religion itself, nor did they wish to see us an irreligious people . . . they did not intend to spread over all the public authorities and the whole public action of the nation the dead and revolting spectacle of atheistical apathy';
Whereas in 1854, the United States House of Representatives declared `It [religion] must be considered as the foundation on which thewhole structure rests . . . Christianity; in its general principles, is the great conservative element on which we must rely for the purity and permanence of free institutions';
Whereas in 1864, by law Congress added `In God We Trust' to American coinage;
Whereas in 1864, Congress passed an act authorizing each State to display statues of 2 of its heroes in the United States Capitol, resulting in numerous statues of noted Christian clergymen and leaders at the Capitol, including Gospel ministers such as the Revs. James A. Garfield, John Peter Muhlenberg, Jonathan Trumbull, Roger Williams, Jason Lee, Marcus Whitman, and Martin Luther King Jr., Gospel theologians such as Roger Sherman, Catholic priests such as Father Damien, Jacques Marquette, Eusebio Kino, and Junipero Serra, Catholic nuns such as Mother Joseph, and numerous other religious leaders;
Whereas in 1870, the Federal Government made Christmas (a recognition of the birth of Christ, an event described by the U.S. Supreme Court as `acknowledged in the Western World for 20 centuries, and in this country by the people, the Executive Branch, Congress, and the courts for 2 centuries') and Thanksgiving as official holidays;
Whereas, beginning in 1904 and continuing for the next half-century, the Federal Gvernment printed and distributed The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth for the use of Members of Congress because of the important teachings it contained;
Whereas in 1931, Congress by law adopted the Star-Spangled Banner as the official National Anthem, with its phrases such as `may the Heav'n-rescued land Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation,' and `this be our motto, `In God is our trust!';
Whereas in 1954, Congress by law added the phrase `one nation under God' to the Pledge of Allegiance;
Whereas in 1954, a special Congressional Prayer Room was added to the Capitol with a kneeling bench, an altar, an open Bible, an inspiring stained-glass window with George Washington kneeling in prayer, the declaration of Psalm 16:1: `Preserve me, O God, for in Thee do I put my trust,' and the phrase `This Nation Under God' displayed above the kneeling, prayerful Washington;
Whereas in 1956, Congress by law made `In God We Trust' the National Motto, and added the phrase to American currency;
Whereas the constitutions of each of the 50 States, either in the preamble or body, explicitly recognize or express gratitude to God;
Whereas America's first Presidential Inauguration incorporated 7 specific religious activities, including--
(1) the use of the Bible to administer the oath;
(2) affirming the religious nature of the oath by the adding the prayer `So help me God!' to the oath;
(3) inaugural prayers offered by the President;
(4) religious content in the inaugural address;
(5) civil leaders calling the people to prayer or acknowledgment of God;
(6) inaugural worship services attended en masse by Congress as an official part of congressional activities; and
(7) clergy-led inaugural prayers, activities which have been replicated in whole or part by every subsequent President;
Whereas President George Washington declared `Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality
are indispensable supports';
Whereas President John Adams, one of only 2 signers of the Bill of Rights and First Amendment, declared `As the safety and prosperity of nations ultimately and essentially depend on the protection and the blessing of Almighty God, and the national acknowledgment of this truth is not only an indispensable duty which the people owe to Him';
Whereas President Jefferson not only attended Divine services at the Capitol throughout his presidency and had the Marine Band play at the services, but during his administration church services were also begun in the War Department and the Treasury Department, thus allowing worshippers on any given Sunday the choice to attend church at either the United States Capitol, the War Department, or the Treasury Department if they so desired;
Whereas Thomas Jefferson urged local governments to make land available specifically for Christian purposes, provided Federal funding for missionary work among Indian tribes, and declared that religious schools would receive `the patronage of the government';
Whereas President Andrew Jackson declared that the Bible `is the rock on which our Republic rests';
Whereas President Abraham Lincoln declared that the Bible `is the best gift God has given to men . . . But for it, we could not know right from wrong'
Whereas President William McKinley declared that `Our faith teaches us that there is no safer reliance than upon the God of our fathers, who has so singularly favored the American people in every national trial and Who will not forsake us so long as we obey His commandments and walk humbly in His footsteps';
Whereas President Teddy Roosevelt declared `The Decalogue and the Golden Rule must stand as the foundation of every successful effort to better either our social or our political life';
Whereas President Woodrow Wilson declared that `America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scripture';
Whereas President Herbert Hoover declared that `American life is built, and can alone survive, upon . . . [the] fundamental philosophy announced by the Savior nineteen centuries ago';
Whereas President Franklin D. Roosevelt not only led the Nation in a 6 minute prayer during D-Day on June 6, 1944, but he also declared that `If we will not prepare to give all that we have and all that we are to preserve Christian civilization in our land, we shall go to destruction';
Whereas President Harry S. Truman declared that `The fundamental basis of this Nation's law was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teachings which we get from Exodus and St. Matthew, from Isaiah and St. Paul';
Whereas President Harry S. Truman told a group touring Washington, DC, that `You will see, as you make your rounds, that this Nation was established by men who believed in God. . . . You will see the evidence of this deep religious faith on every hand';
Whereas President Dwight D. Eisenhower declared that `Without God there could be no American form of government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first, the most basic, expression of Americanism. Thus, the founding fathers of America saw it, and thus with God's help, it will continue to be' in a declaration later repeated with approval by President Gerald Ford;
Whereas President John F. Kennedy declared that `The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God';
Whereas President Ronald Reagan, after noting `The Congress of the United States, in recognition of the unique contribution of the Bible in shaping the history and character of this Nation and so many of its citizens, has . . . requested the President to designate the year 1983 as the `Year of the Bible', officially declared 1983 as `The Year of the Bible';
Whereas every other President has similarly recognized the role of God and religious faith in the public life of America;
Whereas all sessions of the United States Supreme Court begin with the Court's Marshal announcing, `God save the United States and this honorable court';
Whereas a regular and integral part of official activities in the Federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court, was the inclusion of prayer by a minister of the Gospel;
Whereas the United States Supreme Court has declared throughout the course of our Nation's history that the United States is `a Christian country', `a Christian nation', `a Christian people', `a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being', and that `we cannot read into the Bill of Rights a philosophy of hostility to religion';
Whereas Justice John Jay, an author of the Federalist Papers and original Justice of the United States Supreme Court, urged `The most effectual means of securing the continuance of our civil and religious liberties is always to remember with reverence and gratitude the Source from which they flow';
Whereas Justice James Wilson, a signer of the Constitution, declared that `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';
Whereas Justice William Paterson, a signer of the Constitution, declared that `Religion and morality . . . [are] necessary to good government, good order, and good laws';
Whereas President George Washington, who passed into law the first legal acts organizing the Federal judiciary, asked, `where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths in the courts of justice?';
Whereas some of the most important monuments, buildings, and landmarks in Washington, DC, include religious words, symbols, and imagery;
Whereas in the United States Capitol the declaration `In God We Trust' is prominently displayed in both the United States House and Senate Chambers;
Whereas around the top of the walls in the House Chamber appear images of 23 great lawgivers from across the centuries, but Moses (the lawgiver, who--according to the Bible--originally received the law from God,) is the only lawgiver honored with a full face view, looking down on the proceedings of the House;
Whereas religious artwork is found throughout the United States Capitol, including in the Rotunda where the prayer service of Christopher Columbus, the Baptism of Pocahontas, and the prayer and Bible study of the Pilgrims are all prominently displayed; in the Cox Corridor of the Capitol where the words `America! God shed His grace on thee' are inscribed; at the east Senate entrance with the words `Annuit
Coeptis' which is Latin for `God has favored our undertakings'; and in numerous other locations;
Whereas images of the Ten Commandments are found in many Federal buildings across Washington, DC, including in bronze in the floor of the National Archives; in a bronze statue of Moses in the Main Reading Room of the Library of Congress; in numerous locations at the U.S. Supreme Court, including in the frieze above the Justices, the oak door at the rear of the Chamber, the gable apex, and in dozens of
locations on the bronze latticework surrounding the Supreme Court Bar seating;
Whereas in the Washington Monument not only are numerous Bible verses and religious acknowledgments carved on memorial blocks in the walls, including the phrases: `Holiness to the Lord' (Exodus 28:26, 30:30, Isaiah 23:18, Zechariah 14:20), `Search the Scriptures'
(John 5:39), `The memory of the just is blessed' (Proverbs 10:7), `May Heaven to this Union continue its beneficence', and `In God WeTrust', but the Latin inscription Laus Deo meaning `Praise be to God' is engraved on the monument's capstone;
Whereas of the 5 areas inside the Jefferson Memorial into which Jefferson's words have been carved, 4 are God-centered, including Jefferson's declaration that `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';
Whereas the Lincoln Memorial contains numerous acknowledgments of God and citations of Bible verses, including the declarations that we here highly resolve that . . . this nation under God . . . shall not perish from the earth'; `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' (Matthew 18:7), `as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said `the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether' (Psalms 19:9), `one day every valley shall be exalted and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh see it together' (Dr. Martin Luther King's speech, based on Isaiah 40:4-5);
Whereas in the Library of Congress, The Giant Bible of Mainz, and The Gutenberg Bible are on prominent permanent display and etched on the walls are Bible verses, including: `The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not' (John 1:5), `Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore, get wisdom and with all thy getting, get understanding' (Proverbs 4:7), `What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God' (Micah 6:8), and `The heavens declare the Glory of God, and the firmament showeth His handiwork' (Psalm 19:1);
Whereas numerous other of the most important American government leaders, institutions, monuments, buildings, and landmarks both openly acknowledge and incorporate religious words, symbols, and imagery into official venues;
Whereas such acknowledgments are even more frequent at the State and local level than at the Federal level, where thousands of such acknowledgments exist, and
Whereas the first week in May each year would be an appropriate week to designate as `America's Spiritual Heritage Week': Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the United States House of Representatives--
(1) affirms the rich spiritual and diverse religious history of our Nation's founding and subsequent history, including up to the current day;
(2) recognizes that the religious foundations of faith on which America was built are critical underpinnings of our Nation's most valuable institutions and form the inseparable foundation for America's representative processes, legal systems, and societal structures;
(3) rejects, in the strongest possible terms, any effort to remove, obscure, or purposely omit such history from our Nation's public buildings and educational resources; and
(4) expresses support for designation of a `America's Spiritual Heritage Week' every year for the appreciation of and education on America's history of religious faith.