Posted on 11/24/2003 10:38:35 AM PST by Gargantua
Over the last 40-50 years, the liberal push in America to create from whole cloth the fabrication of a “Constitutional separation of Church and State” has taken many forms, and has even at times successfully inveigled the collusion of the United States Supreme Court.
None of which, however, could ever transform this deception into truth. Nor does it correctly infer or interpret the intent of our Founding Fathers. For while these brilliant men indeed wanted Government to keep its nose out of religious affairs, they also knew that religion must play an important role in the proper governance of our new Republic, and in the moral hearts of her people, in order for our country to remain a true bastion of God-given rights into perpetuity.
As our Founders said on many occasions, and in many ways:
"We have no government armed in power capable of contending in human passions ubridled by morality and religion. Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other."
John Adams, address to the militia of Massachusetts, 1798.
"It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible"
President George Washington, September 17th, 1796
"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports . . . And let us indulge with caution the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion . . . Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail to the exclusion of religious principle."
President George Washington
Which brings us to the timely point of this ‘vanity’. We now enter fully the Holiday Season, kicked-off with the celebration later this week of the Holiday (Holy Day) Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving was created by President George Washington at the unanimous request of both the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate.
If ever it were true that there was intended to be a “wall of separation” between Church and State, it was torn down forever in this one inexplicable act… an act so deeply appreciated and firmly held by the American people then and now, that it remains among our most enduring American traditions even to this very day.
Read here with your own eyes the words of the “father of America,” George Washington, as he creates, by Presidential Act as a National Holiday, the day on which all Americans are encouraged to get on their knees and pray thanks to Almighty God for His blessings upon us, and upon this Christian Nation, The United States of America:
George Washington’s 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation
Whereas 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; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"
Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted' for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.
And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have show kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.
Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d dy of October, A.D. 1789.
(signed) G. Washington
May God's blessings be upon you and yours through a joyful Holiday Season.
Gargantua
Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Gargantua
The founding fathers really had a gift with words.
And here I thought it was our duty to erase and prevent all public mention of Amighty God, to obey only the law of the land and even then only those laws that we agree with and to work against any laws imposing any sense of morality, to give ourselves credit for any accomplishments and prosperity we might have, and to subordinate our culture to all others so that we might be at peace with all others and won't need protection, a military or individual firearms. /Megasarcasm off
"Having undertaken, for the glory of God, and the advancement of the Christian faith, and the honor of our king and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, we do, by these presents, solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God and of one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic, for our better ordering and preservation, and furtherance of the ends aforesaid."
Elliot's Debates, Vol. I, p. 25.
"[F]or such [profane scoffers] there will be in every age--who will tell us that all religion is in vain; that is, that our political creeds, which have been handed down to us by our forefathers as sacredly as our Bibles, and for which more of them have suffered martyrdom than for the creed of the apostles, are all nonsense; who will tell us that paper constitutions are mere paper, and that parchment is but parchment, that jealousy of our rulers is a sin, &c."
Justice Thomas Tredwell, Elliot's Debates, Vol. II, p. 399.
Happy Thanskgiving. Thank you Mr. President.
Gargantua
All praise and glory to Him, for He alone is worthy.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
Gargantua
Indeed. For what shall it profit a man if he should gain the world, but forfeit his soul?
A warm Happy Holidays to you and yours,
in Jesus' precious Name,
Gargantua
Gargantua
A safe and Happy Thanksgiving to you.
Gargantua
By the way, I also used to live in Los Gatos, southern 'Friso Bay, where Highway 17 goes over the mountains to Santa Cruz. I miss those hills.
Take heart, for God's Truth is the light of this world, and it is alive and well and ever shall be so. That those who so love darkness may rail against it is only further proof of its eternal, undimmed brilliance.
May God bless you and yours this Holiday Season.
Gargantua
If our Founders had ever intended such a "Wall" the last thing Congress would have requested would have been an official National Day Of Prayer to the God of the Bible. Instead, this was one of the first official acts of our Executive and Legislative branches.
A Government instituted Holiday set aside for homage to Almighy God.
That anyone could still pretend that these truths are in any way arguable is to bastardize an old quote...
..."Those who failed to learn from history are easy to spot in a 'Wall of Separtion' discussion..."
;-/
May God bless you and yours. May God shine His face upon this great land.
We are already seeing ridiculed and persecuted even here in America. In a country where, by law, religion cannot be infringed upon by our Governmnet (or by its enforcement bodies), it is illegal for school children to pray, for public Christmas displays of nativity scenes, and for the Ten Commandments to appear at a courthouse.
But, is is okay to teach homosexuality, safe sex, and Islam to our school children, and for homosexuals to get married.
Rejoice when you see these things, for it means that Jesus is coming soon. God bless you.
It doesn't seem like the end times are that far away. If I heard them all correctly, every one of the Dims speaking in the Presidential Debates supported homosexual marriage/civil unions. Several said that they "personally" were opposed, but couldn't impose their beliefs on others. How utterly stupid and moronic! I for one, find murder abhorrent, and certainly want to impose my belief on others. ALL our laws are where we impose our will on others.
Reason is stood on its head when it is said that, "We just can't offend our Muslim neighbors!," with public mentions of Christendom, but it is somehow just fine to continually offend the One True God (abortion, homosexuality, etc.) upon Whose teachings and Faith this entire nation was founded.
Who gives a dank blast what a pack of pagan Muslims think? Better we concern ourselves with the opinion of us held by the One Author of all the good that is, that was, or that ever will be.
For it helps greatly to understand your enemy, because we are going to war--and we win ahead of time :-)
As an aside, in the past few weeks, I have heard more and more people wish each other a "blessed day". May you all have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving.
In Christ Jesus,
Gargantua
In re-reading the entire post and all of its repiles, I am struck by not only the unbroken civility of the thread for one which posits the Chritian founding of our nation (usually a very hotly debated topic here on FR)...
...but even moreso by the Christian love and fellowship which springs from each reply.
I believe God is alive on this thread, and that Jesus truly dwells in the hearts of those who have contributed to this. His love is apparent, and poignantly beautiful.
I thank you all. May God bless each and every one.
G.
I consider it an indispensable duty to close this last solemn act of my official life by commending the interests of our dearest country to the protection of the Almighty God and those who have the superintendence of them into His holy keeping. - George Washington
To one and all—have a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving!
Well said! Happy Thanksgiving, mate.
Bump!
Haven't had time for FR lately - but did find this and MA listees may like it! If you don't have time, I'll check in later.
Freepmail wagglebee or little jeremiah to subscribe or unsubscribe from the moral absolutes ping list.
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This is an EXCELLENT piece that FReeper Gargantua compiled showing how our Founding Fathers understood God's rightful role in our lives.
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