The Assault on America's Religious Heritage

One would expect that in light of their recent Election Day trouncing, Democrat lefties, secular humanists, and disgruntled advocates of Christian abolition, might at least extend a feigned olive branch of understanding to those fanatical, pious, ''born-again'' red-stater types who were in great part, responsible for the Democratic Party’s ''inexplicable'' and ''unjust'' defeat. One would be wrong.

''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…''

Pretty clear, right? In its historical context, the irrefutable intent behind Thanksgiving was to provide a National day of ''public thanksgiving and prayer'' whereby Americans are given opportunity to pause--to exercise their ''duty…to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly implore His protection and favor…'' Not so clear to some.

Oh, but that it weren’t so…the historical revisionists of the dim Dem Party elites are at it again with a mistake repeated and a lesson never learned. As the proverbial ''dog returns to his own vomit,'' likewise, secularists have once again waged a not so sublime full frontal offensive against our nation’s Judeo/Christian tradition.

In the interest of the so-called ''separation of church and state'' doctrine (a term found nowhere in any founding document), ''educators'' in Maryland have recently banned, in the context of the Thanksgiving Day holiday, children from praying to, thanking, or otherwise referring to God on school time or property. When asked about the ban, Charles Ridgell, curriculum director of St. Mary's County (the irony!) Public Schools opined, ''We teach about Thanksgiving purely from a historical perspective, not from a religious perspective.'' Bearing in mind the aforementioned historical reality, Ridgell’s statements, as well as the ban on God are, on their face, inane and incongruous.

However, this singular example of religious bigotry and discrimination is merely symptomatic of a much larger disease. Spearheaded by the ACLU, Secular Humanists have, for years, desperately attempted, and with relative success, to revise the history books and render null and void any reference to Christianity. The best way to perpetuate a lie is to remove any reference to the truth. Historical accuracy you see, would serve to demonstrate the veracity of this nation’s Judeo/Christian heritage, and would be an inconvenient reality to an incontinent secularist movement. Therefore, in a manner reminiscent of Stalin’s Communist Soviet Union, we watch as before our very eyes, any mention of Christianity or the Founding Fathers’ Christian worldview vanishes from the history books as though penned in disappearing ink.

But the grand design is larger still. It goes far beyond re-creating history in the secularists’ own godless image. The end game--the ultimate goal is to wholly and completely remove God, not just any makeshift god, but exclusively the God of the Judeo/Christian tradition from the public square. The tactic de jour is to ban prayer, reference to, or thanks be to God from public schools in Maryland. The broader, long term strategy is, with enthusiastic participation from activist courts, to consistently undermine the original intent of the Constitution, thereby debasing and distorting its First Amendment beyond all recognition. Until such time that this goal is met, the assault will continue.

All of the ugliness notwithstanding, this holiday season there is so very much for which all Americans have to be thankful: Family, friends, freedom and prosperity. Our brave men and women who protect us at home and abroad. The fact that since 9/11 we have yet to be attacked on our own soil. Our collective blessings are boundless! But, for some Americans it remains unclear as to Whom we should be giving thanks. Each other? Our Government? Mother Earth? The Indians? And yet, for so many other Americans, the solution to this fundamental riddle was, is, and forever will be abundantly clear. It’s a solution that is so very central to their entire existence. As for me and my family, we’ll be thanking God.

About the Writer: J. Matt Barber is a non-practicing attorney, a heavyweight professional boxer, and a jazz drummer in the Chicago Land area, and contributes to numerous conservative publications.

Many secularist demand a seperation of church and state means an all out ban on all references to religion. What they fail to see is that all history is incomprehensible without understanding the religous culture of the time. How many wars were fought over religion? All of them were at least influenced by moral dogma, and the soldiers who fought them never prayed to science.

I read another Freeper who wrote last week that he was thankful the public schools had not yet changed Thankgiving to "Lucky Thursday," like Christmas has been changed to the "Holiday season."

I thought it was very funny at the time.

Yup Perfect. Absolutely Perfect.... to make the way for things like Spreading Islam in American Public Schools

I here today, make a PROPCAMATION,,, from this day forward, that the ACLU does not, nor will have ANY ! historic reason or will to remain a legitimate organization to continue to endure, and that the GOD of Israel, the GOD of Christianity is the true and living GOD of the United States of America. I give thanks to the ALL MIGHTY GOD for his providential care, provision, and protection. I give thanks to the Living GOD of Israel, and the Living GOD of the Christianity, and the Living GOD of the USA, we give thanks for the founding of our unique nation, in which GOD himself planned before the foundations of time. And to the ACLU ? GET WITH THE PROGRAM , your day is coming to a end, GOD will see to it.

There is a lot of worry about unlimited immigration bringing in hordes of people who do not understand how America came to be, who do not understand the philosophical underpinnings that make it possible.

I would argue that the hordes of barbarians who would destroy America by their ignorance are our own children, products of a public school system that is determined to keep them hermetically ignorant of their own birthright.

Too many people accept America as a fact of life, with no understanding that it did not have to turn out this way, it took a very particular religious and political culture combined with some very brave and determined people to make it happen.

To try and teach new Americans - be they immigrant or home grown - the basis of their own freedom and the culture that makes it possible, without explaining the combination of religion and philosophy that gave rise to it, and without explaining struggles and debates with often religious overtones, is impossible. The result is what we see, people who don't know where freedom comes from, who don't know where prosperity comes from, who believe it is something that they, or the government, can simply command into existence.

I am really tired of the anti-religion types who have no concept of the first amendment. They short hand it as separation of church and state or quote only the first half.

The anti-religion types, including the lawyers, intentionally omit the part that states impede the free excercise thereof.

The ACLU leaps to protect cults free excercise rights but forgets it selectivly at any other time.

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