Prediction for 2013: Obama Will Lie Under Oath

Looking back over the last four years, it is now obvious that the greatest symbolic moment of President Barack Obama's first term was the very first moment.

That is when Obama placed his left hand on Abraham Lincoln's Bible, raised his right hand, and followed the lead of Chief Justice John Roberts in attempting to recite the oath that all American presidents must take, swearing to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

Obama and Roberts mangled the oath, a poignant precursor of their subsequent exertions to mangle the Constitution itself.

The Constitution says: "Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation: -- 'I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.'"

After Roberts and Obama failed to recite these words correctly -- as more than a million watched from the National Mall -- Obama decided to take the oath a second time, on Jan. 21, 2009, in front of a few reporters in the White House Map Room.

"We believe that the oath of office was administered effectively and that the president was sworn in appropriately yesterday," White House Counsel Greg Craig said in an explanatory statement. "But the oath appears in the Constitution itself. And out of an abundance of caution, because there was one word out of sequence, Chief Justice Roberts administered the oath a second time."

But if Obama's second oath-taking was essentially a symbolic gesture, it lacked the most powerful element of his first oath-taking: This time he did not use a Bible.

Had using a Bible been important to Obama, he would have used a Bible. He might have used the Bible he read when he decided to embrace Christianity. Or he might have used one of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's Bibles.

The Constitution, of course, does not require presidents to take the oath with a Bible -- and not all presidents have. Yet George Washington himself started the tradition, and in his first inaugural address gave a clear indication of why.

"It would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes, and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success the functions allotted to his charge," said Washington.

"In tendering this homage to the Great Author of every public and private good, I assure myself that it expresses your sentiments not less than my own, nor those of my fellow-citizens at large less than either," Washington continued. "No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States."

Seven and a half years later, in his Farewell Address, Washington argued that liberty itself was at risk in a nation where oaths were taken without "religious obligation."

"Let it simply be asked: Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice?" said Washington. "And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle."

At his first inaugural, Obama delivered a far different vision of America. "For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness," Obama said. "We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and nonbelievers."

Nonbelievers? George Washington believed Americans duty-bound to "acknowledge and adore" God and that the nation could not maintain its morality if it turned away from Him. Obama called on Americans to celebrate nonbelief as part of our "patchwork heritage of strength."

In his first term, Obama became the first president to sign federal legislation commanding individuals to buy a good or service (health insurance). Chief Justice John Roberts became the first justice to write an opinion arguing that the Constitution gives the federal government the power to do this.

Obama's administration has declared that sterilizations, contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs are among the goods and services Americans must pay for through their government-mandated health insurance.

The administration is now arguing in federal court that the First Amendment right to "free exercise" of religion does not prevent the government from forcing Christians to pay for these things even when it violates their consciences and the doctrines of their faith.

Obama will soon swear a third time to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. Whether he uses a Bible or not, he will be lying under oath.

Thank you for posting.

On another thread, I have posted a portion of Rev. Benjamin W. Arnett's "Centennial Thanksgiving Sermon" in celebration of the Declaration of Independence in 1876 at the St. Paul A.M.E. Church in Urbana, Ohio. It can be read online at the LOC, American Memory Section, in the Alfred P. Murray African American Collection.

With reference to America's Christian foundations, Rev. Arnett, an Ohio Legislator, historian, and Black Methodist Minister had something to say about the Oath of Office, as well as the philosophy which underlies its significance. Here is a section of that Sermon:

'Our ancestors,' said Mr. Webster, 'established their system of Government on morality and religious sentiment. They were brought hither by their high veneration of the Christian religion. They journeyed by its light, and labored in its hope. They sought to incorporate it with the elements of their society, and to diffuse its influences through all their institutions, civil, political, social and educational.'

"We will now look for organic and judicial testimony. Thus we have to a certain extent, followed the history of the government of the United States, and find the best thinkers agree that this nation was founded on the principle that 'righteousness exalteth a nation' thus forming their belief. We can find it in acts of the men who formed it; that they founded this nation on the principle of the 'Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of man.' We will now examine some of the records to establish the fact that this is a nation ';Christian in its chain and filling'- fundamentally, organically, legally and judicially, religiously, morally and educationally, a Christian nation, the denial to the contrary, notwithstanding. And, by the grace of God, we intend to use our humble influence to continue it in the highway to glory, honor and usefulness to man, by keeping it essentially christian in all of its departments. We want laws that are the transcript of the laws of God; we want rulers that rule in the fear of the Lord; we want a judiciary that gives righteous judgments; we want a people that fear God, and work righteousness, then we will be what God intended we should be—an asylum for the oppressed of all lands - 'The land of the free and the home of the brave.'

"The Pilgrim Fathers.
The vessels which preceded the 'Mayflower,' came in the name of some Prince or Lord, carrying grants and patents for the land; and they were to take possession, in the name, and by the authority of their sovereign, who was to reap the political benefits, and the expeditionists were to enjoy the great treasury, which they thought were lying bound in the wilds of the Western World, or the New World as it was then familiarly called.

"The Mayflower and Speedwell, two grand old vessels, on a glorious mission, started, not by and with the favor of the crowned heads of the old world they had no smiles from opulent princes, or favor from the aristocracy; but they came, bringing no parchment with them. What did they want with authority from the titular dignitaries of Europe, when they had authority from the Court of Heaven, coming at the command of the Kings of Kings and Lords of Lords. Their principles were written on the tablets of their hearts by the finger of God; their motto was Holiness to the Lord of Hosts, and their aim was to form a government where men could worship God in accordance to the dictates of their conscience; they brought no monuments of the tyranny of Europe with them, and they allowed none to be their posterity; a glorious heritage; a grand legacy from the Pilgrim Fathers. All honor to the noble men, who brought into living reality the grand principles, which for sixteen centuries, had been struggling into life—that governments were made for man, and not man for government. This is the soul of the nation, of our glorious United States. The Bible was the constitution of the Pilgrims; on that vessel was the 'Grand Republic' in miniature. The religious sentiment of this noble band is still going down through avenues of American society.

"Religion in the Declaration of Independence. I find these grand religious ideas running through the immortal Declaration; it is the widening of the stream of right and mountain in range of governments. Is the principles of Righteousness in this document? or is it outside of the Declaration of God. It is only the re-enactment of text, and its formulation to found a government. But what does the document say?

"'When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and nature's God, entitles them.

"'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.'

"The Declaration is thus finished, and when this noble band of patriots sent out the document to the world, how did they close it? Let us see:

"'We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America in General Congress assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare: That these United Colonies are and of right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is, and ought to be, totally dissolved; and that, as Free and Independent States, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, and in a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.' - JOHN HANCOCK.

"And the names of the whole Congress followed. You see that there is Divinity in this immortal document. Can we find in the Articles of Confederation anything to support the position that the founders of this government intended that it should be a nation for God, and that his religion should have a place in this land. It says: 'Whereas it hath pleased the Great Governor of the World to incline the hearts of the legislatures we respectively represent in Congress, to approve of and to authorize us to ratify the said Articles of Confederation and perpetual union.' Thus we find this assembly thanking the Governor of the world for inclining the hearts of men. Who can move the hearts of men but God? But we find them in reverence bowing to the Governor of men.

"We now call your attention to the Constitution of the Nation and let us examine that instrument in the light of the men who formed it, and we will see that this was intended to be a Nation founded in Righteousness and Justice. What does the instrument say on this subject:

"'We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.'

Article VI says: 'The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall be required as a Qualification to any office or public trust under the United States'"Thus we find there was some probability of a religious test being applied in the government. But it is proved by the words in the above Article that Religion was recognized in the proceedings of the convention. When the convention was very much perplexed on some important subject, and there appeared to be no way out of the dilemma, Dr. Benjamin Franklin stated: 'That he recognized that there was a God, who ruled in the affairs of men, and that He heard the prayer of those who petitioned to him.' He moved that a Chaplain be appointed for the Continental Congress. The motion was opposed by Mr. Jay and others on the ground that many sects were represented in the Congress. But Samuel Adams arose in his place and said 'he was no bigot, and could hear a prayer from a gentleman of piety and virtue, who was at the time a friend to his country.' He moved that Mr. Ducine, of Philadelphia, an Episcopal clergyman, might be desired to read prayers to the Congress, and the motion was adoped. Mr. Duche was appointed Chaplain to the first Congress, and on the following morning read the xxxi Psalm, beginning thus:

"'In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.

"'Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for a house of defense to save me.

"'O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. Be good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.”

"In 1852, the House of Representatives at Washington, paused in the strife of its election of Speaker, and solemnly resolved, in view of the dangers besetting them, that every morning session should be opened with prayer. The Senate of the United States, and House of Representatives, are opened with prayer every morning. Each regiment of your army is provided with a chaplain. The Legislatures of almost every State in the Union are opened with prayer. Every Court House has a Bible in it. The eleemosynary institutions, supported by the State, have the Bible in them, and religious services are conducted in them by the evangelical ministers living adjacent thereto. The penitentiaries and jails have religious services in them, and the word of God is given freely to the unfortunate.

"Judicially Considered by Judge Story, "The promulgation of the great doctrines of religion; the being, and attributes, and providence of one Almighty God; the responsibility to him for all our actions, founded upon moral freedom and accountability: a future state of rewards and punishments; the cultivation of all the personal, social and benevolent virtues,—these never can be a matter of indifference in any well ordered community. It is, indeed, difficult to conceive how any civilized society can well exist without them.
"And, at all events, it is impossible for those who believe in the truth of Christianity, as a divine revelation, to doubt that it is the special duty of Government to foster and encourage it among all the citizens and subjects. This is a point wholly distinct from that of the right of private judgement in matters of religion, and of the freedom of public worship according to the dictates of one's own conscience."

"He says of the religious amendment to the Constitution, that: 'The real object of the amendment was, not to countenance, much less to advance Mohammedanism, or Judaism, or infidelity, by prostrating Christianity; but to exclude all rivalry among Christian sects, and to prevent any national ecclesiastical establishment, which should give to a hierarchy the exclusive patronage of the National Government.' Chief Justice Story, in his Commentaries on the Constitution, declares, that: 'That attempt at the time of the formation of the Constitution to make it a matter of State policy to hold all religions in utter indifference, would have created universal disapprobation, if not universal indignation.'

"The following are words of the people of Ohio in relation to the Religion of the State, as embodied in the Constitution: 'We, the people of the State of Ohio, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings and promote our common welfare, do establish this Constitution.' It affirms, in reiteration of the old language of the ordinance of 1787: 'Religion, morality, and knowledge, however, being essential to good government, it shall be the duty of the General Assembly to pass suitable laws to protect every religious denomination in the peaceable enjoyment of its own mode of public worship, and to encourage schools and the means of instruction.' The Bill of Rights says: 'All men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own conscience. No person shall be compelled to attend, erect or support any place of worship, or attend any form of worship against his consent; and no preference shall be given by law to any religious society, nor shall any interference with the rights of conscience be permitted.'

"'No religious tests shall be required as a qualification for office, nor shall any person be incompetent as a witness on account of his religious belief.

"'Religion, morality and knowledge, however, being essential to good government, it shall be the duty of the General Assembly to pass suitable laws to protect every religious denomination in the peaceable enjoyment of its own mode of public worship, and to encourage schools and the means of instruction.'

"The Convention which formed the present Constitution, at its first meeting, almost unanimously resolved to open their meetings with prayer, and the Rev. James Presly, a Christian minister, invoked the blessing of the Almighty on their deliberations.

"The Convention which held its sessions in Cincinnati in 1874, of which M.R. Waite was President, opened their sessions with prayer. The Rev. Thomas Lee, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, had charge of the services during the sittings of the Convention. The State Legislature open their sessions with prayer. The Rev. Robt. A. Johnson, of the African M.E. Church, was invited by the Hon. George L. Converse, to open the Assembly of Ohio with prayer.

"Oaths and affirmations are appeals to God, by him who makes them, that what he has said, or what he shall say, is the truth. It is the most solemn form under which one can assert or pronounce anything, and its violation is a crime of the darkest hue; one which God has declared he will punish; one that is made infamous and punishable by fine and imprisonment, by the laws of the land. Thus Christian obligation is required of every officer of the general Government, who fills any position of trust, honor or emolument. Many reports are required in the form and shape of affidavits.

"The First and Last Presidents' Testimony.
"We find that the Father of our Country, General George Washington, in his first Inaugural Address to the American nation, made the following statement: ;No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible Hand, which conducts the affairs of men, more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an Independent Nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency; and in the important revolution just accomplished, in the system of their united government, the tranquil deliberations, and voluntary consent of so many distinct communities from which the event has resulted, cannot be compared with the means by which most governments have been established, without the return of previous gratitude along with an humble anticipation of the future blessings which the past seems to presage.' In his farewell address, when returning his important trust to his countrymen, he said 'abide by religion and morality as the firmest props of the duties of men and citizens.' The first in peace, the first in war, and the first in the hearts of his countrymen, in the ripenings of his manhood advises the Nation to abide by religion and morality, which is the same as Righteousness. It is in the language of the Holy Bible, 'Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.'

"The testimony of the Father of his Country, is before you. Now I have the great satisfaction of giving the last proclamation of the Great Captain of the Age, the worthy savior of his country, and the friend of our race. He is of the opinion that the strength of this Nation is the Almighty. Thus the first and last of the Chief Magistrates are of the opinion that this nation has a God and was founded on Righteousness. But here is the testimony, read it and take it home with you, and transmit it to your children and their children:
By the President of the United States -

A Thanksgiving Proclamation.
"From year to year we have been accustomed to pause in our daily pursuits and set apart a time and offer our thanks to Almighty God for the special blessings He has vouch-safed to us, with our prayers for a continuance thereof. We have at this time equal reason to be thankful for His continued protection and for the material blessings He has bestowed. In addition to these favors accorded us as individuals we have especial occasion to express our hearty thanks to Almighty God, that by His providence and guidance our government established a century ago has been enabled to fulfill the purpose of its founders in offering an asylum to the people of every race, securing civil and religious liberty to all within its borders, and meting out to every individual alike justice and equality before the law. It is moreover especially our duty to offer our humble prayers to the Father of all mercies for continuance of His Divine favor to us a nation and as individuals.
"'By reason of these considerations, I, Ulysses S. Grant, President of the United States, do recommend to the people of the United States to devote the 30th DAY OF NOVEMBER next to the expression of their thanks and prayers to Almighty God and laying aside their daily avocations and all secular occupations to assemble in their respective places of worship and observe said day as a day of thanksgiving and rest.
'In witness whereof I have herewith set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed. Done at the city of Washington, this 26th day of Oct., in the year of our Lord, 1876, and of the Independence of the United Stated of America, the one hundred and first.
(Signed)U.S. GRANT.
Hamilton Fish, Secretary of State.'

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