Free Republic

THE WHITEHOUSE - WASHINGTON January 25, 1941 To the Armed Forces: As Commander-in-Chief, I take pleasure in commending the reading of the Bible to all who serve in the armed forces of the United States. Throughout the centuries men of many faiths and diverse origins have found in the Sacred Book words of wisdom, counsel and inspiration. It is a fountain of strength and now, as always, an aid in attaining the highest aspirations of the human soul. Very sincerely yours, Franklin D. Roosevelt. My father-in-law gave us his old Bibles yesterday. He gave us the large family Bible in...

Few matters ignite more controversy than America’s Christian roots. The issue reverberates anew this electoral season where the faiths of both major candidates have been questioned. Religion imbues politics. The battle over America’s beginnings muddles wishful hero worship with efforts to commandeer America’s past so to steer her future. The most vocal proponents of Christian America and their counterparts advocating a completely secular state necessarily cherry-pick data to prove exaggerations while discarding inconvenient details. By transforming our Forefathers into faithful servants of Christ the Religious Right risks compromising the biblical message. Baptist theologian Al Mohler warns advocates of Christian America...

Twitchy headline says it all.Context provided by Erick Erickson at Red State: In his speech to the United Nations General Assembly today the President of the United States declared that the future does not belong to practicing Christians. Already, the media and the left are in full denial, probably based on their general lack of understanding of theology. This would have been a gaffe had Mitt Romney said it. But with Barack Obama, he’s just speaking bold truths. His bold truth declares that the future does not belong to practicing Christians. Pay careful attention to what he says: "The future...

If every American was a Christian conservative Tea Partier... 1) …There would be fewer regulations, lower taxes, a business-friendly environment, and a much smaller government that would lead to considerably stronger economic growth and job creation. In fact, we'd probably have to dramatically increase the number of work permits we hand out to foreign workers, not because there are "jobs Americans won't do" (which don't actually exist), but because so many Americans would be employed that we'd have to bring in more people to do all of the available work. 2) ...The richest Americans would have more money. Of course,...

Sovereignty is an attribute of God alone, not of man nor the state. God alone is Lord or Sovereign over all things; over state, school, family, vocations, society and all things else. The Bible is given as the common law of men and nations and was for most of U. S. History the common law, as Justice Story declared. Salvation is not by politics, education, the church, or any agency or person other than Jesus Christ our Lord. The myth of Machiavelli, that, by state control at the top, bad men can make a good society is at the root...

Rick Santorum attended a revival-type church service on Sunday night in Louisiana, where the Rev. Dennis Terry, pastor of the Greenwell Springs Baptist Church, offered some fire and brimstone in a videotaped sermon that on Monday was going viral because of his fiery comments. “I don’t care what the liberals say, I don’t care what the naysayers say, this nation was founded as a Christian nation,” Mr. Terry said. “There’s only one God, and his name is Jesus,” he continued. “I’m tired of people telling me that I can’t say those words. I’m tired of people telling us as Christians...

Hello, Right now there is a huge debate about whether the United States is or is not a Christian nation. But what makes a nation a Christian nation? I'm working on a presentation and was looking for some ideas of what would characterize a truly genuine Christian nation and the society it created? What would the domestic and foreign policy be like? What would the people be like? How would they think? I look forward to any ideas you might have. Michael Peabody, Editor ReligiousLiberty.TV

[b]David Cameron has said the UK is a Christian country "and we should not be afraid to say so".[/b] In a speech in Oxford on the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, the prime minister called for a revival of traditional Christian values to counter Britain's "moral collapse". He said "live and let live" had too often become "do what you please". The PM said it was wrong to suggest that standing up for Christianity was "somehow doing down other faiths". Describing himself as a "committed" but only "vaguely practising" Christian, the PM admitted he was "full of doubts"...

WASHINGTON (JTA) – To some conservative Jews, Texas Gov. Rick Perry would make an excellent presidential candidate. He’s been to Israel more than any other candidate already in the field and has said he loves it. And Perry creates jobs. But other Jewish conservatives seeking the anti-Obama candidate look at the three-term governor and see something arresting: He believes he’s on a mission from God. Perry has nonplussed longtime Jewish supporters by claiming that he has been “called” to the presidency and by hosting a prayer rally this month that appealed to Jesus to save America. Jennifer Rubin, the Washington...

The Federal Reserve quickly withdrew an order to an Oklahoma bank to remove religious items from public view on Friday after two Republicans blasted the action as an "assault on faith." Sen. James Inhofe and Rep. Frank Lucas of Oklahoma sent a pointed letter to Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke on Friday asking him whether he stood by a Federal Reserve examiner who told Payne County Bank officials to remove the religious references from their business. The Fed examiner told the bank the religious items could discourage a person from seeking an application.The removed items removed included a link on the bank's website...

While America was talking about the election returns, the Supreme Court was talking about tax credits to fund Christian schools in Arizona. It looks like this might be yet another 5-4 decision on religious liberty, and it’s not clear which way the Court will go. On Wednesday, November 3—the day after the conservative tsunami resulting in Republican victories across America—the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization v. Winn. Arizona allows a $500 dollar-for-dollar tax credit if taxpayers choose to give some money to student tuition organizations (STOs) that fund all manner of private schools, including...

HomePlace A Classified AdSubmit EditorialSubmit AnnouncementToday’s EditionAbout UsCirculationContact Us Local Christian Book Store’s Name Called “Offensive” Christian Book and Gift Shop owner Don Toy (right) told host David Croyle that his store was rejected by an advertising agency because the name “Christian” is offensive. The owner of Kittanning’s only Christian book store said he was denied advertising on a restaurant menu because the name “Christian” is offensive.Reverend Don Toy, owner of the Christian Book and Gift Shop, appeared on last night’s Talk of the Town program on Family-Life TV, to describe a national movement against Christianity that has made...

Muslims making a spectacle of desecrating the American flag.

Not only is every church a religious institution, but every state or social order is a religious establishment. Every state is a law order, and every law order represents an enacted morality, with procedures for the enforcement of that morality. Every morality represents a form of theological order, i.e., is an aspect and expression of a religion. The church thus is not the only religious institution; the state also is a religious institution. More often than the church, the state has been the central religious institution of most civilizations through the centuries. (SNIP) To return to the basic problem today,...

Theonomy means literally, “God’s law,” or the belief that the moral laws of the Old Testament are still binding today. This idea states that only Old Testament laws specifically fulfilled in the New Testament are non-binding (such as sacrificial laws, ceremonial laws and dietary laws). The moral Law of God is still the ethical standard for governing individuals and society. In discussing theonomy, we should first explain clearly what we are not talking about. We are not talking about salvation, but merely government of individuals in society. Salvation cannot come through the Law, but only by grace through faith. A...

Former Alaska governor on National Day of Prayer controversy.

Ahead of the National Day of Prayer, Franklin Graham expressed dismay at how Islam is receiving preferential treatment by the Obama administration. The evangelist, who was recently disinvited from a Pentagon prayer event over past comments he made about Islam, pointed to the violence against Muslim women. “It’s just horrific,” Graham said to Newsmax.TV this week. “If you just take women alone … I just don’t understand why the president would be giving Islam a pass.” Graham wants the president to speak up for women and minorities living in Muslim countries instead of one-sidedly praising Islam. As a result of...

Virginia’s Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell is catching flak from the ACLU because it does not like the fact that he has lifted the ban on police chaplains praying in Jesus’ name. Virginia’s former Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine had issued the ruling in 2008, and the ACLU gang charges that McDonnell is giving in to conservatives and Christians in revoking the Jesus ban. Well, maybe another former Virginia governor influenced McDonnell—Thomas Jefferson. The author of Virginia’s famed Statute for Religious Freedom, Jefferson never tried to suppress Virginians’ or Americans’ free exercise of religion. In fact, as president in 1802, Jefferson invited...

The White House, in the midst of an intense charm offensive aimed at the Jewish and pro-Israel communities, has dropped an archaic phrase that has, in the past, rankled Jewish groups. The use of the proclamation boilerplate "in the year of our Lord" for a celebration of Jewish Heritage Month had struck a slightly off-key note for Jewish groups in Obama's last proclamation, as in those of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

One of the lead stories on ABC-TV evening news, April 20, 2010, raised questions about our early leader's plan for America to be a Christian nation. We can debate this issue endlessly. My suggestion is to look at the record. There was no attempt in the separation of church and state question to ever remove religion from its rightful place. That whole debate was to make sure that the state had no authority over the church. There is every indication that our leaders expected Christianity to be the leading religion of this new nation. Harvard University, founded in 1636, was...

Is America a Christian nation? Sarah Palin said on Friday that it's "mind-boggling" to suggest otherwise. But two groups dedicated to the separation of church and state are now speaking out against her, arguing that she is misreading the founders' intent. "It's incredibly hypocritical that Sarah Palin, who disapproves of government involvement in just about anything, now suddenly wants the government to help people be religious," Barry Lynn, the executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, told ABC News. "It is wildly inconsistent with her views on limited government to get the government involved in matters...

<p>Taking back our country, one state, one text book, twenty million young minds at a time!</p>

U.S. lawmakers are toughening their stance on Iran’s energy industry with new economic penalties, but experts doubt the Islamic regime will pay much attention and is more likely to open the doors even wider to other players eager to replace fleeing investors. Long on Congress’ radar screen, Iran is being targeted by two bills: The Senate’s Dodd-Shelby Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act passed in late January; and the House’s Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act approved in December. The bottom line is these bills, once signed into law by President Obama, will pursue financial institutions and businesses that do...

For the past 6 years, WallBuilders has brought ministers from across the nation to Washington, D. C., for exclusive briefing sessions with some of the top Christian Senators and Representatives now serving in Congress. The Members brief pastors on a variety of issues related to Biblical values and share their hearts regarding their personal faith and its application in public office. Additionally, the Members impart practical information for pastors to carry home and implement in their communities and congregations. In conjunction with the Briefings, participants enjoy a private, evening Spiritual Heritage Tour of the United States Capitol with David...

President Obama proclaimed Jan. 16 as Religious Freedom Day in the United States in commemoration of a statute passed by America’s forefathers that declared freedom of religion as a natural right of all humanity. “Long before our Nation’s independence, weary settlers sought refuge on our shores to escape religious persecution on other continents,” Obama said on Friday in a statement. “Recognizing their strife and toil, it was the genius of America’s forefathers to protect our freedom of religion, including the freedom to practice none at all.” In honor of Virginia’s 1786 Statute for Religious Freedom, the precursor to the First...

Randall Terry: People who reject the Law of God cannot bear to be consistent with their own lawless world. They'll say, "The seventh commandment, 'Thou shalt not commit adultery' -- that's not binding for today." But they don't want someone sleeping with their spouse. They don't want someone stealing their car. They don't want somebody usurping their parent's authority. So it's funny that they mock us, but in a world without the law of God, you have chaos, oppression tyranny and everyone doing what is right in their own eyes. And they cannot bear consistency with that chaotic world. It...

If you are reading this, you are most likely the strength of America. Silent. Hard Working. Never before interested in politics. And, all you know of American history, you learned in school, and it is most likely very wrong. You can feel the urge stir within you, the desire to set things right. You may have attended a Tea Party, a march, even written to your people in Congress, but you feel this politics thing isn’t your cup of tea. America needs you to make politics your cup of tea. Marxism is spreading quickly in America, as the seeds were...

Do you recall when President Barack Obama was in Turkey, and said: "We do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values." Really? I beg to differ. Consider the constitutions of all 50 states: Alabama 1901, Preamble We the people of the State of Alabama , invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish the following Constitution... Alaska 1956, Preamble We, the people of Alaska , grateful to God and to those who...

America is not a Christian nation. We are, it is true, a nation founded by Christians, and according to a 2008 survey, 76 percent of us continue to identify as Christian (still, that's the lowest percentage in American history). Of course, we are not a Hindu—or Muslim, or Jewish, or Wiccan—nation, either. A million-plus Hindus live in the United States, a fraction of the billion who live on Earth. But recent poll data show that conceptually, at least, we are slowly becoming more like Hindus and less like traditional Christians in the ways we think about God, our selves, each...

What role did religion, specifically Christianity, play in America's foundation? This video explores the opinions of some of the most influential politicians, scholars, and thinkers in U.S. history. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-VSsMK8q0s

Is America a Christian Nation? Many people don't think so today. The truth is, however, that our great nation was founded on principles that are all throughout the Bible. Author and historian David Barton highlights our christian heritage in this eye opening message.

Britain is no longer a Christian nation and the Church of England could die out within a generation, an Anglican bishop has warned. The Rt Rev Paul Richardson said declining church attendance and the rise in multiculturalism meant that "Christian Britain is dead". He criticised his fellow bishops for failing to appreciate the scale of the crisis and warned that their inaction could seal the Church's fate. The General Synod, the Church's parliament, will next month consider proposals to cut the number of bishops and senior clergy amid fears over the Church's finances. Writing for The Sunday Telegraph, Bishop Richardson...

If recent trends are any guide, many Church of England parishes will have been cheered by higher attendances at Easter services. The last published statistics for 2006/7 show rises of 7 and 5 per cent in church going at Christmas and Easter. But these figures are just about the only signs of hope for the church and certainly not the first green shoots of a revival. Other statistics make for gloomy reading. Annual decline in Sunday attendance is running at around 1 per cent. At this rate it is hard to see the church surviving for more than 30 years...

In this year of John Calvin's 500th birthday, I don't know of a better place to read about his impact on America than Abraham Kuyper's Lectures on Calvinism given at Princeton Seminary in October 1898. Kuyper was a pastor, a journalist, the founder of the Free University of Amsterdam, and prime minister of the Netherlands. John Calvin and Martin Luther were the twin pillars of the Protestant Reformation. Why do fewer people speak of Luther's culture-shaping impact on America, but for centuries Calvin has been seen in this light? Kuyper argues, Luther's starting-point was the . . . principle of...

Congressman Forbes asks the questions "Did America ever consider itself a Judeo-Christian nation?" and "If America was once a Judeo-Christian nation, when did it cease to be?" on the floor of the US House.

Congressman Randy Forbes of Virginia asks the questions "Did America ever consider itself a Judeo-Christian nation?" and "If America was once a Judeo-Christian nation, when did it cease to be?" on the floor of the US House. MUST SEE VIDEO!

Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) believes that the United States is a nation founded on Judeo-Christian principles, and hopes that his sponsorship of a bill designating the first week in May as “America’s Spiritual Heritage Week” will make that belief official. “Our Founding Fathers unanimously said we have a Creator who gave us those rights,” Forbes told CNSNews.com, referring to the Declaration of Independence, which says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” “If...

Will 2010 be the year of the Bible? Rep. Paul Broun [R-GA] hopes so. He introduced what some are calling the Bible bill on May 7, 2009. While the H. Con. Res. 121 has 15 co-sponsors (all republicans), it has also stirred not so favorable reactions from atheists, Jews, and those of other faiths in the blogosphere. Critics of this resolution are dismissing it as unconstitutional and just a waste of time.

While Barack Obama has repeatedly claimed that the U.S. is "no longer a Christian nation," several members of Congress have taken a stand to boldly disagree. A bipartisan group of 25 members of the House of Representatives earlier this month submitted H.Res. 397, which calls on Congress to affirm "the rich spiritual and religious history of our nation's founding and subsequent history" and to designate the first week of May as America's Spiritual Heritage Week for "the appreciation of and education on America's history of religious faith." Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Va., specifically challenged the president's claims that America is not...

Why can't the BBC understand that we are STILL a Christian country? By STEPHEN GLOVER 13th May 2009 The BBC’s director-general Mark Thompson has said that religious broadcasting gives rise to more controversy in his job than any other subject. I am afraid he hasn’t seen anything yet. On Monday, the Corporation announced that it has appointed a Muslim as head of religious broadcasting. This is not a joke, I can assure you. The person responsible for overseeing the BBC’s — so far — largely Christian output will be Aaqil Ahmed, a practising Muslim. Let me say at once that...

Is Christianity Dying in America? Only, perhaps, at the hands of political entanglement. Jon Meacham, following Newsweek's tabloid trash journalistic standards, has completely botched an article on Christianity in America. He slants his report on the latest American Religious Indentification Survey to make is seem as if Christianity is dead in America. He was obviously in over his head, so I won't spend too much time on his pathetic effort. I'll only point out the grossest stupidities. Atheism isn't Overtaking Christianity The survey report concludes that self-identification confusion among deists, atheists, and agnostics clouds the true numbers, but that perhaps...

President Barack Obama said in Turkey : "We do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values." Do you know the Preamble for your state? Alabama 1901, Preamble We the people of the State of Alabama , invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish the following Constitution. Alaska 1956, Preamble We, the people of Alaska , grateful to God and to those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land......

For the past eight years, the White House recognized the National Day of Prayer with a service in the East Room, but this year, President Obama decided against holding a public ceremony. (see story) Under the Bush administration, the White House hosted an interfaith service each year, inviting protestant, Catholic and Jewish leaders for an event at the East Room.

I don’t know what’s worst or where to begin. Mr. Obama’s cabinet picks, the incessant propaganda that surrounds him or his insane government mismanagement and overspending. (see story) One thing for certain though, yesterday’s Air Force One joy ride with fighter jets in tow combined with the fly-by of New York City buildings sum up quite nicely the scary ride that Mr. Obama’s first 100 days has been for America.

"Newsweek greeted the coming of Easter with a black cover, and the headline 'The Decline and Fall of Christian America,' spelled out in red in the shape of a cross. Inside, it was more declarative: 'The End of Christian America.' Why? Because they found that the percentage of self-identified Christians had fallen 10 points since 1990. Okay, then let's compare. How much has Newsweek's circulation fallen since 1990? Just since 2007, their announced circulation has dropped by 52 percent. It would be more plausible to state 'The End of Newsweek.' At the end of 2007, Newsweek reduced its 'base rate'...

President Obama told a news conference in Turkey last week that America “is not a Christian nation,” thus demonstrating that it is indeed possible for a Harvard Law graduate to be correct strictly as a matter of law and otherwise completely out to lunch on the fact of history. Here’s how our chief executive put it: “Although…we have a large Christian population, we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation, or a Jewish nation, or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values.” Technically, Obama was right. America’s...

The magazine has distorted what the Bible says about marriage. Now, it overlooks the results of its own poll and other data showing Christianity’s influence in the U.S. As families prepared for Holy Week recently, they saw on newsstands the Newsweek cover story, “Decline and Fall of Christian America.” But a close examination of the data cited by Editor Jon Meacham opens serious holes in his misguided declaration that the Christian God is “less of a force in American politics and culture than at any other time in recent memory.”Meacham drew many of his conclusions from the American Religious Identification...

The we-do-not-consider-ourselves-a-Christian-nation line in Obama's speech to the Turkish parliament reminds me of an old joke: The Lone Ranger and Tonto are surrounded by hostile Indians. The masked man turns to his faithful companion and asks: "What are we going to do now, Tonto?" His sidekick replies: "What you mean we, pale face?" Like others on the left, Obama has an unfortunate habit of projecting his delusions onto the American people. He was in Turkey as part of his recently concluded America-sucks tour, during which he pandered shamelessly to Euro Anti-Americanism. ("We've been arrogant and we promise not to torture...

Last week Obama told the planet on his Dixie Chick America Sucks Euro-Tour that ol’ bigheaded America is not and has never been a Christian nation. I believe he said that right after he bowed and curtsied to the Saudi King and told the French that the US has been stuck-up meanies to their jealous and ungrateful Euro-socialist cousins. Damn you, Yankee doodle dandies. America’s not a Christian nation? Well, it’s not a Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim (yet) or Tai Chi nation. I know Barack is auguring for the USA to become an Obamanation, but heretofore from what I’ve read regarding...

As Christians gather to celebrate Easter this Sunday, the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 88% of adults nationwide think the person known to history as Jesus Christ actually walked the earth 2,000 years ago. That’s up five points from a year ago. Today, 5% disagree and 7% are not sure. Eighty-two percent (82%) also believe that Jesus Christ was the son of God who came to Earth and died for our sins.