America's Godly Heritage
French and Indian War 1754 - 1763
Washington was the only officer not shot off of his horse. He found four bullet holes in his clothes and he was not wounded. He stated, " By the all powerful dispensations of providence, I've been protected beyond all human probability or expectation: for I had four bullets through my coat and two horses shot from under me." Washington, fifteen years later met with the Indian Chief who had personally shot at him seventeen times in that battle and also instructed his braves to shoot at all 86 officers. He said, " I have traveled a long and weary path that I might see the young warrior of the great battle. I am come to pay homage to the man who is the particular favorite of heaven and who can never die in battle." The account of this battle appeared in American textbooks for nearly 150 years, but hasn't been seen in one for over 40 years.
John Adams: " The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were... the general principles of Christianity... I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God."
New England Primer 1690 Boston
- used for 2 centuries to teach the alphabet, phrases were used that began with that letter. Each phrase was a verse from the bible. Other biblical references were used throughout.
John Quincy Adams July 4th, 1837
" Why is it that next to the birthday of the Savior of the world, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns on this day? Is it not that in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior that it forms a leading event in the progress of the gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer's mission upon earth? That laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity."
John Jay, First Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, one of the 3 men most responsible for the Constitution " Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers."
George Washington's farewell address included 4 religious warnings which caused it to be banned from school textbooks for the last 10 years, although, it was common use for 100 years before that. One such warning was " Of all the dispositions which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain, would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars."
University of Houston Study: 15,000 writings from the founding era, researched over 10 years, yielded 3154 direct quotes, of which 34% were directly from the Bible.
The concept of :
Church of the Holy Trinity vs. United States 1892: " No purpose of action against religion can be imputed to any legislation, state of national, because this is a religious people... This is a Christian nation." This ruling cited 87 precedents to conclude that we were a Christian nation.
Vidal vs. Girard, 1844: " Why may not the Bible and especially the New Testament... be read and taught as a divine revelation in the schools?.... it's principles expounded, it's general principles of morality inculcated?... Where can the purest principles of morality be learned so clearly or so perfectly as from the New Testament.
People vs. Ruggles, 1811: "Whatever strikes at the root of Christianity tends manifestly to the dissolution of civil government."
What did "free speech" used to mean?
What does the First Amendment say?
Runkle vs. Winemiller, 1799 : " By our form of government, the Christian religion is the established religion and all sects and denominations of Christians are placed on the same equal footing."
Thomas Jefferson, the author of the phrase, in reply to the Danbury Baptists in 1801, reassured them that the free exercise of religion was protected from government interference by a " wall of separation of church and state". Historically, the first amendment for 100 years prohibited establishing a single denomination.
House Judiciary Committee, March 27, 1854 "Had the people, (the founding fathers) during the revolution, a suspicion of any attempt to war against any Christianity, that revolution would have been strangled in its cradle.... at the time of the adoption of the Constitution and its amendments, the universal sentiment was Christianity should be encouraged, not any one sect. In this age, there is no substitute for Christianity. That was the religion of the founders of the republic and they expected it to remain the religion of their descendants."
Two months later, they said," The great vital and conservative element in our system ( the thing that holds our system together) is the belief of our people in the pure doctrines and divine truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ."
Citing only eight words from Jefferson's speech, Everson vs. Board of Education, 1947 : "The First Amendment has erected a wall of separation between church and state. That wall must be kept high and impregnable." This represents a major turn in the understanding of Thomas Jefferson's intent.
Baer vs. Kolmorgan, 1958, a dissenting judge warned that," Continuing to talk about the 'separation of church and state' would make people think it was part of the constitution."
Engel vs. Vitale, June 25, 1962 ; This court used the " separation of church and state" to strike down school prayer.
Abington vs. Schempp and Murray vs. Curlett, June 17, 1963
In their decision, they said," If portions of the New Testament were read without explanation, they could be and...had been psychologically harmful to the child."
Reed vs. Van Hoven (1965): Allowed prayer over lunch in school as long as no one could tell it was a prayer.
James Wilson - co-author of America's first legal commentaries of the Constitution and original Justice on the Supreme Court:
" 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. Indeed, these two sciences run into each other. The Divine law...forms an essential part of both."
Excerpt from George Washington's farewell address: " 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...reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle......Let it simply be asked, where is the security for life, for reputation, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths.?"
Thomas Jefferson: " The precepts of philosophy laid hold of actions only....(but Jesus) pushed his scrutinies into the heart of man, erected his tribunal in the region of his thoughts and purified the waters at the fountainhead."
John Adams: " We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any state."
Delaware Constitution 1776: " Every person appointed to public office shall say, 'I do profess faith in God, the Father, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son and in the Holy Ghost, One God, blessed for ever more and I do acknowledge the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given divine inspiration.' This was a requirement to hold public office."
Pennsylvania vs. Vermont Constitution: " And each member (of the legislature) before he takes his seat shall make and subscribe the following declaration, " I do believe on one God, the Creator and Governor of the universe, the rewarder of the good, and punisher of the wicked.'"
George Mason, Father of the Bill of Rights: "As nations cannot be rewarded or punished in the next world, so they must be in this, by an inevitable chain of causes and effects, Providence punishes national sins by national calamities."
Benjamin Franklin, Constitutional Convention 1787, reminded delegates that we needed God to be our friend and all. We needed to keep God's "concurring aid". "If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, it is probable that an empire cannot rise without His aid. We've been assured in a sacred writing that, 'Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.'"
Thomas Jefferson: " And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis - a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are a gift of God? That they are not to be violated, but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that His justice cannot sleep forever."
Abraham Lincoln: " Sir, I am not at all concerned about that, for I know the Lord is always on the side of the right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer, that I and this nation should be on the Lord's side."
Elias Boudnot - President of the Continental Congress: " Let us enter on this important business under the idea that we are Christians on whom the eyes of the world are now turned. ... Let us in the first place..... humbly and penitently implore the aid of the Almighty God whom we profess to serve. Let us earnestly call and beseech Him for Christ's sake to preside in our councils."
Charles Finney, 19th century preacher: " The church must take right ground in regard to politics.....Politics are a part of a religion in such a country as this, and Christians must do their duty to the country as part of their duty to God''' (God) will bless or curse this nation according to the cource (Christians) will take (in politics)."