The Author of American Freedom

“In the beginning of the Contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger we had daily prayer in this room for the divine protection.—Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered.” -Benjamin Franklin, 1787

Today it is disheartening, but not surprising, to see the very God to whom we owe our freedom under attack. We are no longer allowed to pray to Him in our public places of learning, no longer allowed to discuss His role in our creation (as if the theory of evolution has been proven law), and no longer allowed to display His commandments in our courts of law. We have banned the Author of American Freedom from our public places. Largely forgotten is the final verse of the Star-spangled Banner, which states in part, “Blessed with victory and peace, may the heaven rescued land, praise the power that hath made and preserved us a nation.”

Although in common use today, the words separation of church and state occur nowhere in the United States Constitution or the Declaration of Independence. They are from an obscure letter written by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists Association in 1802. Jefferson wished to assure the Association that the government had no wish to establish a national religion when he stated that the second amendment created a “wall of separation between Church and State.” Lost to antiquity for over a century, these words resurfaced in a 1947 supreme court case (Everson vs. Board of Education) and formed the foundation for future subsequent assaults on public religious worship.

Since that time, we have walked on the path towards national atheism, changing God-granted freedom of religion into freedom from religion. The former is Constitutional, the latter is not. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote of “unalienable rights,” but these rights cannot exist in an atheist nation. Instead, the State is the supreme power and Godless men grant and revoke freedoms according to their pleasure.

The first amendment states that, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ...” For more than 150 years after these words were written, school prayer was regularly practiced in American institutions, both public and private. Any confusion about the meaning of those words today can be easily cleared up by an investigation of the lives and writings of the founders. Washington wrote in 1789, “If I could have entertained the slightest apprehension that the Constitution framed in the Convention where I had the honor to preside might possibly endanger the religious rights of my ecclesiastical society, certainly I would never have placed my signature to it.”

What can we do to help America again become the land of religious freedom that it once was?

First, and most importantly, we must pray. Pray for our nation, for our leaders, and for good to overcome evil at every level of government. Pray for good men and women to be elected, maintain their integrity and always stand for what is right. Pray for our lawyers and judges that they will act with integrity and remember the divine heritage that belongs to our nation. The blessings of prosperity that we enjoy in America today are largely the result of the prayers of our mothers and fathers.

Second, become informed. Study the current religious issues, study the Constitution and learn of the important role religion plays in maintaining a civilized society. Read Original Intent by David Barton. This book provides a thorough and scholarly description of the gradual loss of our religious freedom. In his farewell address of 1796, George Washington said, “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.”

Third, become involved. Actively participate in and contribute to organizations that are fighting for religious freedom. Two such organizations are the American Center for Law and Justice (http://www.aclj.org) and the Alliance Defense Fund (http://www.alliancedefensefund.org).

Last spring I visited Washington D.C. with my family and was impressed by the religious symbolism I found there. The Speaker of the House looks up from the House floor at a sculpture of Moses' face, symbolizing that God's law is higher than man's law. Scriptures are etched into stone on public buildings, and the House and Senate begin each day with prayer. Despite the well-publicized efforts of a militantly atheist minority, there are still good men and women fighting for our freedoms in our nation's capitol.

They should not have to fight alone.

God bless the U.S.A.,
Strategos