Wednesday
WHAT PART RELIGION SHOULD HAVE
Wednesday, March 7, 2012, in our 10th year of publication
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A most important precept for today, and for the days to come:
"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves,
and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways,
then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin,
and will heal their land."
Jehovah, the Almighty God -
The Holy Bible, II Chronicles 7:14
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
THERE IS MUCH DISCUSSION -- SPECULATION, ACTUALLY --
AS TO WHAT PART RELIGION SHOULD HAVE IN THE CHOICE
OF A PRESIDENT IN THIS ELECTION YEAR, 2012
The subject, which is gaining so much media attention, focuses on whether
America is a Christian nation, and if religion really matters in the governance of the
country today.
To further this discussion, but avoiding speculation, and sticking to the facts,
here is an at-random review of what American presidents (prior to the current
one) and other American leaders have said on this subject. We can skip George
Washington because we have so often quoted his views on the importance of
being a Christian. Even the most casual reader will be able to spot a trend here.
1784 -- John Jay, the Original Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court: "The
Bible is the best of all books, for it is the Word of God, and teaches us the
way to be happy in this world and in the next. Continue therefore to read
it and to regulate your life by its precepts."
1798 -- John Adams, our second president: "Our Constitution was made
only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the
government of any other."
1892 -- U.S. Supreme Court: "Our laws and our institutions must
necessarily be based upon the teachings of the Redeemer of Mankind.
It is impossible that it should be otherwise; and in this sense and to this
extent, our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian."
1911 -- President Woodrow Wilson: "America was born a Christian nation.
America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of
righteousness, which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scriptures."
1935 -- President Franklin D. Roosevelt: "We cannot read the history of our
rise and development as a nation. without reckoning with the place the
Bible has occupied in shaping the advances of the Republic."
1950 -- President Harry S. Truman: "The fundamental basis of this nation's
law was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of
Rights comes from the teaching we get from Exodus and St. Matthew, from
Isaiah and St. Paul."
1955 -- President Dwight D. Eisenhower: "Without God there could be no
American government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the
Supreme Being is the first, the most basic, expression of Americanism."
1984 -- President Ronald Reagan: "If we ever forget that we're one nation
under God, then we will be a nation gone under."
Contrary to those historical beliefs and convictions of America's leaders
are the liberal, progressive, politically-correct views of some current day would-
be leaders. Entering the discussion is White House religious advisor, Jim Wallis,
who offered the opinion that America "is not a Christian nation. It's never
been a Christian nation. We set this up so it would not be a Christian nation,
or any religious framework. Where in the Bible is there a special place for
America?"
And the Obama White House hasn't done much to provide any assurance to
American Christians. The president's first Advisory Council on Faith-Based
issues produced a 163 page report in March, 2010, and then disbanded. The
second council has waited more than a year, and has yet to meet. The major
issue they were to consider -- whether religious groups that receive public
money can discriminate in hiring -- remains unresolved more than three years
after Mr. Obama promised to address it.
And the president himself isn't doing much to accommodate himself to America's
Christian heritage. Beginning with his first trip abroad as president in 2009 -- to
the countries of his Muslim forebears (naturally), he asserted again and again that
America is not a Christian nation. He has been unrelenting in his efforts toward
repealing DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) which affirms the Bile-based view
that marriage is between one man and one woman. He has encouraged the LGBT
members, and those who want to kill additional millions of babies through abortion
-- at least 50 million since Roe v. Wade. And to demonstrate his complete lack of
familiarity with the Bible, he has cited Jesus as favoring same-sex marriage, taxation
of the wealthy, etc.
And he has steadfastly ignored Christian observances, like the National Day of Prayer,
and Easter -- but has sponsored gala White House celebrations of the Muslim holy
month of Ramadan, and speaks reverently of the "Holy Quran."
However, in this election year, he seems to have discovered that there are far more
American voters who profess to be Christians, than the homosexuals, Muslims and
atheists combined -- and has already begun to stress his Christian beliefs. One is
inclined to wonder how he will interpret these words of Jesus: "By their fruits ye
shall know them ... not everyone that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into
the kingdom of heaven ..." (Matt. 7:20-21)
So what should Christians be doing in these difficult times? Well, first we can
obey the many admonitions of Scripture about prayer ... "Pray without ceasing ..."
"Ye have not because ye ask not ..." "Ask and ye shall receive ..." "The
effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much ..." Some months ago
ANC announced a count-down of prayer leading to the November election. As of
today there are 244 days until the Nov. 6 election day -- 244 days to pray for our
nation, for wisdom to be given to our leaders, for our fellow believers all over the
world who are facing persecution and even death for their faith . . .for Israel, our
faithful ally, trying to exist with the Muslim threat of extinction facing them . . . and for
our fellow Americans who are trying to recover from the disastrous tornados of the
past week. We have much to pray for; that is our Christian responsibility.
As a counter-balance to the liberal (i.e., Obama) biased Main Stream
Media, we offer "What Others Are Saying"
Karla Dial (in CitizenLink): "When it comes to marriage and family
structure, there's a good reason nearly every modern society has encouraged
monogamy as the accepted norm: Because it's good for society. So says a new
multidisciplinary study published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal
Society, the world's longest-running scientific journal, established in 1665."
Jay Sekulow (ACLJ): "Forcing religious and pro-life organizations to
provide insurance that pays for abortion-inducing drugs and more is not only
wrong, it's unconstitutional. It violates the fundamental right to religious
liberty enshrined in the Constitution and must be stopped."
David Barton (Pres. Wall Builders): "We just posted on our website a piece
documenting the extreme hostility of President Obama against Biblical faith
and Biblical values for the past three years. He is, as proven by his own
actions and words, the most anti-Biblical president in American history."
Barack Hussein Obama: In a speech to the United Auto Workers union, he said
that "trying to climb to the very top" was not what "America is about," saying
that it was "greed.” [Well, he should know -- he made it to the top.]
Crystal Wright (a "triple minority" reporter -- Woman, Black, Republican):
"Obama seems to be coddling our enemies more like they are our friends.
After jacking up our debt to $15 trillion in three short years, Obama thought
now was a good time to build a $750,000 playground at the Guantanamo Bay
detention camp (GITMO) so terrorists would feel comfortable. According to
military police, the new soccer field was built because that’s the sport of
choice for most of the detainees...Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said he
wasn’t aware of it.'”
David Goetsch (in Patriot Update): "Those who are entrusted with
leadership positions in our society should never forget the following rule
of thumb: people will not follow a leader they do not trust. Consequently,
gaining the trust of the American people is essential to any individual who
serves as President of the United States. One of the reasons President
Reagan remains so popular with such a broad cross-section of Americans
is that people trusted him. Can the same be said for President Obama?
Asked another way, do you trust Barack Obama? ... When you listen to
Barack Obama, listen carefully. It’s your future he is lying about."
Chris Matthews (on MSNBC): [He's the one who said he had tingling in his
legs whenever Obama spoke] "Barack Obama ... has a brain, and he has a
heart, and he can cause a thrill in the American people because he has both.”
And there are these quotes which are focused on specific subjects"
Jack Marshall, writing in Ethics Alarms on Rush Limbaugh's "slut" comment:
"Anti-democratic bullies, however, would silence opposition voices because
of 'ignorance,' which in their minds can and often does translate into
'thinking differently than we do, and we know best, because we are
intrinsically smarter and better.' Such people are authoritarian, self-righteous
censors at heart, and far, far more dangerous to American values than any
blowhard like Rush Limbaugh."
Thomas Sowell, writing in Patriot Post concerning yesterday's "Super Tuesday"
Republican primaries: "If a clear winner with a commanding lead emerges,
the question then becomes whether that candidate is someone who is likely
to defeat Barack Obama. If not, then the fate of America -- and of Western
nations, including Israel -- will be left in the hands of a man with a lifelong
hostility to Western values and Western interests."
From Human Events, on the many comparisons with President Reagan:
"Reagan was one of America's greatest leaders. He changed the world,
developing a successful strategy for defeating Communism, toppling the
Soviet Union, and liberating Eastern Europe. Most importantly Reagan
restored an America that had found itself mired in a malaise of falling
living standards, moral decay, and what seemed like inevitable decline --
a state all too familiar to Americans today."
From Heritage Foundation, on the recent attacks on religious freedom:
"Since 1791, when the Bill of Rights was formally adopted, America has
enjoyed the legal protection of religious freedom, enshrined in the U.S.
Constitution. Today, 221 years later, centuries of progress in the
protection of religious and other liberties is at risk of being rolled back
in one fell swoop. The culprit: Obamacare."
And to brighten the day, just a few "One Liners" or "Short Takes"
From Moody News: "Burning the Koran is an Excuse to Kill, but Not
The Reason"
From Os Hillman: "T G I F -- Today It's God First"
From the usual Liberal HuffPostHill: "An 'Upside-Downer' -- After nearly
four years of unemployment, Brian Gagnon of Fort Worth, Texas landed a
production job similar to the one he lost in 2008. 'It pays less than my
previous full time job (a lot less) and the hours are abysmal, but it is a
job nonetheless. I'm just glad I'm starting to turn stuff around."
And from Anonymous: "10 years ago the USA had Steve Jobs, Bob
Hope and Johnny Cash. Now they have no Jobs, no Hope and no Cash."
And to head toward the finish -- just these two "Afterthoughts". . .
A major change in world foreign missionary programs. The Center for the
Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Seminary reports that Brazil now
sends the second largest number of missionaries to the rest of the world -- 34,000
in 2010, second only to the 127,000 sent by the United States. And even though
the U.S. sends the most missionaries, it also receives the most; 32,400 foreign
missionaries arrived here in 2010.
Temporarily, a Muslim power in Indonesia has suffered a set-back. The
Indonesian Red Cross has refused to change its logo at the demand of the Islam
based PKS (Prosperous Justice Party.) The politicians said that the logo of the
Red Cross was similar to the Christian symbol of a cross, and demanded change.
We have already cited so many Founding Fathers' quotes with respect to
the Christian faith. This one is applicable to current international relations
"We have therefore to resolve to conquer or die: Our won country's honor,
all call upon us for vigorous and manly exertion, and if we now shamefully
fail, we shall become infamous to the whole world. Let us therefore rely upon
the goodness of the cause, and the aid of the Supreme Being, in whose hands
victory is, to animate and encourage us to great and noble actions."
-- George Washington, 1776
And that is the complete issue of ANC for today, March 7, 2012. But even
if this issue is complete, our needs have not diminished. If you think our efforts are
worthy of support, would you please make at least a small contribution to help us
continue? Just click HERE and learn how you can send a contribution by check
or credit card. Thank you . . .
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
