June,
2004
Dear
Ministry Partners,
As we contemplate
Independence
Day, we all know our culture has been slowly "hijacked"
over the last 40 years by a minority of Americans with an anti-God
agenda. They have claimed that we should have "separation
of church and state", but what they have really tried to
do is simply stamp out God and the church, leaving only a secular
state. But as we all work to rescue our nation, our traditional
family values, and our western culture as we have known it, it
helps to have some "ammunition" with which to combat
this war of words.
There have been a
number of court decisions recently which have implied that the
traditional legal positions on public prayer, references to God,
the 10
commandments, and the definition of marriage have all been
"wrong and unconstitutional" for the last 200 years
and the courts are now "straightening it all out". However,
the historic facts are clearly otherwise. Consider the following
topics:
Was America supposed
to be a Christian nation? – There were 27 of the 56 signers
of the Declaration
of Independence who had seminary degrees. 52 of the 55 founders
of the Constitution were members of the established Christian
churches in the colonies. The opening session of the Continental
Congress (September 7th, 1774) began with a 3 hour prayer
meeting (and there have been opening
prayers by tax-payer paid chaplains ever since 1777 except
for 1857-1859 when the practice was challenged on "church
and state" grounds, but it was found appropriate and the
U.S. Supreme Court reinforced this decision in 1983). Out of 250
people that are recognized as "founding fathers", only
12 would be considered not Christians by the documented historical
evidence. John
Quincy Adams, the sixth President, said "The highest
glory of the American revolution was this: it connected in one
indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the
principles of Christianity. From the day of the Declaration…they
were bound by the laws of God…and by the laws of the Gospel,
which they nearly all acknowledge as the rules of their conduct."
Does America need
to change to allow different religions now? – John
Adams, the second President of the United States (and Vice
President under George
Washington), said there were 30 different religions in America
when the Constitution was created. The first amendment was made
by these same Christians: "Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof…." Obviously
they did not intend to crush or outlaw the public practice of
Christianity in government, because they continued to inscribe
scriptures and prayers in the solid rock of federal government
buildings and monuments they erected (the White
House fireplace mantle, the Supreme Court building, the Washington
monument, etc.).
In fact, the aluminum
cap which was placed on top of the Washington
monument is inscribed "Laus Deo"
which is Latin for "Praise be to God".
When the cornerstone was laid, a Bible was placed inside it. Scriptures
are inscribed on the stairway landings, including Proverbs
10:7, 22:6,
and Luke
18:16. Also, as you walk up to the east side of the Supreme
Court building you can see near the top of the roof a carved row
of the world's law givers and each one is facing the one in the
middle who is facing forward with a full frontal view –
it is Moses
with the Ten Commandments!As you enter the Supreme Court courtroom,
the two huge oak doors have the Ten Commandments engraved on each
lower portion of each door. As you sit inside the courtroom, you
can see a display of the Ten
Commandments on the wall right above where the Supreme Court
judges sit!
Should Christians
hold public office? – The very first Supreme Court Justice,
John
Jay, said, "Americans should select and prefer Christians
as their rulers." James
Madison, the fourth president, known as "The Father of
Our Constitution" made the following statement, "We
have staked the whole of all our political institutions upon the
capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of
each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves,
to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."
Ben
Franklin said, "If men are so wicked with religion,
what would they be without it?" Patrick
Henry, the patriot and a founding father of our country said,
"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that
this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians...not
on religions but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ." The
Apostle
Paul said in 1st
Corinthians 6:4-5, "If then you have law
courts dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint them
as judges who are of no account in the church? I say this to your
shame."
Should Christianity
be in the public schools? – In the U.S. Department of Education
in Washington D.C., there is a textbook museum. There are samples
of most every school textbook used through the history of the
United States. Up until about 1900, every textbook on every subject
was full of illustrations and examples using the Bible! Today,
kids have been sent home because they had a Christian slogan on
their tee shirt. I own copies of New Testament and Old Testament
Bible class text books from the 1940’s which were required
courses in the Dallas public schools for decades – and these
courses were more thorough than any of the Bible schools I have
taught in! In 1962, the United Nations did a study of literacy
rates in the nations of the world and the United States was first.
In 1963, God was taken out of the public schools – and by
the 1990’s, the same United
Nations study showed the United States as last in literacy
among the civilized nations of the world.We can see Christianity
revived in America. All things are possible with God. "If
My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and
pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I
will hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their
land." (2nd
Chronicles 7:14). Prayer changes things. Prayer and fasting
changes situations that have been wrong since childhood (Mark
9:21&29). But if we are not moved enough to even change
our meal plan, God won’t be moved enough to change our nation.
"Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, declares…Those
who honor Me I will honor, but those who despise Me will be disdained."
(1st
Samuel 2:30). Fortunately, due to the spiritual seed principle,
we don’t need a majority to rescue our nation. A minority
have harmed our nation, but a "remnant" can reverse
the damage and return the nation to spiritual health. We just
need to each do our part!
Praying & Fasting,
Dale
& Judi Leander
P.S. – Check
out our resources at the bottom for your church to help stimulate
more prayer for our nation!
Separation
of God and State?
By William J. Federer, October 11, 2003, ©2003 WorldNetDaily.com
Somewhere along the
way, the Federal Courts and the United States Supreme Court have
misinterpreted the U.S. Constitution. America's founders did not
intend for there to be a separation of God and state, as shown
by the fact that all 50 states acknowledged God in their state
constitutions. (Find your state below.)
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....
Arizona
1911, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Arizona,
grateful to Almighty God for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution....
Arkansas
1874, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Arkansas,
grateful to Almighty God for the privilege of choosing our own
form of government....
California
1879, Preamble. We, the People of the State of California,
grateful to Almighty God for our freedom....
Colorado
1876, Preamble. We, the people of Colorado, with profound
reverence for the Supreme Ruler of Universe....
Connecticut
1818, Preamble. The People of Connecticut, acknowledging
with gratitude the good Providence of God in permitting them to
enjoy....
Delaware
1897, Preamble. Through Divine Goodness all men have,
by nature, the rights of worshiping and serving their Creator
according to the dictates of their consciences....
Florida
1885, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Florida,
grateful to Almighty God for our constitutional liberty ... establish
this Constitution....
Georgia
1777, Preamble. We, the people of Georgia, relying upon
protection and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish
this Constitution....
Hawaii 1959,
Preamble. We, the people of Hawaii, Grateful for Divine Guidance
... establish this Constitution....
Idaho 1889,
Preamble. We, the people of the State of Idaho, grateful to Almighty
God for our freedom, to secure its blessings....
Illinois
1870, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Illinois,
grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious
liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy and looking
to Him for a blessing on our endeavors....
Indiana
1851, Preamble. We, the People of the State of Indiana,
grateful to Almighty God for the free exercise of the right to
chose our form of government....
Iowa 1857,
Preamble. We, the People of the State of Iowa, grateful to the
Supreme Being for the blessings hitherto enjoyed, and feeling
our dependence on Him for a continuation of these blessings ...
establish this Constitution....
Kansas 1859,
Preamble. We, the people of Kansas, grateful to Almighty God for
our civil and religious privileges ... establish this Constitution....
Kentucky
1891, Preamble. We, the people of the Commonwealth of
Kentucky, grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and
religious liberties....
Louisiana
1921, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Louisiana,
grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious
liberties we enjoy....
Maine 1820,
Preamble. We the People of Maine...acknowledging with grateful
hearts the goodness of the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe in
affording us an opportunity...and imploring His aid and direction....
Maryland
1776, Preamble. We, the people of the state of Maryland,
grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberty....
Massachusetts
1780, Preamble. We...the people of Massachusetts, acknowledging
with grateful hearts, the goodness of the Great Legislator of
the Universe... in the course of His Providence, an opportunity
... and devoutly imploring His direction....
Michigan
1908, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Michigan,
grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of freedom ... establish
this Constitution....
Minnesota
1857, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Minnesota,
grateful to God for our civil and religious liberty, and desiring
to perpetuate its blessings....
Mississippi
1890, Preamble. We, the people of Mississippi in convention
assembled, grateful to Almighty God, and invoking His blessing
on our work....
Missouri
1945, Preamble. We, the people of Missouri, with profound
reverence for the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, and grateful
for His goodness ... establish this Constitution....
Montana
1889, Preamble. We, the people of Montana, grateful to
Almighty God for the blessings of liberty ... establish this Constitution....
Nebraska
1875, Preamble. We, the people, grateful to Almighty
God for our freedom ... establish this Constitution....
Nevada 1864,
Preamble. We the people of the State of Nevada, grateful to Almighty
God for our freedom ... establish this Constitution....
New Hampshire
1792, Part I. Art. I. Sec. V. Every individual has a
natural and unalienable right to worship God according to the
dictates of his own conscience....
New Jersey
1844, Preamble. We, the people of the State of New Jersey,
grateful to Almighty God for civil and religious liberty which
He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for
a blessing on our endeavors.…
New Mexico
1911, Preamble. We, the People of New Mexico, grateful
to Almighty God....
New York
1846, Preamble. We, the people of the State of New York,
grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, in order to secure its
blessings....
North Carolina
1868, Preamble. We the people of the State of North Carolina,
grateful to Almighty God, the Sovereign Ruler of Nations, for
... our civil, political, and religious liberties, and acknowledging
our dependence upon Him for the continuance of those....
North Dakota
1889, Preamble. We, the people of North Dakota, grateful
to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty....
Ohio 1852,
Preamble. We the people of the state of Ohio, grateful to Almighty
God for our freedom, to secure its blessings....
Oklahoma
1907, Preamble. Invoking the guidance of Almighty God,
in order to secure and perpetuate the blessings of liberty....
Oregon 1857,
Bill of Rights, Article I. Section 2. All men shall be secure
in the Natural right, to worship Almighty God according to the
dictates of their consciences....
Pennsylvania
1776, Preamble. We, the people of Pennsylvania, grateful
to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty,
and humbly invoking His guidance....
Rhode Island
1842, Preamble. We the People of the State of Rhode Island
... grateful to Almighty God for the civil and religious liberty
which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy....
South Carolina,
1778, Preamble. We, the people of the State of South
Carolina ... grateful to God for our liberties, do ordain and
establish this Constitution....
South Dakota
1889, Preamble. We, the people of South Dakota, grateful
to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberties ... establish
this Constitution....
Tennessee
1796, Art. XI.III. That all men have a natural and indefeasible
right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their
conscience....
Texas 1845,
Preamble. We the People of the Republic of Texas, acknowledging,
with gratitude, the grace and beneficence of God....
Utah 1896,
Preamble. Grateful to Almighty God for life and liberty, we ...
establish this Constitution....
Vermont
1777, Preamble. Whereas all government ought to ... enable
the individuals who compose it to enjoy their natural rights,
and other blessings which the Author of Existence has bestowed
on man....
Virginia
1776, Bill of Rights, XVI ... Religion, or the Duty which
we owe our Creator ... can be directed only by Reason ... and
that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian Forbearance....
Washington
1889, Preamble. We the People of the State of Washington,
grateful to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for our liberties,
do ordain this Constitution....
West Virginia
1872, Preamble. Since through Divine Providence we enjoy
the blessings of civil, political and religious liberty, we, the
people of West Virginia...reaffirm our faith in and constant reliance
upon God….
Wisconsin
1848, Preamble. We, the people of Wisconsin, grateful
to Almighty God....
Wyoming 1890,
Preamble. We, the people of the State of Wyoming, grateful to
God for our civil, political, and religious liberties ... establish
this Constitution....
After reviewing acknowledgments
of God from all 50 state constitutions, one is faced with the
prospect that maybe, just maybe, the ACLU and the federal courts
are wrong. How could all 50 states be wrong?
"Those
people who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants."
— William
Penn |