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Almighty God, we make our earnest prayer
that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy
Holy protection: that Thou wilt incline the
hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of
subordination and obedience to government
and entertain a brotherly affection and love for
one another and for their fellow citizens of the
United States at large. And finally, that Thou
wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us
all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean
ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific
temper of mind which were the characteristics
of the Divine Author of our blessed religion,
without a humble imitation of whose
example in these things we can never hope to
be a happy nation. Grant our supplication, we
beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
George Washington
The Washington Farewell Address
In his Farewell Address, the first president advised his
fellow citizens that "Religion and morality" were the "great
Pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties
of Men and citizens." "National morality," he added, could
not exist "in exclusion of religious principle." "Virtue or morality,"
he concluded, as the products of religion, were "a necessary
spring of popular government."
Source: Library Of Congress
The following quotes show quite clearly that our great nation, one Nation Under God, was definitely founded by God fearing, Christian Forefathers. It is a shame that this reminder is even necessary! Follwing our Founding Father's quotes are very interesting and historical facts telling you the TRUTH about Christopher Columbus and the Pledge of Allegiance.
God Bless America.
++ "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord..."
"But select capable men from all the people --
men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate
dishonest gain -- and appoint them as officials
over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens."
(Exodus 18:21)
(Psalm 33:12a)
George Washington himself, at the request of the Congress which passed the Bill of Rights, proclaimed a day of "public prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and single favors of Almighty God".
"No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand which conducts the invisible affairs of men more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency.... We ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of heaven cannot be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which heaven itself has ordained." --George Washington
"...Let me live according to those holy rules which Thou hast this day prescribed in Thy holy word...Direct me to the true object, Jesus Christ the way, the truth and the life. Bless, O Lord, all the people of this land." "Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that National Morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle." George Washington
"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation
was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians...."
Patrick Henry
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." "Statesmen may plan and speculate for liberty, but it is religion and morality alone, which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand." John Adams
Thomas Jefferson, the man "blamed" for the wall of separation between church and state said:
"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 of the gift of God?"
Read the explanation of the separation between church and state:
CLICK HERE
"No power over the freedom of religion is delegated to the United States by the Constitution." James Madison:
"We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not on the power of government...but upon the capacity of each and every one of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God." "Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win great triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." --Theodore Roosevelt
Did you know the Pledge of Alligiance was written in 1892 so that school children across the nation could recite it as the American flag was raised in honor of the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus; discovery of America?
Now that the 500th anniversary has come and gone, some Americans condemn both the man and the holiday. They seek to depict Columbus as a murderous pirate who brought death and slavery to the New World, killing Native Americans by ill treatment and disease. But Columbus depicted himself as a servant of God.
The Pledge of Allegiance has also come under attack today, particularly because of the phrase "under God", which was added by Congress in 1954 to "further acknowledge the dependence of our people and our Government upon the moral directions of the Creator".
As President Eisenhower said at the time of signing the law: "These words will...help to keep constantly in our minds and hearts the spiritual and moral principles which alone give dignity to man, and upon which our way of life is founded.
It becomes clear as we look at the attacks on both Columbus and the Pledge of Allegiance that the actual target is Western civilization and, in some cases, Christianity itself. Until very recently, both honoring Christopher Columbus and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, with hand over heart, was associated with patriotism and love of God and country. Columbus Day was established to honor Christopher Columbus for his discovery of America on October 12, 1492. In describing this discovery to King Ferdinand of Spain, Columbus portrayed himself as a devout and sincere Christian rejoicing in the souls that would be saved in this new land. He wrote:
"...Therefore let the king and queen, the princes and their most fortunate kingdoms, and all other countries of Christendom give thanks to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who has bestowed upon us so great a victory and gift. Let religious processions be solemnized; let sacred festivals be given; let the churches be covered with festive garlands. Let Christ rejoice on earth, as he rejoices in heaven, when he foresees coming to salvation so many souls of people hitherto lost".
We do not know how Columbus' news was actually celebrated in the 15th Century, but we do know that thousands of European Christians followed Columbus to America to plant colonies and share Christianity.
Plymouth, Massachusetts was established as the first Christian colony in America in 1620. When forty-one Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact on November 21, 1620, they declared their intention to establish their colony in God's name and for His glory, and to advance the Christian faith.
In the next decade, thousands of Puritans under the leadership of John Winthrop followed the Pilgrims to the New World. It was their desire to:
*carry the Gospel and bring the fullness of the Gentiles into the Kingdom of God.
*obey the Great Commission of Mathew 28:19, 20 to share the Gospel with the American Indians and the thousands of souls in transit across the ocean who needed to hear about Jesus
*help establish and support an infant church
*be a city on a hill, a city of God, a holy city in America.
In June 1636, Roger Williams dedicated Providence, Rhode Island as "a shelter for persons distressed for conscience". The Rhode Island Charter of 1663 expressed an evangelistic spirit toward Native Americans:......whereby our said people and inhabitants, in the said Plantations, may be so religiously, peaceably and civilly governed, as that, by their good life and orderly conversations, they may win and invite the native Indians of the country to the knowledge and obedience of the only true God, and Savior of mankind.
Queen Christina of Sweden granted a colonial charter to encourage trade, settlement and the spreading of the Gospel in Delaware in 1637. She gave instructions regarding Christian living in the colony in 1642: "Above all things, shall the Governor consider and see to it that a true and due worship, becoming honor, laud and praise be paid to the Most High God in all things, and to that end all proper care shall be taken that divine service be zealously performed...; and all persons, but especially the young, shall be duly instructed in the articles of their Christian faith; and all good church discipline shall in like manner be duly exercised and received".
"The wild nations, bordering upon all other sides, the Governor shall ...at every opportunity, exert himself that the same wild people may gradually be instructed in the truths and worship of the Christian religion..."
In 1639, the Colony of Connecticut adopted a set of Fundamental Orders in which they agreed to govern themselves according to God in order to maintain and preserve the liberty and purity of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ that they professed.
In 1677, the Quaker Trustees of West Jersey established a government whose framework provided for the people's liberty as men and as Christians. Most importantly, the Charter provided for freedom of worship.
In 1681, William Penn provided a haven in Pennsylvania for Quakers and for all those professing Jesus as the Christ and Savior.
He established a community based on both political and religious freedom that would be an example to the nations. Viewing the plan as a "Holy Experiment", Penn wanted to establish a society that was both godly and virtuous and to bring the "savage Natives by gentle and just manners to the love of civil society and Christian religion".
One of the corporate goals of the Georgia Trustees under James Oglethorpe in 1733 was to provide for the conversion of the Indians through the colony's good discipline and example of just, moral, and religious behavior.
Oglethorpe's first official act as a Trustee in Savannah was to kneel with his company to offer thanksgiving and prayer to God.
Whatever the 15th Century celebration of Columbus' discovery was, his dream that Christian colonies be planted and many souls saved came to fruition. In 1792, 300 years after Columbus called for rejoicing in heaven and earth, Italian Americans began to celebrate the anniversary of his discovery.
But it was not until the 400th anniversary, under a proclamation from President Benjamin Harrison, that all Americans celebrated Columbus Day.
A federal holiday was declared in 1968 to celebrate Columbus Day on the second Monday in October. On that day, the flag of the United States of America is displayed on all public buildings in honor of Christopher Columbus and Americans are officially called upon to observe appropriate ceremonies and activities.
CULTURE CLASH
Today, the anniversary of Columbus' discovery highlights the culture clash between those Americans who still honor God and country and those who find no cause for celebration, but champion a new holiday to celebrate ethnic diversity and America's indigenous peoples. Columbus is vilified by some as the symbolic gateway into the New World for the "sins" against Native Americans perpetrated by those that followed him.
Some protesters choose Columbus Day to demonstrate the beauty of the culture that existed in America before Columbus' discovery. But this message also carries the clear overtone that the Christians who followed Columbus had no right to spread the Gospel among Native Americans. In the same way, critics of the Pledge of Allegiance, first written to honor Columbus, have no desire to acknowledge their dependence on the Creator. They reject the spiritual and moral principles on which our country was founded.
Although the First Amendment to the United States Constitution protects the right of citizens to refuse to recite the Pledge, some critics are not satisfied with nonparticipation. While a few advocate only for the removal of the words "under God", others press for the Pledge to be recited on fewer and fewer occasions.
At one time the Pledge of Allegiance routinely started each school day, but now only about 20 states have laws requiring school students to recite the Pledge. And even in those states where its recitation is mandated, many schools do not observe the law at all or only follow it in part. For example, in Washington state, where daily recitation is required, schools may choose to say the Pledge every day, once a week, once a month, only before assemblies or sports events - or never. Therefore, it is hardly surprising to learn that many people today do not even know the words.
CELEBRATE
Let us join Columbus and give "thanks to our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ, who has bestowed upon us
so great a victory and gift".
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