New Dakota Voice Poll Up

The poll for Christmas week is now up:

The phrase that in America there should be a “wall of separation” between church and state appears in:

- George Washington’s Farewell Address
- the Mayflower Compact
- the Constitution
- the Declaration of Independence
- Thomas Jefferson’s letters

As the last several Dakota Voice polls have been, this is an open-book test. You can find the answer in any number of locations online (I'd stay away from liberal sources, however--you might get a dose of wishful thinking that has no basis in reality).

You can also find the answer at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute and take their American Civics quiz which I mentioned recently.

In Voting our Pocketbooks, What Have We Done?

By Marie Jon'

"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness." (2 Timothy 3:16)

I believe that America will not survive the political and social trials that are to come if we are not engaged in the fight to protect our Christian beliefs. The Ten Commandments, written by the hand of God, are our moral compass. Liberalism has slowly worked its way into mainstream Christian denominations. If it were not so we would have been a wiser people and elected a president who shares the same principles found in the teachings of the Great I Am.

Many evangelicals and Catholics voted in to the office of the presidency America's most liberal senator on social issues that concern our children's sexual identity, marriage and the sanctity of human life. All of these extremely important topics appear to be above Barack Hussein Obama's pay grade. What were these Christians thinking?

I heard of a man who made a pact with The Almighty. The man promised God that he was not going to do His will, even though it meant finding his own eternal destiny in a place prepared for the devil. This story reminded me of the biblical parable found in Matthew 21.

Jesus, in a parable, said: "What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' He answered, 'I will not'; but later during the same day the man changed his mind. The father went to the second son and asked the same; and he answered, 'I go, sir'; but he did not go" (Matthew 21:28-30).

May I ask you: How do you respond to God's call in your life? Have you ever felt the Lord's call for a very special kind of ministry? Maybe God was asking you to surrender your life to Him through the power of His Holy Spirit.

Because of fallen human nature of all mankind since the beginning, many people do not respond to God. They rather resist and are unwilling to concede the need of a loving Savior who lived and died and rose again so they could have eternal life in the world to come. Many are called, but refuse to answer.

Amos 5:1-2: The Lord judges a nation just as He does individual people. America, how is your walk with the Savior doing? Are you yielding to His gentle voice? Many of God's anointed answered the call once in their lives, but then found themselves backsliding and off course.

The drive-by media of the New Testament gave the priests and Pharisees some pretty bad press. Although there were many uncomfortable conflicts between them and Jesus, don't ever assume that they were all in open rebellion against Christ. In fact, the book of Acts reveals that many who verbally fought against Jesus eventually became Christians.

You'll find their story in the parable. They are represented by the second son. The one son who agreed to go to work in his father's vineyard represents many Christians who had very good intentions and started out to serve the Lord faithfully, but allowed themselves to become sidetracked along the way. For them there had come a time for epiphany. Let's just say that they experienced a watershed in their lives when they had chosen the wrong path.

In the parable, Jesus points to a specific time and place where they had failed to grow and continue their walk with God. What He said to them is still important to Christians living today. "For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome." (1 John: 5-3)

Excerpts From Religious Right R.I.P.:

"When Barack Obama takes the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2009, he will do so in the 30th anniversary year of the founding of the so-called Religious Right. Born in 1979 and midwifed by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, the Religious Right was a reincarnation of previous religious-social movements that sought moral improvement through legislation and court rulings. Those earlier movements — from abolition (successful) to Prohibition (unsuccessful) — had mixed results.

"Social movements that relied mainly on political power to enforce a conservative moral code weren't anywhere near as successful as those that focused on changing hearts. The four religious revivals, from the First Great Awakening in the 1730s and 1740s to the Fourth Great Awakening in the late 1960s and early '70s, which touched America and instantly transformed millions of Americans (and American culture as a result), are testimony to that.

"Thirty years of trying to use government to stop abortion, preserve opposite-sex marriage, improve television and movie content and transform culture into the conservative Evangelical image has failed. The question now becomes: should conservative Christians redouble their efforts, contributing more millions to radio and TV preachers and activists, or would they be wise to try something else?"Full Article

We all need to take into consideration the progress of our own walk with the Savior and Creator of the universe. My sisters and brothers, let us repent and move forward. We are not saved by the Ten Commandments but "by grace, least any man should boast." However, the Lord gave His commandments in love to guide our lives upright before Him and others. We are the Lord's witnesses.

We're to be seen as a light as Christ was unto this world, so others will be drawn to Him. May we do so with humility toward God and a willingness to respond to Him by doing His will through love.

If we lose our salt and our image appears to be a mirror of the worldliness that we proclaim to reject, we will not be able to win one soul for Christ. Our country needs a righteous religiosity, lead by those who have regenerated hearts and who are on fire for their Lord and Savior. We must not be viewed as mere hypocrites who talk the talk but do not walk the walk.

The headlines announce that the whole world is waiting for President Obama. Sorry Jesus Christ, you'll have to postpone your long awaited Second Coming, because Obama, with his huge government programs, has everything covered. Soon we will be living in the land of plenty and honey.

We were called out to be fishers of men and to conduct ourselves befitting the stature of sons and daughters to the most Holy God. America's future depends on a holy people who are willing to let their light shine and not hide their Christianity under a bushel. Ill-informed people of faith went into the voting booths and decided to vote their pocketbooks and bring socialism to America's doorstep. Unless Christ cuts the time in half, Christians will be wandering through the desert of a socialistic progressive malaise for a long, long time.

Obama on Christianity, Faith in the Public Square: Don't Get Bit by Bad Dogma

My fellow South Dakota blogger Cory Heidelberger at Madville Times has a piece on the Obamessiah Barack Obama and religious views today.

Cory seems to take comfort in Obama's religious doubts. Cory quotes Obama from an interview with Chicago Sun-Times columnist Cathleen Falsani on March 27, 2004:

I think that religion at its best comes with a big dose of doubt.

Barack Obama may think doubt is a good thing when it comes to faith (aren't "doubt" and "faith" antithetical?) but as usual Obama (like many other liberals) substitutes the flawed wisdom of this world for God's truth.

When you take a look at what the Bible says about doubt, it really doesn't have anything good to say about this state of disbelief:

Matthew 14:31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

Matthew 21:21 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done.

Matthew 28:17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

Mark 11:23 "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.

Luke 24:38 He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?

John 20:27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

James 1:6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

The Bible describes faith in terms quite the opposite of doubt:

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. - Hebrews 11:1

Contrary to the negative way in which the Bible refers to doubt, it speaks rather highly of faith:

Matthew 8:10 When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.

Matthew 8:26 He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

Matthew 13:58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

Matthew 15:28 Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Matthew 21:21 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done.

Matthew 24:10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other

Mark 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

Mark 4:40 He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"

Mark 6:6 And he was amazed at their lack of faith.

Mark 11:22 "Have faith in God," Jesus answered.

Romans 3:22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.

Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Romans 5:2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.

Romans 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message,

There are actually many, many more examples where faith--as opposed to doubt--is highly praised and pointed to as essential to salvation.

Another statement from Obama should be troubling for the Christian:

And I'm not somebody who is always comfortable with language that implies I've got a monopoly on the truth, or that my faith is automatically transferable to others.

That's too bad, because Jesus made it pretty clear that He has a monopoly on the truth, and if you're believing what Christ said, you're going to be pretty connected to the One who does have a monopoly on the truth. Jesus also made it clear that it is "transferable" to all people (whether they accept it or not):

John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 3:16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

Matthew 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

Matthew 5:13-16 You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven

Colossians 1:28We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

Romans 5:19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

I will pass for the moment on Obama's comments about the "separation of church and state" and "theocracy." I have dealt with these before at some length, but today I primarily want to answer Obama's dangerous theological errors.

But there is one additional Obama statement I'd like to comment on:

I think there is an enormous danger on the part of public figures to rationalize or justify their actions by claiming God's mandate.

I think there is this tendency that I don't think is healthy for public figures to wear religion on their sleeve as a means to insulate themselves from criticism, or dialogue with people who disagree with them.

It certainly could be the case that some politicians might do this. Perhaps Obama has even done it himself?

Probably the best way to detect behavior of this nature is when on one hand the politician professes religious faith, but the politician's behavior or advocacy is in contradiction to the clear teachings of that faith (say, perhaps when a politician defends killing unborn children and some born ones, or say when a politician supports the legitimization of a sexual practice that the Bible makes abundantly clear in both Old and New Testaments is wrong).

But I do not think it is wrong in the slightest for a public official to state the rightness or the wrongness of a public policy based on the clear teachings of Christianity. After all, our nation was founded by Christians on Christian principles, and they recognized the vital role that religion and morality play in a free and successful civilization.

The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were…the general principles of Christianity. – John Adams

Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time; they therefore who are decrying the Christian religion whose morality is so sublime and pure…are undermining the solid foundation of morals, the best security for the duration of free governments. – Charles Carroll, signer of the Declaration of Independence

Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters. – Benjamin Franklin

Whatever makes men good Christians, makes them good citizens. – Daniel Webster

Sensible of the importance of Christian piety and virtue to the order and happiness of a state, I cannot but earnestly commend to you every measure for their support and encouragement – John Hancock

The law…dictated by God Himself is, of course, superior in obligation to any other. It is binding over all the globe, in all countries, and at all times. No human laws are of any validity if contrary to this. – Alexander Hamilton, signer of the Constitution

The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained. – George Washington’s Inaugural Address

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 other. – John Adams

Let it never be forgotten that there can be no genuine freedom where there is no morality, and no sound morality where there is no religion…Hesitate not a moment to believe that the man who labors to destroy these two great pillars of human happiness…is neither a good patriot nor a good man. – Jeremiah Smith, Revolutionary soldier, judge, U.S. Congressman, Governor of New Hampshire

Religion and morality…are necessary to good government, good order and good laws, for “when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice” – William Paterson, signer of the Constitution, U.S. Supreme Court Justice

It yet remains a problem to be solved in human affairs whether any free government can be permanent where the public worship of God and the support of religion constitute no part of the policy or duty of the state in any assignable shape. – Joseph Story, U.S. Supreme Court Judge, Father of American Jurisprudence

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. - John Jay, first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court

It is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand. Religion and virtue are the only foundations…of republicanism and of all free governments. – John Adams

The Holy Scriptures…can alone secure to society, order and peace, and to our courts of justice and constitutions of government, purity, stability, and usefulness. In vain, without the Bible, we increase penal laws and draw entrenchments around our institutions. Bibles are strong entrenchments. Where they abound, men cannot pursue wicked courses. – James McHenry, signer of the Constitution, Secretary of War

Religion and morality are the essential pillars of civil society – George Washington

Human law must rest its authority ultimately upon the authority of that law which is divine. – James Wilson, signer of the Constitution, U.S. Supreme Court Judge

Of all the dispositions and habits 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 of human happiness. – George Washington’s Presidential Farewell Address

While the people are virtuous, they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue, they will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader. – Samuel Adams

No country on earth ever had it more in its power to attain these blessings than United America. Wondrously strange, then, and much to be regretted indeed it would be, were we to neglect the means and to depart from the road which Providence has pointed us to so plainly; I cannot believe it will ever come to pass. – George Washington (how deeply sad that we have betrayed Washington’s confidence)

It should therefore be among the first objects of those who wish well to the national prosperity to encourage and support the principles of religion and morality. – Abraham Baldwin, signer of the Constitution

The practice of morality being necessary for the well-being of society…We all agree in the obligation of the moral precepts of Jesus and nowhere will they be found delivered in greater purity than in His discourses. – Thomas Jefferson

Christianity to which the sword and the fagot [burning stake or hot branding iron] are unknown—general tolerant Christianity is the law of the land. – Daniel Webstser

Righteousness alone can exalt them [America] as a nation…The great pillars of all government and of social life: I mean virtue, morality and religion. This is the armor, my friend, and this alone, that renders us invincible. – Patrick Henry.

When a citizen gives his suffrage [vote] to a man of known immorality he abuses his trust [civic responsibility]; he sacrifices not only his own interest, but that of his neighbor; he betrays the interest of his country. – Noah Webster

I believe that religion is the only solid base of morals and that morals are the only possible support of free governments. Therefore education should teach the precepts of religion and the duties of man toward God. – Gouverneur Morris, penman and signer of the Constitution

Whoever is an avowed enemy of God, I scruple not to call him an enemy to his country…God grant that in America true religion and civil liberty may be inseparable and that the unjust attempts to destroy one may in the issue tend to the support and establishment of both. – John Witherspoon, signer of the Declaration

When Alaska Governor Sarah Palin runs for president headlining her own ticket in four years, I'm glad we'll have a candidate to support who doesn't think he or she is smarter than God.

Confusion at SouthDaCola Over Treaty of Tripoli

Ghost of Dude at SouthDaCola made it clear today that he needs a lesson in American history.

Ghost of Dude says he's "heard a lot lately about how this nation was founded by Christian men and with Christian principles" but expresses confusion that the Treaty of Tripoli says

As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion,-as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Musselmen (muslims),-and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan (Islamic) nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.

Ghost of Dude brings this up now because

Because increasingly, theocrats disguised as republicans and campaigning on “values” have begun trying to foist religiously-based laws on this state and nation under the mistaken belief that we are a Christian nation. In reality, we have no official religion, and the establishment of such an organization is expressly forbidden by our constitution - which was written, voted on, and ratified by our “Christian” founding fathers.

His confusion is understandable, in that many people have been confused by this, despite the overwhelming body of evidence that America was founded by Christians on Christian principles, and was never intended to sanitize and separate Christian influence from our government.

Before I examine that overwhelming body of evidence, let's pause for just a moment to take a look at what was meant by this statement in the Treaty of Tripoli.

Muslim nations were--and many still are--genuinely theocratic institutions. Their laws come directly from their holy text and they are ruled in part or in whole by religious officials. As such, they rightly saw themselves as "Muslim nations," but also saw the Western nations they warred against (England, France, Spain, the United States, etc.) as "Christian nations." This could be said to be true of most of these nations in a couple of senses. It was true that the people of these nations almost all ascribed to the Christian religion. And in the case of most of them, they actually had official state churches and official state religions.

The United States obviously did not have an official state church or an official state religion. However, we were closely associated with the other European nations that did, and almost all citizens of the United States were in fact Christians.

Based on their own nationalized religion, and on that of several European nations, the Muslims saw (and still do to a great extent even today) conflicts between Muslim and "Christian" nations not as secular conflicts over land and property and such, but as religious conflicts.

It was in this manner that Article XI of the treaty stated the United States was not "is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion."

But what secularists usually don't include (and overlook even if they do included) from the Treaty of Tripoli is precisely what is needed to understand just what the authors of the treaty meant.

As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Musselmen [Muslims] and as the said States have never entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.

So you see, the Treaty itself explains that it is not making a statement about the religious character of the people of the United States, nor about the principles upon which our nation founded. It was rather intended to assure the members of the Muslim nations with whom the treaty was made that we bore them no official hostility or disagreement based on "religious opinions."

Finally, Ghost of Dude suffers from the same fundamental misunderstanding of "theocracy" that many--especially of the liberal persuasion--suffer from today.

I wrote at length on the meaning of "theocracy" a few months ago. I would suggest a reading of that lengthy treatise, but I'll try to explain briefly here.

Theocracy is essentially a form of government where the laws come straight from a "holy book" and policy is dictated by religious leaders.

There are several examples of theocracies around the world, usually found in some Islamic countries.

The American form of government, while from the beginning based on Christian principles and a Biblical worldview, has never involved law that came straight from the Bible, nor has it involved civic leadership by religious authorities.

The founders of the United States were mostly Christians, and most believed Christian principles were the best way not only for living, but for producing a healthy society.

Their statements and writings illustrate this belief in abundance. Now, for some of that voluminous evidence I mentioned from the Founding Fathers:

Of all the dispositions and habits 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 of human happiness. – George Washington’s Presidential Farewell Address

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 other. – John Adams

It is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand. Religion and virtue are the only foundations…of republicanism and of all free governments. – John Adams

While the people are virtuous, they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue, they will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader. – Samuel Adams

It should therefore be among the first objects of those who wish well to the national prosperity to encourage and support the principles of religion and morality. – Abraham Baldwin, signer of the Constitution

Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time; they therefore who are decrying the Christian religion whose morality is so sublime and pure…are undermining the solid foundation of morals, the best security for the duration of free governments. – Charles Carroll, signer of the Declaration of Independence

Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters. – Benjamin Franklin

Sensible of the importance of Christian piety and virtue to the order and happiness of a state, I cannot but earnestly commend to you every measure for their support and encouragement – John Hancock

Righteousness alone can exalt them [America] as a nation…The great pillars of all government and of social life: I mean virtue, morality and religion. This is the armor, my friend, and this alone, that renders us invincible. – Patrick Henry.

The practice of morality being necessary for the well-being of society…We all agree in the obligation of the moral precepts of Jesus and nowhere will they be found delivered in greater purity than in His discourses. – Thomas Jefferson

The Holy Scriptures…can alone secure to society, order and peace, and to our courts of justice and constitutions of government, purity, stability, and usefulness. In vain, without the Bible, we increase penal laws and draw entrenchments around our institutions. Bibles are strong entrenchments. Where they abound, men cannot pursue wicked courses. – James McHenry, signer of the Constitution, Secretary of War

I believe that religion is the only solid base of morals and that morals are the only possible support of free governments. Therefore education should teach the precepts of religion and the duties of man toward God. – Gouverneur Morris, penman and signer of the Constitution

Religion and morality…are necessary to good government, good order and good laws, for “when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice” – William Paterson, signer of the Constitution, U.S. Supreme Court Justice

The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained. – George Washington’s Inaugural Address

The law…dictated by God Himself is, of course, superior in obligation to any other. It is binding over all the globe, in all countries, and at all times. No human laws are of any validity if contrary to this. – Alexander Hamilton, signer of the Constitution

Let it never be forgotten that there can be no genuine freedom where there is no morality, and no sound morality where there is no religion…Hesitate not a moment to believe that the man who labors to destroy these two great pillars of human happiness…is neither a good patriot nor a good man. – Jeremiah Smith, Revolutionary soldier, judge, U.S. Congressman, Governor of New Hampshire

It yet remains a problem to be solved in human affairs whether any free government can be permanent where the public worship of God and the support of religion constitute no part of the policy or duty of the state in any assignable shape. – Joseph Story, U.S. Supreme Court Judge, Father of American Jurisprudence

Religion and morality are the essential pillars of civil society – George Washington

Whatever makes men good Christians, makes them good citizens. – Daniel Webster

Christianity to which the sword and the fagot [burning stake or hot branding iron] are unknown—general tolerant Christianity is the law of the land. – Daniel Webstser

The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were…the general principles of Christianity. – John Adams

Human law must rest its authority ultimately upon the authority of that law which is divine. – James Wilson, signer of the Constitution, U.S. Supreme Court Judge

Whoever is an avowed enemy of God, I scruple not to call him an enemy to his country…God grant that in America true religion and civil liberty may be inseparable and that the unjust attempts to destroy one may in the issue tend to the support and establishment of both. – John Witherspoon, signer of the Declaration

No country on earth ever had it more in its power to attain these blessings than United America. Wondrously strange, then, and much to be regretted indeed it would be, were we to neglect the means and to depart from the road which Providence has pointed us to so plainly; I cannot believe it will ever come to pass. – George Washington (how deeply sad that we have betrayed Washington’s confidence)

When a citizen gives his suffrage [vote] to a man of known immorality he abuses his trust [civic responsibility]; he sacrifices not only his own interest, but that of his neighbor; he betrays the interest of his country. – Noah Webster

Even though these men recognized that Christian principles were necessary for good government and a healthy society, they also recognized the potential for corruption and oppression when official religious institutions and civic governments were closely married.

For this reason, they established in the First Amendment that people would have the freedom to express themselves religiously as they saw fit, and prohibited a state church or religion.

They also established in the Constitution that no religious test for office would be required. In other words, you could not be officially denied to public office because you belonged to a non-favored religion or denomination, or held a non-favored religious view.

However, as illustrated above by the statements of the founders, this was never intended to sanitize Christian expression or influence from public life or even government itself.

Perhaps the best and most enlightening examination of how religion influences public policy in America in a healthy fashion comes from "Democracy in America" by Alexis de Tocqueville.

de Tocqueville was a Frenchman who visited America in the early 1800s. He traveled this young country in a quest to find out what made the United States, despite it's youth, such a successful mover and shaker on the world scene.

What he found was amazing. It also points strongly toward this unofficial mix of civics and religion which is so perplexing to some.

Upon my arrival in the United States, the religious aspect of the country was the first thing that struck my attention; and the longer I stayed there, the more did I perceive the great political consequences resulting from this state of things to which I was unaccustomed. In France I had almost always seen the spirit of religion and the spirit of freedom marching in pursuing courses diametrically opposed to each other; but in America, I found they were intimately united and they reigned in common over the same country.

Was this a union brought about by theocracy or state religion? Not at all.

In the United States religion exercises but little influence upon the laws and upon the details of public opinion, but it directs the manners of the community, and by regulating domestic life it regulates the State.

He further explains:

Religion in America takes no direct part in the government of society, but it must nevertheless be regarded as the foremost of the political institutions of that country

He also says

...there is no country in the whole world in which the Christian religion retains a greater influence over the souls of men than in America; and there can be no greater proof of its utility, and of its conformity to human nature, than that its influence is most powerfully felt over the most enlightened and free nation of the earth.

de Tocqueville sums up the proper relationship between civil government and religious faith--actually the need for religious faith.

Despotism may govern without faith, but liberty cannot. Religion is much more necessary in the republic which they set forth in glowing colors than in the monarchy which they attack; and it is more needed in democratic republics than in any others. How is it possible that society should escape destruction if the moral tie be not strengthened in proportion as the political tie is relaxed? and what can be done with a people which is its own master, if it be not submissive to the Divinity?

Just as President George Washington indicated, we desperately need religious influence in public life in order to maintain the health of our government and society.

Without it, our government breaks down as it becomes more filled with immoral officials with no moral compass.

As our leaders move farther from a moral foundation which recognizes eternal accountability and the "golden rule" to treat other people as we would like to be treated, they make greater surrenders to selfishness, greed, corruption and personal pursuit of power.

When this happen, freedom suffers. In fact, freedom is gravely threatened. If our leaders cannot be trusted to govern themselves according to moral constraints, they cannot be trusted to safeguard the freedoms of those they are supposed to serve.

And this threatens not only those "values voters" so oft-despised by liberals, but liberals themselves.

For while the things a liberal loves today may be shared by those in power, tomorrow a different set of corrupt politicians may come along who could take it upon themselves to ruthlessly quash these things.

So while we have never had a theocracy, do not currently have a theocracy, and practically no one wants a theocracy, we nevertheless need to promote the traditional moral base of our nation.

That moral foundation is what has made us a great nation; without it, we will shrink to mediocrity at best, but most likely would implode catastrophically.

To illustrate this, I leave you with the relevant quotes of two of the Founders:

Without the restraints of religion and social worship, men become savages. – Benjamin Rush, signer of the Declaration

Men, in a word, must necessarily be controlled either by a power within them or by a power without them; either by the Word of God or by the strong arm of man; either by the Bible or by the bayonet. – Robert Winthrop, Speaker of the U.S. House

Voices Carry Sets It Straight on Religious Freedom

If we were in church, Pastor Steve Hickey could get a "Amen!" from this corner with his latest post at Voices Carry.

He talks about the great need to restore the separation of church and state that the Founders intended and enshrined in the First Amendment.

That separation and that freedom of religious expression has been torpedoed when Senator Lyndon B. Johnson inserted a provision into the tax code in 1954--a provision intended to silence his critics, but which also put an unconstitutional muzzle on pastors and churches.

Pastor Steve also sets the record straight on why churches have been exempt from taxes since the earliest days of our nation--because they provide a tremendous positive service to our society..arguably one even greater than homeless shelters and food banks.

He also thumps the "theocracy" idiocy before it gets out of the gate, along with the "separation of church and state" propaganda, and also the "imposing your values on others" nonsense.

As they say in some churches in the South: Preach it, Brother! Tell it all!

Neutral Secularism?

This is a good video from the Acton Institute, briefly illustrating why secularism is not the neutral "umpire" it's disciples claim it to be.

It is rather a player in the arena of ideas, a contender in the contest of worldviews, just like any other.

The thing is, in our misguided culture, we have allowed it to assume the role of "umpire," which is really like making the fox the "umpire" of the hen house.

Journalist Clueless on Religious Freedom

You have to ask yourself: are they really this ignorant, or do they intend to mislead people?

Newsbusters points to a column by John Mashek in U.S. News where he says

Biden, like 14 other Democrats in the Senate, is both pro-choice and Catholic. So the bishop decreed that the party's vice presidential candidate was not welcome at the communion rail. These Senate Democrats and many other Catholics—including this writer—do not necessarily favor abortion, but we do not feel our religious views should be foisted on others in a nation where church and state are divided.

. . .

That division of church and state has application here. No priest, minister, or rabbi should be telling the flock how to vote or for whom. Some do, and they are wrong.

Do what?

I don't think I could say it any better than the folks at Newsbusters, so here it is:

Let's make this as simple as possible for Mr. Mashek: the First Amendment prohibits the government from establishing a state religion. It does not prohibit people, including bishops, from practicing theirs. To the contrary, it forbids the government from passing laws that would prohibit that bishop from the free exercise of his religion.

The bishop has every right under the Constitution to deny communion to anyone he pleases. For that matter, like any other citizen, he has every right to encourage others to vote in a certain manner. Doing so from the pulpit could theoretically jeopardize his church's tax exemption, but both as a matter of the freedom of speech and the free exercise of religion, a bishop is free to express his political opinion to his parishioners.

There simply is no constitutional restriction on religious people of any kind--including pastors--from speaking about moral truth or politicians who refuse to follow moral truth.

There is only a 1954 tax code amendment added by Senator Lyndon B. Johnson to silence his political enemies--which itself violates the Constitution.

The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) is launching Pulput Freedom Sunday next Sunday September 28 to begin taking back this freedom.

It's time we took the muzzle off America's pastors...and time journalists got a clue about the Constitution and religious freedom.

Crosses on Logos, Buildings Found Legal

This is how much the anti-theists hate America's Christian heritage.

From the Christian Post,

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver affirmed a lower court decision to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Las Cruces residents Paul Weinbaum and Martin Boyd against the city, and another claim by Weinbaum against Las Cruces Public Schools.

Las Cruces, Spanish for "The Crosses," routinely uses three crosses in its city and school district logos.

In a 43-page opinion released last Friday, the appellate court acknowledged that use of such symbols raises legitimate constitutional concerns. But justices found the use of crosses "is not a religious statement" and is based on the city's unique name and history.

What's next? Will the God-haters demand we change the name of the city of Las Cruces?

Shall we also change the name of Los Angeles, Corpus Christi, St. Paul, St. Petersberg, Bethlehem, San Diego, San Francisco, the state of Maryland, and the many other towns across America named after people, towns and concepts in the Bible?

Must we eradicate every possible trace of evidence of America's Christian heritage in this nation founded by Christians where religious expression is Constitutionally protected?

These anti-Christians show what a bunch of silly God-haters they are with this kind of transparent hate.

If they hate Christianity and our Christian heritage so much, why don't they simply move to a country where most people hate Christianity already? They would be much happier, and so would the 80%+ of Americans who identify with Christianity.

Or is it really just about tearing down Christianity where ever they find it?

Profound Church and State Ignorance

KOTA has an article about "church and state" which is filled with misleading and inaccurate information.

Here's a real jewel:

Laws are set up to protect churches from the government and people from churches.

Protect people from churches? Which laws? How do they protect "people from churches?" What harm are churches attempting to visit upon people?

Perhaps it would be a more accurate description of our system of government to say that the U.S. Constitution declares not only the freedom of religious expression, but that there will be no official state church or religion. This is essentially what the First Amendment declares when it says

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof

More from the article:

Many voters say the church influencing voters in any way is too much.

"I don't think they should endorse candidates because that would give them too much power," said Nels Leonard of Rapid City.

Really? What kind of "power" would it give to churches? Would people not be free to still vote as they see fit? Are church-goers mindless robots which march automatically to the dictates of the church? Would the church suddenly have an army of automatons to command for their sinister purposes?

Or would churches...simply go back to what they have done for most of American history, until about 50 years ago? In 1954, Senator Lyndon B. Johnson wanted to silence nonprofit organizations critical of him, so he successfully inserted an amendment into tax law which prohibited nonprofits from endorsing candidates at the risk of their tax exempt status.

Incidentally, there is no prohibition on churches speaking out on ballot issues, only candidates. While "mainstream" media Leftists would like to scare churches from even doing this, there is nothing--even in tax law-preventing it.

Even now, there is no criminal penalty for a church which endorses a candidate, and certainly no constitutional prohibition.

In fact, next Sunday many churches across the United States will do just that: endorse political candidates. The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) is sponsoring Pulpit Freedom Sunday, and many churches will join them in overturning this unconstitutional assault on religious freedom. The 1954 Johnson tax code amendment is a true violation of the separation of church and state because it dictates what religious institutions can and cannot say, limiting their freedom of speech and freedom of religious expression.

When churches cannot speak out about immoral behavior, immoral laws and politicians who advocate immoral laws and immoral polices, one of the primary religious duties of the church--being salt and light in a dark world--is being infringed upon by government power.

This is exactly what the founders intended to prohibit, yet so many lies have been foisted on the American people, and we have drifted so far from our traditional faith and knowledge of our heritage that many believe the First Amendment is intended to muzzle religious expression.

How Orwellian!

One more gem from the KOTA article:

"I just believe a person should vote their moral values, but it shouldn't be influenced by the church at all," said Tim Morris of Rapid City.

Why do we go to church if it isn't to get and reinforce moral values? Where will one obtain any reliable moral values outside the church--will they simply do "what is right in their own eyes?"

If a church does not or is afraid to speak truth to the critical moral issues of our day, it is like that salt Jesus referred to: no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

U.S. Motto, Declaration of Independence Unconstitutional

Did you know that the language contained in the national motto of the United States and the Declaration of Independence are unconstitutional and violate the "separation of church and state"?

I didn't either, but that's what Principal Dawn Kastner of Westview High School in California told math teacher Bradley Johnson.

According to WorldNetDaily, Johnson has had a 7 feet by 2 feet banner in his classroom for 25 years that included the words "In God We Trust," "One Nation Under God," "God Bless America" and "God Shed His Grace On Thee," and a second banner which quoted the Declaration of Independence: "All Men Are Created Equal, They Are Endowed By Their Creator."

How such despicable and sectarian language could have been allowed all this time, we can only guess! So what if this language is in our national motto and our Declaration of Independence: they sound religious!

All kidding aside, it is either sad or despicable that a school principle would be so ignorant or malicious that they would fail to understand or honor our nation's history and heritage.

Contrary to modern assertions that a "separation of church and state" exists (there is no such language in the U.S. Constitution, our nation was set up to have neither a state-run church or a church-run state.

That is why the First Amendment says

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion

That same First Amendment also goes on to condemn what this principle is trying to do

or prohibiting the free exercise thereof

While our founders understood the wisdom of avoiding a state church or official state religion, they by no means intended the public square to be devoid of religious and moral influence.

Exactly the opposite is true. Consider these facts and statements by the founders:



During the colonial period and for many years after the American Revolution, the New England Primer was the most-used textbook. This textbook was more full of Christian teaching than most religious texts today; check it out at the link above.

Gouverneur Morris, signer of the Declaration of Independence, said, “Religion is the only solid basis of good morals; therefore education should teach the precepts of religion, and the duties of man towards God.”

Samuel Adams said, “Let divines and philosophers, statesmen and patriots, united their endeavours to renovate the age, by impressing the minds of men with the importance of educating their little boys and girls, of inculcating in the minds of youth the fear and love of the Deity…in short of leading them in the study and practice of the exalted virtues of the Christian system.”

Benjamin Rush, another signer of the Declaration of Independence, said, “In contemplating the political institutions of the United States, I lament that we waste so much time and money in punishing crimes, and take so little pains to prevent them. We profess to be republicans and yet we neglect the only means of establishing and perpetuating our republican forms of government. That is, the universal education of our youth in the principles of Christianity by the means of the Bible.”

Rush also said, "...the only foundation for...a republic is to be laid in Religion. Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments."

Charles Carroll, another signer of the Declaration of Independence, said, "Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time; they therefore who are decrying the Christian religion, whose morality is so sublime and pure (and) which insures to the good eternal happiness, are undermining the solid foundation of morals, the best security for the duration of free governments."

James Wilson, a signer of the Declaration and one who helped write the Constitution, said, "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, friends, and mutual assistants. Indeed, these two sciences run into each other."

That Declaration which these and more signed starts with the recognition of God, and that our freedoms and rights come from Him:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed

That Declaration also ends with a statement of "firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence."

John Witherspoon, another signer of the Declaration, said, "Whoever is an avowed enemy of God, I scruple not to call him an enemy to his country…God grant that in America true religion and civil liberty may be inseparable and that the unjust attempts to destroy one may in the issue tend to the support and establishment of both."

Patrick Henry, the first governor of Virginia and one of the greatest proponents of independence, said, "The great pillars of all government and of social life [are] virtue, morality, and religion. This is the armor, my friend, and this alone that renders us invincible."

We have Benjamin Franklin, one of the least religious of the founders, to thank for our still-standing tradition of opening congress and other government meetings in prayer when he said, during the drafting of the Constitution:

“…how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly appealing to the Father of lights to illuminate our understandings? In the beginning of the contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible to danger, we had daily prayers in this room for Divine protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard and they were graciously answered… And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? or do we imagine that we no longer need his assistance?...I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth—that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that ‘except the Lord build the House, they labor in vain that build it.’ I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better, than the Builders of Babel...We shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and bye word down to future ages…I therefore beg leave to move—that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business…”

In his inaugural address, President George Washington said

...it would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes...No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States...the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained

When Washington was approached in 1779 by the Delaware Indians who wanted their children to be taught in American schools, he told them in 1779: "You do well to wish to learn our arts and our ways of life and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are. Congress will do everything they can to assist you in this wise intention."

John Jay, First Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, said, "Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty...of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers."

Thomas Jefferson 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 a gift of God? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever."

Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story, appointed by James Madison, said

We are not to attribute this [First Amendment] prohibition of a national religious establishment to an indifference to religion in general, and especially to Christianity (which none could hold in more reverence, than the framers of the Constitution)

He also said, "The real object of the [First A]mendment was not to countenance, much less to advance, Mahometanism, or Judaism, or infidelity, by prostrating Christianity; but to exclude all rivalry among Christian sects."

Story also tells us regarding the authority of the States, many of which had state churches: "The whole power over the subject of religion is left exclusively to the State governments to be acted upon according to their own sense of Justice and the State constitutions."

Noah Webster said, “In my view, the Christian Religion is the most import and and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government, ought to be instructed…no truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian Religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people.”

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787, one of the nation’s first important statutes, says in Article III: “Religion, morality and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.”

George Washington said, “Of all the dispositions and habits 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 of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens.”

John Adams, our second president, said, “Statesmen, my dear Sir, may plan and speculate for liberty, but it is Religion and Morality alone, which can establish the Principles upon which Freedom can securely stand.”

He also said, "[W]e 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 other."

Adams also said, "The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were…the general principles of Christianity."

Both James Wilson and Judge Story made it clear to us how to interpret laws and the Constitution: as they were intended.

Wilson said, "The first and governing maxim in the interpretation of a statute is to discover the meaning of those who made it."

Story said, "The first and fundamental rule in the interpretation of all instruments is to construe them according to the sense of the sense of the terms and intentions of the parties."

It's really not that hard to figure out. That is, unless you don't like what the law and the Constitution say, and you're looking for a way to get around what they say. Unless you're looking for a way to, um, rewrite history.

With education officials like the one who slammed the national motto and the Declaration of Independence, no wonder we're seeing so many "minds of mush" being produced by the education establishment who think the United States is a nation built on a total divorce between Christian values and the public square.

One might be tempted to overlook the ignorance of an average citizen, but such ignorance (or duplicity) on the part of a government official charged with the good education of American youth is reprehensible.

Fortunately, the Christian Post reports that San Diego federal judge Robert Benitez has upheld the teacher's display of these banners.

Some sanity yet remains not only in government, but most remarkably in our court system.

Thank God!

Mixing religion and politics is inappropriate

BY STAR PARKER
FOUNDER & PRESIDENT
COALITION ON URBAN RENEWAL & EDUCATION

A number of years ago, John McCain did a hilarious segment on "Saturday Night Live" in which he did a spoof commercial for an album called "McCain Sings Streisand."

The "commercial" featured a crooning McCain torturing a number of Streisand hits -- "People," "Memories," "The Way We Were."

The senator then pitched, "I've been in politics for 20 years, and for 20 years I've had Barbra Streisand trying to do my job. So I decided to try my hand at her job."

Pastor Rick Warren's presidential candidate "Civic Forum" at his Saddleback Church brought this SNL highlight to mind.

I'm picturing a segment with Lou Dobbs or Brit Hume preaching a Sunday sermon in a crowded church and then looking into the camera and saying, "Rick Warren is taking a fling at my job, so I thought I'd try my hand at his."

My apologies to Pastor Warren. Who am I to question a pastor who has sold 35 million books that flick on the light for folks to see that life is more than just about themselves?

God Bless Pastor Warren for this.

But I think his foray into presidential politics carries a lot of baggage and creates problems.

If anything characterizes the problems we're having today it is relativism and ambiguity. A blurring of lines between everything. John McCain's "Saturday Night Live" sketch jokes about one part of this. Our elevation of entertainment and celebrity to the point where movie stars start thinking they should be setting public policy, and the public taking them seriously.

In our materialism, we're losing the distinction between money, power and celebrity as compared with knowledge and wisdom.

Now we're seeing a world in which clarity between good and evil, right and wrong, knowledge and ignorance, men and women is disappearing into a borderless and indistinguishable gray.

For whatever good intentions, Warren may have, by posturing as a neutral broker between different points of view, many of which have profound moral and religious implications, and he contributes to the moral ambiguity which we'd expect a pastor to be combating.

We have institutions for civic and political forums. The press, universities, town halls, etc. If they're not delivering well, let the marketplace work to improve what we're getting. But this is not the job of pastors or churches. If it is, where do we go to learn about good and evil?

What exactly is going on in America when our obsession is to cleanse every inch of public space from religion, yet somehow we think it is appropriate to bring a presidential political forum into church?

Our kids can't pray in public school. Or read the bible or learn to apply traditional values in managing their lives. The Ten Commandments cannot appear in our courthouses. A creche cannot be displayed in a public space during Christmas season.

Yet somehow we think a church is an appropriate forum for hosting candidates for president?

Our world is turning upside down. Rather than raising our public and private lives to a higher moral standard, we're politicizing religion.

It's actually worse, I think.

The pretense of neutrality is really a left-wing illusion. It's a sleight of hand to buy into relativism and somehow Warren seems to have fallen into the trap.

When a pastor hosts a political candidate that has a 100 percent rating by NARAL Pro-Choice America and a zero percent rating by the National Right to Life Committee, he gives legitimacy to that candidate. When legitimacy is given to a line reasoning that says that poverty and AIDS are symptoms of anything other than moral breakdown, the relativist views of the left are justified.

To a disproportionate measure, when we are talking about poverty and AIDS in America, we are talking about black communities. These communities are in disarray because of moral ambiguity. They not only need moral clarity and leadership, they crave it.

Partisanship is not our problem today. Healthy partisanship is vital to freedom.

Our problem is moral ambiguity. Anyone that thinks this ambiguity is helpful in addressing poverty, crime, and disease is misinformed.

We need political leaders that are more moral, not church leaders that are more political.

Star Parker is president of the Coalition on Urban Renewal & Education and author of the new book White Ghetto: How Middle Class America Reflects Inner City Decay.

Prior to her involvement in social activism, Star Parker was a single welfare mother in Los Angeles, California. After receiving Christ, Star returned to college, received a BS degree in marketing and launched an urban Christian magazine. The 1992 Los Angeles riots destroyed her business, yet served as a springboard for her focus on faith and market-based alternatives to empower the lives of the poor.

Campaign Against Pastors and Truth Continues in South Dakota

The liberal South DaCola just doesn't get it.

What kind of a low have we sunk to where a pastor is condemned for speaking plainly about what is true and what is moral. Our society used to commend pastors for that, and used to appreciate that pastors helped keep our society healthy and safe.

Now such pastoral dedication is not only rare, but often met with scorn.

I noted a couple of days ago that South DaCola was awful touchy about the abortion issue when Pastor Steve Hickey at Voices Carry blogged on Leslie Stusiak, the new Regional Field Director for the South Dakota Campaign for UnHealthy Families.

South DaCola was in a tiff because Hickey provided some information about this young woman, and I pointed out that the information provided was not super-secret or information of an intimate or embarrassing nature; pretty much what you could Google up with a few seconds effort. And wanting to know something about a leader in a major public policy group in South Dakota is completely legitimate and natural.

Apparently my appeals to reason fell on deaf ears, because South DaCola took another swipe at Pastor Hickey today, among other things saying Hickey is an "ideologue."

South DaCola says an ideologue is "someone who theorizes (especially in science or art)." That is one definition, according to WordNet. But the Merriam-Webster dictionary is a little more precise:

1 : an impractical idealist : theorist
2 : an often blindly partisan advocate or adherent of a particular ideology

I think there's a little ideologue in any of us who have strong opinions about something. And I think for South DaCola to imply that Hickey is a textbook ideologue and to imply that he is not one is, to use a word I used on Friday, something like hypocrisy.

But what is more important than this petty hypocrisy is that South DaCola accuses Hickey of lying...when he himself is either broadcasting his ignorance or is lying.

Accuses l3wis at South DaCola:

Or his rewriting of American History claiming our forfathers were theocrats like himself, all the while forgetting that a democratic goverment was invented by non-Christians:

And he quotes Hickey as having said on Voices Carry, in response to comments about secularism:

4. You are fully ignorant and revisionist in your comments about the separation of church and state. It’s not in the Constitution. It’s even an impossibility as the govt. IS the people and the people ALL have “religious” worldviews - even atheists. The only question is whose religious world view and moral agenda will shape this nation, the moral agenda of our founding (decidedly Christian) or something other. Did they teach you in your high school government class that pastors don’t have first amendment rights?

l3wis then follows with this pronouncement:

Instead debating the facts, he changes or twists the facts. He believes abortion is murder and believes murder is a sin. Is lying?

Well, since the unborn child has human DNA, and that DNA is unique from the mother from the moment of conception, I think scientifically this makes the unborn child a distinct human being. If this is a distinct human being, to kill one who has done no wrong and provided no threat to anyone meets the definition of murder. So I don't see any lying going on from Pastor Steve here.

I also don't see any going on from Pastor Steve with regard to the separation of church and state and the Christian foundations of our nation.

While I understand that the average citizen could be misled by the large amount of propaganda that's been foisted on our society in an attempt to revise history, one should really be able to expect better from a blogger. Bloggers, after all, are passionate enough to put their opinions in writing. And they are usually conscientious enough to have done a little research on what they discuss.

Apparently that is not the case with l3wis' misunderstanding (or lying, if he knows better) of Americas Christian foundation and heritage.

Consider the following quotes which illustrate not only the Christian worldview of the founders, but their belief that morality and a Christian worldview is absolutely essential to a free and healthy society.

First, consider that almost every colonial charter issued for the New World contained references to Christianity and the advancement of the Gospel and the saving of souls as a reason for the foundation of the colony.

Next, consider these statements by the founders:

“Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life (John 17:3) and therefore lay Christ at the bottom, as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning.” – From Harvard's Rules and Precepts, Josiah Quincy, LL, D., History of Harvard University (Boston: Crosby, Nichols, Lee, & Co., 1860), 515

Harvard’s original motto was “Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae” or “Truth for Christ and the Church.” (Samuel Eliot Morison, “Harvard Seals and Arms,” The Harvard Graduats’ Magazine, September 1933, 8)

In the 1746 founding statement of Princeton, it says, “Cursed is all learning that is contrary to the Cross of Christ.” (Mark A. Beliles & Stephen K. McDowell, America’s Providential History, Charlottesville: Providence Foundation, 1989,111)

“Religion is the only solid basis of good morals; therefore education should teach the precepts of religion, and the duties of man towards God.” - Gouverneur Morris, signer of the Declaration of Independence

“Let divines and philosophers, statesmen and patriots, united their endeavours to renovate the age, by impressing the minds of men with the importance of educating their little boys and girls, of inculcating in the minds of youth the fear and love of the Deity…in short of leading them in the study and practice of the exalted virtues of the Christian system.” - Samuel Adams

“In contemplating the political institutions of the United States, I lament that we waste so much time and money in punishing crimes, and take so little pains to prevent them. We profess to be republicans and yet we neglect the only means of establishing and perpetuating our republican forms of government. That is, the universal education of our youth in the principles of Christianity by the means of the Bible.” - Benjamin Rush

"...the only foundation for...a republic is to be laid in Religion. Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments." - Benjamin Rush

“In my view, the Christian Religion is the most import and and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government, ought to be instructed…no truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian Religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people.” - Benjamin Rush

"Christianity is the only true and perfect religion; and that in proportion as mankind adopt its principles and obey its precepts they will be wise and happy." - Benjamin Rush

"Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time; they therefore who are decrying the Christian religion, whose morality is so sublime and pure (and) which insures to the good eternal happiness, are undermining the solid foundation of morals, the best security for the duration of free governments." - Charles Carroll, signer of the Declaration

"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, friends, and mutual assistants. Indeed, these two sciences run into each other." - James Wilson, signer of the Declaration

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness..." - The Declaration of Independence

"The great pillars of all government and of social life [are] virtue, morality, and religion. This is the armor, my friend, and this alone that renders us invincible." - Patrick Henry

"The moral principles and precepts contained in the Scriptures ought to form the basis of all of our civil constitutions and laws.… All the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible." - Noah Webster

"...man depends absolutely upon his Maker for everything, it is necessary that he should, in all points, conform to his Maker's will. This will of his Maker is called the law of nature. This law of nature...dictated by God himself, is of course superior in obligation to any other. It is binding over all the globe in all countries, and at all times: no human laws are of any validity, if contrary to this; and such of them as are valid derive all their force and all their authority, mediately or immediately, from this original." - Sir William Blackstone, English jurist who profoundly influenced law not only in England but in colonial America and the early United States

"Upon these two foundations, the law of nature and the law of revelation, depend all human laws; that is to say, no human laws should be suffered to contradict these." - Sir William Blackstone

“…how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly appealing to the Father of lights to illuminate our understandings? In the beginning of the contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible to danger, we had daily prayers in this room for Divine protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard and they were graciously answered… And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? or do we imagine that we no longer need his assistance?...I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth—that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that ‘except the Lord build the House, they labor in vain that build it.’ I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better, than the Builders of Babel...We shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and bye word down to future ages…I therefore beg leave to move—that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business…” - Benjamin Franklin, the least religious of the founders, which began the practice of opening congressional sessions with prayer which continues today.

"Of all the dispositions and habits 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 of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens.” - President George Washington

“Statesmen, my dear Sir, 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

"[W]e 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 other." - John Adams

“Religion, morality and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.” – Northwest Ordinance, July 13, 1787.

When the French historian Alexis de Tocqueville toured America some 40 or so years after the founding of the United States, he found that while the United States explicitly and by design did not have a state religion, Christianity nevertheless permeated and influenced every segment of society:

Upon my arrival in the United States, the religious aspect of the country was the first thing that struck my attention; and the longer I stayed there the more did I perceive the great political consequences resulting from this state of things, to which I was unaccustomed. In France I had almost always seen the spirit of religion and the spirit of freedom pursuing courses diametrically opposed to each other; but in America I found that they were intimately united, and that they reigned in common over the same country.

Again de Tocqueville points out that Christianity has and does influence the nature of our government, not through official religions or theocracy or other such dangerous marriages of church and state, but simply through the faith of the citizens and the people who make up that government:

In the United States religion exercises but little influence upon the laws and upon the details of public opinion, but it directs the manners of the community, and by regulating domestic life it regulates the State.

de Tocqueville also noticed what many of the founders said: that freedom and the Christian worldview are so compatible and complimentary that the former is practically necessary to the maintenance of the latter.

The Americans combine the notions of Christianity and of liberty so intimately in their minds, that it is impossible to make them conceive the one without the other.

So I think it is obvious that Pastor Hickey was not lying about the Christian heritage of our nation, or about the Christian worldview that gave birth to our nation.

Rather, for someone to deny this Christian heritage requires one of two things: ignorance or deception.

I don't know which is the case for l3wis at South DaCola, but it definitely isn't Pastor Steve who's lying.

Judge: Mt. Soledad Cross Can Remain

Reprinted by permission of The Christian Post

By Lawrence Jones
Christian Post Reporter
Thu, Jul. 31 2008 09:03 PM EDT

A giant cross on top of San Diego's Mount Soledad that memorializes war veterans does not violate the separation of Church and State, a federal judge has ruled.

The 29-foot cross was erected by the Mount Soledad Memorial Association in 1954 to honor Korean War veterans.

A lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union in the late 1980s sought to remove the cross. The plaintiff was atheist war veteran Philip Paulson, who argued that the cross was a religious symbol and that its display on public land was unconstitutional.

The decision handed down Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Larry Alan Burns resolved the 20-year legal controversy, which has been visited by both the U.S. Supreme Court and Congress.

In his 36-page opinion, Burns ruled that the memorial cross held more secular value in its message to honor war veterans than religious significance.

"The court finds the memorial at Mt. Soledad, including its Latin cross, communicates the primarily non-religious messages of military service, death, and sacrifice," Burns wrote in his decision. "As such, despite its location on public land, the memorial is constitutional."

The original cross was erected in 1913 but replaced over the years when damaged. The current concrete cross is the centerpiece of Mt. Soledad Veteran Memorial, surrounded by six concentric walls of granite plaques honoring war veterans.

Supporters of the monument had fought for the famed cross to be recognized for its historic significance. But in May 2006 a federal judge ruled in favor of the cross's removal and imposed a $5,000 fine for each day the monument remained standing after a 90-day deadline. The Supreme Court blocked the ruling, however, allowing Congress time to transfer the cross to Federal ownership under a law signed by President Bush in August.

In his decision Tuesday, Burns noted that the cross is also displayed "along with numerous purely secular symbols in an overall context that reinforces its secular message."

William Kellogg, president of the nonprofit Mount Soledad Memorial Association, told the Union-Tribune of San Diego he was pleased with the judge's ruling.

“That makes me feel terrific because that truly is what it's all about, honoring veterans,” Kellogg said. “Our mission has been to communicate that to the public for so many years, so I think the language there is very appropriate.”

The ACLU said they may appeal the decision.

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