United States, foundation of
If I were the devil…
If I were the prince of darkness I’d want to engulf the whole world in darkness, and I’d have a third of its real estate and four fifths of its population. But I wouldn’t be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree: thee.
So I’d set about however necessary, to take over the United States. I’d subvert the churches first. I’d begin with a campaign of whispers. With the wisdom of a serpent I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve, “Do as you please.” To the young I would whisper that the Bible is a myth. I would convince them that man created God, instead of the other way around. I would confide that what’s bad is good, and what’s good is square. And the old I would teach to pray after me, “our father which art in Washington…”
And then I’d get organized: I’d educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting so that anything else would appear dull and uninteresting. I’d threaten TV with dirtier movies, and visa versa. I’d peddle narcotics to whom I could. I’d sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction. I’d tranquilize the rest with pills.
If I were the devil I’d soon have families at war with themselves; churches at war with themselves; and nations at war with themselves; until each in its turn was consumed. And with promises of higher ratings, I’d have mesmerizing media fanning the flames.
If I were the devil I would encourage schools to refine young intellect, but neglect to discipline emotions; just let those run wild, until before you knew it you’d have to have drug-sniffing dogs and metal detectors at every schoolhouse door.
Within a decade I’d have prisons overflowing; I’d have judges promoting pornography. Soon I could evict God from the courthouse, then from the schoolhouse, and then from the houses of Congress. And in His own churches I would substitute psychology for religion and deify science. I would lure priests and pastors into misusing boys and girls—and church money.
If I were the devil I’d make the symbol of Easter an egg, and the symbol of Christmas a bottle.
If I were the devil I’d take from those who have, and give to those who want it, until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious. And what’ll you bet I couldn’t get whole states to promote gambling as the way to get rich.
I would caution against extremes, and hard work, and patriotism, and moral conduct. I would convince the young that marriage is old fashioned—that swinging is more fun. That what you see on TV is the way to be. And thus I could undress you in public, and I could lure you into bed with diseases for which there is no cure.
In other words, if I were the devil I would just keep on doing what he is doing.
Paul Harvey, March 16, 1993
Quotes
• It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ! – Patrick Henry
• The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: that it connected, in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity. – John Quincy Adams
• Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest, of a Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers. – John Jay, 1st Chief Justice of Supreme Court, One of the three men most responsible for the Constitution
• Do not let anyone claim the tribute of American patriotism if they ever attempt to remove religion from politics. – George Washington, from his Farewell Address to the Nation
• Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind…It is impossible that it should be otherwise; and in the sense and to this extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian. – Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States, 1892, The Court cited 87 precedents.
• The purest principles of morality are to be taught. Where are they found? Whoever searches for them must go to the source from which a Christian man derives his faith—the Bible. – Vidal v. Girard’s Executors, 1844
• Whatever strikes at the root of Christianity tends manifestly to the dissolution of civil government. – People v. Ruggles, 1811 (2 decades after the 1st Amendment)
• Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. – First Amendment
• By our form of government, the Christian religion is the established religion and all sects and denominations of Christians are placed upon the same equal footing. – Runkel v. Winemiller, 1796
• The First Amendment has erected a wall of separation between church and state, but that wall is a one directional wall; it keeps the government from running the church, but it makes sure that Christian principles will always stay in government. – Thomas Jefferson, President of the United States, January 1, 1802 in an address to the Danbury Baptists
From the tape “Our Godly Heritage” by Wallbuilders, Inc, P. O. Box 397, Aledo, TX 76008 817–441-6044:
War Against Christianity
Had the people, during the Revolution, had any suspicion of any attempt to war against Christianity, that Revolution would have been strangled in its cradle…At the time of the adoption of the constitution and the amendments, the universal sentiment was that Christianity should be encouraged, not any one sect…in this age there can be no substitute for Christianity…That was the religion of the founders of the republic and they expected it to remain the religion of their descendants…the great vital and conservative element in our system is the belief of our people in the pure doctrines and divine truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
House Judiciary Committee Report, March 27, 1854 after a one year study brought about by a suit to force the separation of church and state.
Reynolds v. United States
Challenges to the Constitutionality of the government being run by Christian principles continued throughout the late 1800’s finally arrived at the Supreme Court. In the case of Reynolds v. United States, 1878, the court pulled out Jefferson’s speech in its entirety and confirmed that Jefferson also said that Christian principles were never to be separated from government. The Supreme Court used Jefferson’s speech for the next 15 years to make sure that Christian principles stayed part of government.
It remained this way until 1947, when, in the first time in the Supreme Court’s history, the court used only 8 words out of Jefferson’s speech.
The First Amendment has erected a wall between church and state. That wall must be kept high and impregnable. – Everson v. Board of Education, 1947, First time in the Supreme Court’s history, the court used only 8 words out of Jefferson’s speech.
Source unknown
Quotes
• Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever. – Thomas Jefferson, inside the Jefferson Memorial
• Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side. My great concern is to be on God’s side. – Abraham Lincoln, when asked if he though God was on our side.
• He who shall introduce into public affairs the principles of Christianity will change the face of the world. – Benjamin Franklin, 1774, Ambassador to France
• The church must take right ground in regard to politics. Politics are a part of a religion in a country as this, and Christians must do their duty to the country as a part of their duty to God…He will bless or curse this nation according to the course Christians take in politics. – Charles Finney
• There is nothing so absurd but if you repeat it often enough people will believe it. – Dr. William James, The Father of Modern Psychology
• If this court doesn’t stop talking about separation of church and state, someone will think it is part of the Constitution. – Bear v. Colmorgan, 1958, One of the justices, in a stinging dissent.
• What happens when a nation stops basing its judgments on a Biblical basis? Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle. – George Washington
• If portions of the New Testament were read without explanation, they could be, and had been, psychologically harmful to the child.
• We have staked the whole future of American civilization not on the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God. – James Madison, the chief architect of the Constitution
• The reason that Christianity is the best friend of government is because Christianity is the only religion in the world that deals with the heart. – Thomas Jefferson
• As nations cannot be rewarded or punished in the next world they must be in this. By an inevitable chain of causes and effects Providence punishes national sins by national calamities. – George Mason, summarizing discussions on the floor of theConstitutional Convention
• 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
Engel v. Vitale, June 25, 1962
The first separation of religious principles from public education. This is the case that removed school prayer. There were no precedents cited. The court did not quote previous legal cases or historical incidents. A new direction in the legal system—no longer constitutional.
“Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers, and our Country.”
The 22 word prayer that was declared to be unconstitutional and which led to the removal of all prayer from public schools in the case Engel v. Vitale. This little prayer acknowledges God only one time. The Declaration of Independence itself acknowledges God 4 times.
Within 12 months of Engel v. Vitale, in two more cases called Abington v. Schempp and Murray v. Curlett, the court had completely removed Bible reading, religious classes/instruction. This was a radical reversal of law—and all without precedental justification or Constitutional basis.
Source unknown
Abington v. Schempp, June 17, 1963
The Court’s justification for removing Bible reading from public schools. The Court at this time declared that only 3% of the nation professed no belief in religion, no belief in God. Although this prayer was consistent with 97% of the beliefs of the people of the United States, the Court decided for the 3% against the majority.
Source unknown
Reed v. Van Hoven, 1965
It is unconstitutional for a student to pray aloud. – Reed v. Van Hoven, 1965
Source unknown
Nursery Rhyme
The Court declared a 4 line nursery rhyme unconstitutional because, although it did not contain the word “God,” it might cause someone to think it was talking about God.
DeCalve V. Espain (could not get the names exactly), 1967
Stone v. Gramm, 1980
If the posted copies of the Ten Commandments are to have any effect at all it will be to induce the school children to read, meditate upon and to perhaps to venerate and obey, the Commandments; this is not a permissible objective.
Stone v. Gramm, 1980, challenging the right of students to “see” the 10 Commandments on the wall of a school. The Court even then defined the posting of the document as a “passive” display, meaning someone would have to stop and look on their own volition.
Source unknown
Unconstitutional?
What does it mean when the Court declares something to be unconstitutional? It means that the Founding Fathers would have opposed this, would not have wanted this.
Source unknown
Decline in Morality after 1963
We’ve seen a dramatic decline in national morality since 1963: This is God’s judgment on a nation:
• Unwed birth rates 15–19 yr. olds shot up.
• Unwed birth rates 10–14 yr. olds shot up 553% by 1983.
• Sexually Transmitted Disease rates 15–19 yr. olds shot up 226% by 1975.
• Divorce had been declining for 15 consecutive years prior to 1963. After, the number of divorces tripled every year until 1983.
• SAT scores declined for 18 consecutive years after 1963; unprecedented in our history. We are now graduating a generation of students that, academically, knows less that their parents.
• Violent crime up 544%.
Source unknown
U.S. #1 in the World in…
1. Violent crime
2. Divorce
3. Teen pregnancies (industrial world)
4. Abortions
5. Illegal drug use
6. Illiteracy (industrial world)
Source unknown
Oath of Office
Everyone appointed to public office must say: “I do profess faith in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ his only Son, and in the Holy Ghost…one God and blessed forevermore; and I do acknowledge the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by divine inspiration. –
Delaware Constitution, 1776 (consistent with the First Amendment)
What happened after 1962-63
• The Court ruled that Secular Humanism is a legitimate religion equivalent to Christianity under the law. – Tricosso v. Watkins, 1963 and again in 1986
• Atheism is ruled a religion. – Court decision in 1977
Why is it not a Separation issue for Humanism and Atheism and Witchcraft to be taught in our public schools?
Source unknown