There
seems to be a strong feeling in some elements of society in our country today
that "in God we trust" should have no place in anything concerning
our government or our public lives.
Along
with that belief by some comes the belief that our founding fathers did not put
emphasis on God in the formation of this great country.
I believe
this comes from a complete ignorance of the truth.
This
truth is reflected in statements of our great statesmen such as the following
by James Madison, who was our fourth president, also known as "the father
of our Constitution" ... "We have staked the whole of all our
political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon
the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves,
to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."
There is
more concrete proof of the truth of the trust and belief the great statesmen
such as this had in God all around our National capitol.
Walk up
the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court .. look up .. and you will see at the top
of the building a row of the law makers of the world, each one facing one in
the middle .. who is Moses.. holding the Ten Commandments.
Walk into
the Supreme Court building and you will enter through two large oak doors on
which are engraved ... on the lower portion of each door ... the Ten
Commandments.
Go and
sit inside the courtroom and look above the seats of the Supreme Court
justices, and you will see a display of the Ten Commandments.
John Jay
was our first Supreme Court Justice. He stated... "Americans should select
and prefer Christians as their rulers."
Walk
around the Mall and inspect the Federal buildings and the great monuments and
you will see Bible verses etched in various places.
Who says
"in God we trust?"
Go to the
capitol building and sit in on a session of Congress.
Every
session begins with a prayer by a paid preacher, whose salary has been paid by
the taxpayer since 1777.
The great
patriot and founding father Patrick Henry stated... "It cannot be
emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not be
religionists but by Christians, not on religions but on the Gospel of Jesus
Christ."
Fifty-two
of the fifty-five founders of our Constitution were members of established
orthodox churches in the colonies... and Thomas Jefferson was worried that the
day would come when the courts would overstep the authority given them and ..
instead of interpreting the law.. they would have law become an oligarchy ...
which is the rule of a few over many.
It is
believed that in the United States today.. 86% of our citizens believe in God.
The truth
of how firmly the belief in the words "in God we trust" was implanted
in the lives of those upon whom we have to thank for the freedoms we have
enjoyed in this country for well over 200 years is written in history as well
as all over our national capitol.
Furthermore..
Abraham Lincoln stated.... "I know that the Lord is always on the side of
the right, but it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation may
be on the side of the Lord."
Lincoln
also stated ... "The general hopes and trusts that every officer and man
will endeavor to live and act as becomes a Christian soldier defending the
dearest rights and liberties of this country."