God In America: 2014

Monday, November 24, 2014

Barack Hussein Obama II

This post starts a very long series about Presidents and their religious views. It seems only appropriate to start with Barack Hussein Obama II. There is a lot of discussion about Obama’s religion based on many things that he says and statements in his books. He seems overly sympathetic to Islam while professing to be a Christian. He often refers to the holy koran. Keeping with the one God belief, the koran can’t be holy unless he believes Allah is the one God, therefore he wouldn’t be a Christian. So, the debate continues.

Most of this article is taken from http://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/god-in-the-white-house/ unless otherwise noted.

BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA II

Raised in a secular household, Obama embraced Christianity after a spiritual awakening during his 20s. The sermons of Pastor Jeremiah Wright combined scriptural lessons with a call to social activism, which appealed to Obama, who was at the time a community organizer. Obama joined Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ.

Obama later described his decision: "I came to see faith as more than just a comfort to the weary or a hedge against death, but rather as an active, palpable agent in the world and in my own life. It was because of these newfound understandings that I was finally able to walk down the aisle of Trinity one day and affirm my Christian faith. It came about as a choice, and not an epiphany. I didn't fall out in church, as folks sometimes do. The questions I had didn't magically disappear. The skeptical bent of my mind didn't suddenly vanish. But kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side, I felt I heard God's spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to His will, and dedicated myself to discovering His truth and carrying out His works."

In January 2008, Obama told Christianity Today: "I am a Christian, and I am a devout Christian. I believe in the redemptive death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I believe that faith gives me a path to be cleansed of sin and have eternal life." On September 27, 2010, Obama released a statement commenting on his religious views saying "I'm a Christian by choice. My family didn't—frankly, they weren't folks who went to church every week. And my mother was one of the most spiritual people I knew, but she didn't raise me in the church. So I came to my Christian faith later in life, and it was because the precepts of Jesus Christ spoke to me in terms of the kind of life that I would want to lead—being my brothers' and sisters' keeper, treating others as they would treat me. (1)

Obama's personal religion became a topic of debate and speculation during the 2008 election campaign, when opponents suggested that Obama was either a Muslim because of his father's heritage or a racist Christian, based on some of the Rev. Wright's controversial sermons. During the campaign, Obama was ultimately forced to separate himself fully from the pastor, and he resigned his 20-year membership at Trinity.

As a candidate, Obama delivered the keynote speech at a conference organized by the liberal evangelical minister Jim Wallis. "Secularists are wrong when they ask believers to leave their religion at the door before entering into the public square," he said. "Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Williams Jennings Bryan, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King -- indeed, the majority of great reformers in American history -- were not only motivated by faith, but repeatedly used religious language to argue for their cause. So to say that men and women should not inject their 'personal morality' into public policy debates is a practical absurdity. Our law is by definition a codification of morality, much of it grounded in the Judeo-Christian tradition."

In the same speech, Obama criticized the religious right and their argument of political issues. "I may be opposed to abortion for religious reasons," he said, "but if I seek to pass a law banning the practice, I cannot simply point to the teachings of my church or evoke God's will. I have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths, including those with no faith at all."

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama#Cultural_and_political_image

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Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Faith in a Provident God

(This article was taken from the book “Rediscovering God in America” by Newt Gingrich featuring the photography of Callista Gingrich. This article is the eleventh and the last one based on that book)

The World War II Memorial

“The real fire within the builders of America was faith – faith in a Provident God whose hand supported and guided them: faith in themselves as the children of God … faith in their country and its principles that proclaimed man’s right to freedom and justice.”

Dwight D. Eisenhower
Thirty-fourth President of the United States

During World War II, the government issued seventeen million Bibles to the soldiers with a message in them from Generals Eisenhower and Marshall. In addition, many of the government printed World War II posters contained religious imagery.

The World War II Memorial was officially dedicated May 32, 2004, Memorial Day. In his proclamation for a day of prayer for permanent peace, President George W. Bush offered these words on behalf of a grateful nation.

“Today, all who wear the uniform of the United States are serving at a crucial hour in history, and each has answered a great call to serve our Nation on the front lines of freedom. As we continue to fight terrorism and promote peace and freedom, let us pray for the safety and strength of our troops, and for God’s blessing on them and their families, and for those that have lost love ones.”

Arlington National Cemetery

The inscription on the Tomb of the Unknowns reads, “Here Rests In Honored Glory An American Soldier Known But To God.”

John F. Kennedy

“The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.”

John F. Kennedy
Thirty-fifth President of the United States

Kennedy’s inaugural address concluded:

“With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help but knowing that here on earth, God’s work must truly be our own.”

For a very insightful conclusion to this book, pick up a copy of "Rediscovering God in America" by Newt Gingrich featuring the photography of Callista Gingrich.

Saturday, October 4, 2014

The White House

(This article was taken from the book “Rediscovering God in America” by Newt Gingrich featuring the photography of Callista Gingrich. This article is the tenth of many based on that book)

THE DIVINE AUTHOR OF EVERY GOOD GIFT

“And to the same Divine Author of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17) we are indebted for all those privileges and advantages, religious as well as civil, which are so richly enjoyed in this favored land.”

  James Madison
  Fourth President of the United States
  Chief Architect of the Constitution

RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES IN THE WHITE HOUSE

The White House is perhaps the most recognizable Washington, D.C., landmark, but it also plays seasonal host for many religious observances. As you approach the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue, look just ahead to the left. In front of the White House and adjacent to the National Mall is the Ellipse, the site of the National Christmas Tree and the National Hanukkah Menorah. Despite a number of legal challenges, the Pageant of Peace takes place each year on the Ellipse. In addition to the National Christmas Tree and Hanukkah Menorah, it features Christmas trees from each of the states, a nativity scene, and nightly musical performances.

The tradition of placing a decorated Christmas tree in the White House began in 1889. While it started as a gathering for President Harrison's family and friends, the lighting of the White House Christmas tree has become a national tradition. In 1929, First Lady Lou Henry Hoover started the unbroken custom of first ladies trimming the "official" White House Christmas tree. In 1961 First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy began the tradition of selecting a theme for decorations, modeling it after Peter Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite ballet. First Lady Laura Bush selected themes such as "Home for the Holidays" and "All Creatures Great and Small" to adorn the tree.

Since 1878, American presidents and their families have celebrated Easter Monday by hosting an "egg roll" party on the White Houses lawn, one of the oldest events in White House history. The original site for this tradition was the grounds of the U.S. Capitol until Congress passed a legislation forbidding it. In response, President Rutherford B. Hayes officially opened the south lawn of the White House to local children and families to continue the tradition of egg rolling on Easter. Successive presidents have sustained this custom, canceling it only for occasional poor weather and two world wars.

Through the years, the White House has also been the site of prayer services and other religiously themed gatherings. After the Civil War, First Lady Lucy Hayes and President Rutherford B.Hayes hosted prayer services and hymn singing for members of the Cabinet, the Congress, and their families. They also renewed their vows before a Methodist minister in the Executive Mansion on their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.

President William McKinley also hosted gatherings in the Blue Room of the Executive Mansion on Sunday evenings in which he and visiting clergy would lead the group in hymn singing. If you get the chance to go on the White House tour, be sure to visit the State Dining Room. The fireplace mantel contains a prayer by President John Adams:

“I pray to heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house and all that hereafter inhabit it.
May none but the honest and wise men ever rule under this roof.”

Adams wrote these words to his wife, Abigail, after first moving into the residence in November 1800. President Franklin Roosevelt subsequently discovered Adams' words in the later years of World War II and had them carved into the stone fireplace below a portrait of Abraham Lincoln.

In 1953, President Dwight David Eisenhower hosted the National Prayer Breakfast out of a desire to meet with the House and Senate prayer groups and unite the nation's leaders under the common bond of faith. Over the years, the annual tradition has grown to include, by personal invitation, friends from all the fifty states and over one hundred countries throughout the world.

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

In God I Trust

(This article was taken from the book “Rediscovering God in America” by Newt Gingrich featuring the photography of Callista Gingrich. This article is the nineth of many based on that book)

Ronald Reagan

“Faith and religion play a critical role in the political life of our nation – and always have – and that the church – and by that I mean all churches, all denominations – have had a strong influence on the state.”

Ronald Reagan
Fortieth President of the Unites States

Ronald Reagan spoke eloquently and often about his faith in God and how He inspired him and the nation. In 1984, he wrote In God I Trust, a memoir of his life and faith. On March 8, 1983, he declared the following in an address to an evangelical convention:

I tell you there are a great many God-fearing, dedicated, noble men and women in public life, present company included. And yes, we need your help to keep us ever mindful of the ideas and the principles that brought us into the public arena in the first place. The basis of those ideals and principles is a commitment to freedom and personal liberty that, itself is grounded in the much deeper realization that freedom prospers only where the blessings of God are avidly sought and humbly accepted. The American experiment in democracy rests on this insight.

THE RONALD REAGAN BUILDING

The Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center was deticated in 1998, it covers more than seven acres and houses nearly seven thousand federal employees, along with private sector, non-profit, and international trade organizations.

Outside the main entrance to the building is a statue called "Liberty of Worship." The figure is shown as leaning against the Ten Commandments, yet another allusion to the close tie between religion and liberty. The inscription on the statue states: "Our liberty of worship is not a concession nor a privilege but an inherent right."

THE FAITH OF RONALD REAGAN

It is especially appropriate that the "Liberty of Worship" statue is found outside a federal building named after Ronald Reagan. President Reagan saw religious liberty as an irreplaceable underpinning of our democratic freedoms. This theme can be seen in many of his speeches as president.

In a speech at Georgetown University on its bicentennial, Reagan commended the theme of the celebration: learning, faith, and freedom. "Each reinforces the others, each makes the others possible. For what are they without each other?" He asked the audience to pray that all of America be guided by learning, faith, and freedom. "De Tocqueville said it in 1835, and it's as true today as it was then: 'Despotism may govern without faith, but liberty cannot. Religion is more needed in democratic societies than in any other.”

As president, Reagan frequently invoked the words of George Washington, who said that religion and morality were "indispensable supports" to the prosperity of our political system. During a radio address in December 1983, he described one of his favorite paintings, which shows George Washington praying at Valley Forge. He said the painting "personified a people who knew it was not enough to depend on their own courage and goodness; they must also seek help from God, their Father and their Preserver."

At an ecumenical prayer breakfast in August 1984 in Dallas, Texas, Reagan said:

I believe that faith and religion play a critical role in the political life of our nation—and always have—and that the church—and by that I mean all churches, all denominations—has had a strong influence on the state.

And this has worked to our benefit as a nation. Those who created our country—the Founding Fathers and Mothers—understood that there is a divine order which transcends the human order. They saw the state, in fact, as a form of moral order and felt that the bedrock of moral order is religion.

Without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure. If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.

One of Reagan's most memorable speeches was delivered before the National Association of Evangelicals in March 1983. In it, he famously called the Soviet Union an "evil empire" and promised "one day, with God's help" the world's nuclear arsenals would be totally eliminated.

In the same speech, Reagan attacked the government's "attempts to water down traditional values and even abrogate the original terms of American democracy. Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged."

He then closed the speech with scripture: "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increased strength. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary."

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

The Rock Upon Which Our Republic Rests

(This article was taken from the book “Rediscovering God in America” by Newt Gingrich featuring the photography of Callista Gingrich. This article is the eighth of many based on that book)

The Library of Congress

“The highest story of the American Revolution is this: It connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.”

JOHN ADAMS
Second President of the United States

The Library of Congress was originally established in 1800 as a legislative library. However, it grew into much more.

Today on its website, www.loc.gov, the Library of Congress immodestly describes its mission "to make its resources available and useful to the Congress and the American people and to sustain and preserve a universal collection of knowledge and creativity for future generations."

To accomplish this monumental mission, the Library of Congress employs over 5,000 people and houses approximately 130 million items catalogued on approximately 530 miles of bookshelves. This includes over 29 million books and other printed materials, 2.7 million recordings, 12 million photographs, 4.8 million maps, and 58 million manuscripts, with 10,000 new items added to the collection daily (out of over 22,000 submissions daily).

All this makes the Library of Congress by far the largest library in the world.

THE GREAT HALL

Out of the over one hundred thirty million items in the Library of Congress' collection, only two are on permanent display in the Great Hall. The first is the Giant Bible of Mainz, a handwritten and illustrated version of the Bible considered to be one of the most beautiful ever created.

The second is the Gutenberg Bible, the first mass printed book, which soon made hand-printed books like the Giant Bible of Mainz obsolete. The copy at the Library of Congress is printed on vellum, or animal skin, and is one of only three perfect copies still in existence.

In addition to the two Bibles, the Great Hall displays other evidence of the nation's strong religious underpinnings. The following passages are inscribed on the ceiling and the walls of the Great Hall: "The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not" (John 1:5); "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore, get wisdom and with all thy getting, get understanding" (Proverbs 4:7); and Dante's "Nature is the Art of God."

THE MAIN READING ROOM

Anyone who wishes access to the Library of Congress's books and bound periodicals must first start in the Main Reading Room. Here researchers begin their initial search for knowledge using the electronic resources in the Computer Catalog Center and the Main Card Catalog. Approximately 70,000 volumes are stored in the Main Reading Room reference collection and hundreds of books and bound periodicals are delivered to the Main Reading Room every day for research.

There are several instances of religious imagery and scripture verse found in the Main Reading Room. They include a bronze statue of Moses holding the Ten Commandments and a painting on the ceiling called Judea, showing a young Jewish woman praying.

In addition, two scripture passages are inscribed on the walls: What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God" (Micah 6:8) and "The heavens declare the Glory of God, and the firmament showeth His handiwork" (Psalm 19:1).

"RELIGION AND THE FOUNDING OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC"

In 1998, the Library of Congress held an exhibit called "Religion and the Founding of the American Republic." The exhibit explored the role of religion in the colonies from Jamestown through the post-Revolutionary War era in which many of our governmental and societal institutions were formed. While no longer on display, this exhibit continues to influence thinking about the role of religion in the founding of our great nation.

The exhibit displayed over two hundred artifacts from the founding of the American Republic. This included manuscripts, books, correspondence, and paintings both from the Library's collection and on loan from other institutions. The exhibit was divided into seven sections focusing on the following issues:

   • America as a refuge for those seeking freedom from religious persecution in Europe and how their beliefs formed the foundation for our society;
   • The Great Awakening from 1740 to 1745 and how it led to the drive to independence;
   • The role of religion in the lives of our nation's greatest Revolutionary leaders;
   • The way religion affected those who formed the structure of our government;
   • The policies of our early federal government leaders toward religion;
   • The policies of our early state government leaders toward religion; and
   • The "Golden Age" of Evangelicalism in America through the 1830s.

The exhibits demonstrated with conviction that religion and morality were, in Alexis de Tocqueville's words, "indispensable to the maintenance of republican institutions."

I hope that those who left the exhibit asked themselves the following question: "Are the religious and moral supports described by George Washington no longer as important to our nation's well-being? Or do we ban the expression of such supports in our public square at the peril of our Republic?"

Newt Gingrich

Saturday, July 5, 2014

The Impact of God

New Document

(I actually intented this article to be written some time ago, but it got lost in my directory.)

God has impacted the United States at every turn. Under God, America has become an exceptional nation. From the first days of our government God was an important part of America.

How can it be denied today?

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The Mayflower Compact was written just before the Pilgrims came ashore and states that their mission was undertaken “for the Glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith”.

Modern version:

In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, defender of the Faith, etc.

Having undertaken, for the Glory of God, and advancements of the Christian faith and honor of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the Northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents, solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God, and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic; for our better ordering, and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, and offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.

In witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape Cod the 11th of November, in the year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord King James, of England, France, and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth, 1620.

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The Pledge of Allegiance was written in 1892 and the phrase “One Nation Under god” was added to it in 1954

“In God We Trust” was added to America’s paper currency in 1957, and has appeared on many US coins as far back as 1864.

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Popular composer, Irving Berlin, wrote “God Bless America” in 1918. He later revised the song in1938.

While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free,
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer.
God bless America,
Land that I love,
Stand beside her, and guide her
Through the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home
God bless America, My home sweet home.

Many renditions of the song omit the introductory verse and begin with "God bless America..."

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These are all examples that God was intended to be part of our daily lives and part of our American way.

Ray R Barmore
Health and Wellness Coach
The Herbal Guy
San Diego California
619-876-5273
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Wednesday, June 4, 2014

National Day of Prayer

New Document

May 2, 2013

California Pastor Greg Laurie opened the National Day of Prayer at the Pentagon, despite opposition from gay rights groups.

Laurie is the honorary chairman of the 2013 National Day of Prayer. The Human Rights Campaign and Outserve had urged the Pentagon to withdraw its invitation to Laurie because he teaches that marriage should only be between a man and a woman.

Laurie says, “I’m not trying to censor anybody else and I don’t think they should try to censor us.”

“We have done our best to removed God’s Word and His counsel from our courtrooms, classrooms and culture,” Laurie wrote in an op-ed published by Fox News Thursday. “Despite the fact that we, as a nation, have largely forgotten God, the good news is: God has not forgotten us. He still can bless and redeem our country.”

“They do not want me to pray. They describe me as ‘homophobic’ and so forth. How can you deal with such a situation? We’re in a time in our country now where I’m attacked because I believe what the Bible teaches,” said Laurie, ahead of Thursday’s National Day of Prayer.

“If people want to make it all about that I’m not going to back down. In the immortal words of the great theologian Tom Petty, ‘I won’t back down,’ I won’t. I’m not going to apologize.”

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Prayer by Pastor Greg Laurie, honorary chairman for the NDOP in Washington, DC, May 2nd, 2013:

Father, we come to You to pray for our nation, the United States of America.

How You have blessed us through the years, Lord! We rightly sing, “America, America, God shed His grace on thee.” Yet we see trouble in our culture today. We see the breakdown of the family, crippling addictions, and random acts of horrific violence.

Lord, we need Your help in America. In recent days, we have done our best to remove Your Word and Your counsel from our courtrooms, classrooms, and culture. It seems, as President Lincoln once said, that we have “forgotten God.” But Lord, You have not forgotten us! You can bless and help and revive our country again.

Scripture tells us that “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). Lord, in Your mercy, we ask that You would exalt our country again. We have had a number of great awakenings in America. We have experienced times of refreshing, and revivals that changed not only the spiritual but also the moral landscape. As the psalmist said, “Will You not revive us again, so that Your people may rejoice in You?” (Psalm 85:6).

That is our prayer for America today, Lord. Send a mighty spiritual awakening that will turn the hearts of men and women, boys and girls, back to you. You have told us if we will humble ourselves and pray, and seek Your face and turn from our wicked ways, that You will forgive our sins and heal our land (2 Chronicles7:14).

Forgive us today, Lord, and heal this troubled land that we love so much.

We ask all of this in the name of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

____________________________

The 2014 National Day of Prayer was May 2nd.

_____________________________

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Ray R Barmore
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The Herbal Guy
San Diego California
619-876-5273
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Sunday, April 27, 2014

The Supreme Court

(This is the ninth post based on and inspired by the book “Rediscovering God in America” by Newt Gingrich featuring the photography of Callista Gingrich.)

The Supreme Court

While recent years have seen increasing hostility from the courts to public displays of religion, the Supreme Court itself is filled with them. To start with, all sessions begin with the Court's Marshal announcing: "God save the United States and this honorable court."

The truth is that throughout most of our history, the decisions of the Supreme Court have recognized the fact that we are a religious nation. For example, in the 1952 case Zorach vs. Clauson, the Court upheld a statute that allowed students to be released from school to attend religious classes. Justice William O. Douglas wrote: We are a religious people and our institutions presuppose a supreme being. When the state encourages religious instruction or cooperates with religious authorities by adjusting the schedule of public events to sectarian needs, it follows the best of our traditions. We cannot read into the Bill of Rights a philosophy of hostility to religion.

Religious Imagery in the Supreme Court

The most striking religious imagery at the Supreme Court is that of Moses with the Ten Commandments. Affirming the Judeo-Christian roots of our legal system, Moses can be found in several places: in the center of the East Pediment on 2nd Street NE, as a relief on the southwest corner of the building on 1st Street NE, inside the Upper Great Hall, and inside the actual courtroom as part of the "great lawgivers of history" frieze.

Along the East Pediment of the Supreme Court is a sculpture entitled "Justice the Guardian of Liberty," which features Moses at the center, flanked by Solon and Confucius.

The following court cases are taken from http://www.pewforum.org/files/2007/06/religious-displays.pdf

In 1984, the court took up its first case that specifically involved holiday displays. In that case, the court ruled that a Christmas nativity scene that the city of Pawtucket, R.I., had placed in a municipal square was constitutionally acceptable. The court stated that the nativity scene simply recognized the historical origins of the holiday, one that has secular as well as religious significance. In those circumstances, the justices concluded, the nativity scene did not reflect an effort by the government to promote Christianity

The lack of clear guidelines reflects deep divisions within the Supreme Court itself. Some justices are more committed to strict church-state separation and tend to rule that any government-sponsored religious display violates the Establishment Clause. These same justices also believe that, in some circumstances, the Establishment Clause may forbid private citizens from placing religious displays on public property.

Other members of the court read the Establishment Clause far more narrowly, arguing that it leaves ample room for religion in the public square. In recognition of the role that religion has played in U.S. history, these justices have been willing to allow government to sponsor a wide variety of religious displays. In addition, they have ruled that the Establishment Clause never bars private citizens from placing religious displays in publicly owned spaces that are generally open to everyone

In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that Pawtucket’s display did not violate the Constitution. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice Warren Burger emphasized that government has long had the authority to acknowledge the role that religion has played in U.S. history. This authority suggests, he said, that the Establishment Clause does not require a total exclusion of religious images and messages from government-sponsored displays. He concluded that the local government had included the crèche to “depict the historical origins of this traditional event” rather than to express official support for any religious message.

For Justice O’Connor, government endorsement was the key factor. Courts, she argued, should ask whether a “reasonable person” would view the government’s actions as an endorsement of particular religions. But while endorsement is prohibited, she argued, mere acknowledgement of religion, or of religion’s role in the nation’s history, is not.

RELIGIOUS DISPLAYS AND THE COURTS: Significant Supreme Court Rulings

Stone V. Graham (1980)
The court ruled that a Kentucky statute requiring public schools to post a copy of the Ten Commandments in every classroom was unconstitutional.

Lynch v. Donnelly (1984)
The court ruled that a Pawtucket, R.I., Christmas display, which included a crèche as well as more secular symbols of Christmas, such as a Santa Claus and reindeer, was permissible.

County of Allegheny v. ACLU (1989)
The court struck down a Christmas crèche displayed alone inside a courthouse in Pittsburgh, Pa., but upheld the same city’s broader holiday display that included a Christmas tree and menorah.

Capitol Square Review Board v. Pinette (1995)
The court ruled that Ohio officials were wrong to deny the Ku Klux Klan the right to place a large cross on a public plaza where displays by private citizens were permitted.

McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky (2005)
The court ruled that the placement of framed copies of the Ten Commandments in courthouses in two Kentucky counties was unconstitutional.

Van Orden v. Perry (2005)
The court ruled that a monument inscribed with the Ten Commandments on the Texas state Capitol grounds was permissible.

Ray R Barmore
Health and Wellness Coach
The Herbal Guy
San Diego California
619-876-5273
Skype: barmore4
Email Me

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Monday, March 31, 2014

Supreme Court Justice Brewer

“The American nation from its first settlement at Jamestown to this hour is based upon and permeated by the principles of the Bible” (1)

Justice David Joseph Brewer, Supreme Court Justice, 1837 – 1910

Justice Brewer's book, The United States: A Christian Nation, published in 1905, contained the following passage: (2)

"But in what sense can [the United States] be called a Christian nation? Not in the sense that Christianity is the established religion or the people are compelled in any manner to support it. On the contrary, the Constitution specifically provides that 'congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.' Neither is it Christian in the sense that all its citizens are either in fact or in name Christians. On the contrary, all religions have free scope within its borders. Numbers of our people profess other religions, and many reject all. [...] Nor is it Christian in the sense that a profession of Christianity is a condition of holding office or otherwise engaging in public service, or essential to recognition either politically or socially. In fact, the government as a legal organization is independent of all religions.

Nevertheless, we constantly speak of this republic as a Christian nation—in fact, as the leading Christian nation of the world. This popular use of the term certainly has significance. It is not a mere creation of the imagination. It is not a term of derision but has a substantial basis—one which justifies its use. Let us analyze a little and see what is the basis.

Justice Brewer discusses numerous evidences from public and private life including citations from the Federal and Several state Constitutions before concluding as follows:

But I must not weary you. I could go on indefinitely, pointing out further illustrations both official and non-official, public and private; such as the annual Thanksgiving proclamations, with their following days of worship and feasting; announcements of days of fasting and prayer; the universal celebration of Christmas; the gathering of millions of our children in Sunday Schools, and the countless volumes of Christian literature, both prose and poetry. But I have said enough to show that Christianity came to this country with the first colonists; has been powerfully identified with its rapid development, colonial and national, and to-day exists as a mighty factor in the life of the republic. This is a Christian nation.

While Justice Brewer's decision was not a binding legal pronouncement reflecting an official acceptance of Christianity and did not say that its laws or policies should reflect solely Christian concerns and beliefs, he did outline the influence Christianity had on the history and culture of the United States. It was this influence that caused Brewer to state many times that this is a Christian nation. "

(1) Rediscovering God in America by Newt Gingrich featuring the photography of Callista Gingrich
(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Josiah_Brewer

Ray R Barmore
Health and Wellness Coach
The Herbal Guy
San Diego California
619-876-5273
Skype: barmore4
Email Me

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Thursday, February 27, 2014

Rediscovering God in America 7

(This article was taken from the book “Rediscovering God in America” by Newt Gingrich featuring the photography of Callista Gingrich. This article is the seventh of many based on that book)

IN GOD WE TRUST

The U.S. Capitol Building
“The foundation of our society and
our government rest so much on
the teachings of the Bible that it
would be difficult to support them if
faith in these teachings would cease to
be practically universal in our country”

CALVIN COOLIDGE
Thirtieth President of the United States

RELIGIOUS IMAGERY IN THE CAPITOL

The U.S. Capitol Building is filled with religious imagery and inscriptions. As you walk up the steps of the Capitol, recall that on September 12, 2001, two hundred members of Congress gathered on these steps to sing "God Bless America." In a similar scene in June 2002, members of the House of Representatives gathered here to recite the Pledge of Allegiance after the Ninth Circuit Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to describe our nation as "under God," which, of course, was exactly the way Washington described our nation in July 1776 and Lincoln at Gettysburg in 1863.

Today, the House and Senate both open their daily sessions with the Pledge of Allegiance. Representative Sonny Montgomery (a Democrat from Mississippi) recited the first Pledge of Allegiance on the House floor on September 13, 1988. Former Speaker of the House Jim Wright decided to make the Pledge a daily ritual, and in 1995, the House rules were amended to make it permanent. The Senate has never officially made the Pledge a permanent feature, but it has recited it before each session since June 24, 1999.

Upon entering the Rotunda, you will be immediately struck by the religious imagery. Eight different historical paintings are on display. Pay particular attention to a few. First, the painting The Landing of Columbus depicts his arrival on the shores of America. Columbus later said he was convinced to sail because "it was the Lord who put it into my mind" and that "the Gospel must still be preached to so many lands."

Second, on the south side of the Rotunda, between statues of Martin Luther King, Jr., and President Dwight Eisenhower, is a painting titled The Embarkation of the Pilgrims, by Robert W. Weir, from 1843. This depicts the deck of the ship Speedwell as it departed for the New World from Delft Haven, Holland, on July 22, 1620. You will see that the Pilgrims are observing a day of prayer and fasting, led by William Brewster, who is holding a Bible, and John Robertson, a pastor. The rainbow at the left side of the painting symbolizes hope and divine protection.

Third, the painting The Discovery of the Mississippi may be found directly next to The Embarkation of the Pilgrims. This painting shows Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto's encounter with the Native Americans. DeSoto was the first European to set foot in what is now Mississippi. On the right side of the painting, a monk prays as a crucifix is planted into the ground. DeSoto's burial is also depicted in the frieze that goes around the Rotunda. This is identifiable by a priest making the sign of a cross over DeSoto's body, covered by a sheet. Finally, the painting The Baptism of Pocahontas demonstrates the baptism of one of the first converts in the Virginia colony. Directly overhead is The Apotheosis of Washington, which depicts our first president's ascent into heaven. The thirteen maidens surrounding him symbolize the original thirteen states.

At the ground level of the Rotunda, a glass case can be found that holds a gold replica of the Magna Carta. This was a gift from the British government in 1976. Many of the first travelers to what would become the colonies came with a copy of this document in hand. It was later used to justify the colonialists' protests against the Stamp Act and other violations of their rights. In fact, the seal adopted by Massachusetts on the eve of the revolution featured a militiaman with a sword in one hand and a copy of the Magna Carta in the other.

Various inscriptions around the Capitol demonstrate the reliance of our country on God and faith. In the Cox Corridor in the House wing of the Capitol, a line from "America the Beautiful" is carved into the wall: "America! God shed His grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea!"

Also in the House chamber is the inscription "In God We Trust." At the east entrance to the Senate chamber, the words Annuit Coeptis are inscribed, Latin for "God has favored our undertakings." The words "In God We Trust" are also written over the southern entrance. "What hath God Wrought!" the first message sent over the telegraph, is inscribed on the Samuel F. B. Morse Plaque found outside of the old Supreme Court Chamber in the Capitol.

In the House chamber, above the central Gallery door, stands a marble relief of Moses, the greatest of twenty-three noted law-givers (and the only one full-faced). Statues of many early leaders are displayed throughout the Capitol Building. Most of these leaders were Christians, and many were ministers, including George Washington, James Garfield, Samuel Adams, Reverend Peter Muhlenberg, Reverend Roger Williams, Reverend Marcus Whitman, Daniel Webster, Lew Wallace, Reverend Jason Lee, John Winthrop, Reverend Jonathan Trumbull, Roger Sherman, and Francis Willard.

THE CAPITOL CHAPEL

Unfortunately, the Capitol Building Chapel is off limits to all but members of Congress and their guests. However, its history is instructive. The chapel was built after a particularly powerful display of God's role in American public life.

Throughout American history, presidents have called for national days of prayer to pay tribute and give thanks. In 1952, Congress issued a joint resolution calling for a prayer service on the steps of the Capitol. The service was conducted by the Reverend Billy Graham. Thousands of people came to the service in the pouring February rain. After this display, Congress called for the construction of a room " with facilities for prayer and meditation, for use of the members of the Senate and House of Representatives."

Found in the Capitol's Chapel is a stained-glass window depicting George Washington in prayer, under the inscription "This Nation Under God." Furthermore, a prayer is inscribed in the window. It says, "Preserve me, God, for in Thee do I put my trust."

CHURCH SERVICES IN THE CAPITOL

As mentioned earlier in chapter 3 regarding the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, the United States Capitol held church services well before the construction of the chapel in the 1950s. A t the time of the building's construction, there were no churches in the District of Columbia to serve the needs of members of Congress and the president. Therefore, such services were held in the Capitol.

Thomas Jefferson attended these services throughout his terms as vice president and president, which were often conducted by his friend Reverend John Leland. Ironically Jefferson attended one such service just two days after he wrote his famous response to the Danbury Baptists Association of Connecticut in which he referred to a "wall of separation" between church and state. President Jefferson clearly understood that his "wall of separation" would allow his attending church services in the U. S. Capitol without even the appearance of the state either establishing a national church or imposing a religious belief system on the people.

James Madison, who is widely considered to be the author of the Religion Clauses of the First Amendment, also attended these church services in the Capitol. In fact, while Congress was debating the language of the First Amendment, they were also working to pass legislation to hire and pay for official House and Senate chaplains. Accordingly, Madison clearly saw no conflict between favoring religious observances in public spaces and opposing an official national religion.

Ray R Barmore
Health and Wellness Coach
The Herbal Guy
San Diego California
619-876-5273
Skype: barmore4
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Monday, January 27, 2014

Rediscovering God in America 6

(This article was taken from the book “Rediscovering God in America” by Newt Gingrich featuring the photography of Callista Gingrich. This article is the sixth of many based on that book.)

Franklin Delano Roosevelt
32nd President of the United States; March 4, 1933 to April 12, 1945

The recently constructed F D R Memorial is noticeably devoid of references to our Creator, despite Roosevelt's obvious conviction of the importance of the nation's belief in God during the war. (Editor’s Note: The simple reason for this is it wasn’t until 1978 that the design for his monument was finalized. By that time, there was and still is a push to eliminate religion and any reference to God from our daily lives. ) However, faith is mentioned in two areas.

To the right of the first waterfall, you can see this inscription: In these days of difficulty, we Americans everywhere must and shall choose the path of social justice . . . the path of faith, the path of hope, and the path of love toward our fellow man.

As you leave the memorial, the last quotation on the wall reads:
"Freedom of speech; Freedom of worship; Freedom from want; Freedom from fear." These words are taken from Roosevelt's 1941 State of the Union address and show the value he placed on our nation's religious liberty. Many are more familiar with this FDR quote from the four Norman Rockwell paintings inspired by Roosevelt's speech.

THE FAITH OF FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT

As Professor Gary S. Smith has observed, Franklin Roosevelt often "stressed the importance of spiritual renewal, faith, and social justice and urged Americans to work to achieve a more robust spiritual life." It may surprise many to learn that after the Allies successfully took Normandy Beach, Roosevelt led the American people in prayer in a nationwide radio address:

     Almighty God, our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty
     endeavor, a struggle to preserve our republic, our religion, and our
     civilizations, and to set free a suffering humanity.

He used the occasion to commit the American people to a rededication of their faith:

    Many people have urged that 1 call the nation into a single day of special
    prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our
    people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new
    day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips,
    invoking Thy help to our efforts.

Roosevelt knew how our faith bound us together as a country:

    And, O’Lord, give us faith. Give us faith in Thee; faith in our sons; faith in each
    other; faith in our united crusade. Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be
    dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but a
    fleeting moment, let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose. Thy will
    be done, Almighty God. Amen.

Roosevelt's faith was very important to him well before the war. He was a member of the Episcopal Church, serving as senior warden of the St. James Church in New York throughout his presidency. Furthermore, as Professor Smith notes, in 1935 he sought "council and advice" on the impact of domestic policy from the many clergymen whom he invited to the White House.

Roosevelt's faith became most important when he needed to rally the American people to defend western civilization against fascism. Even before Pearl Harbor, he recognized the threat that the Nazis and Japanese posed to our religious freedoms.

On May 27, 1941, Roosevelt spoke to the nation in one of his many radio addresses, to announce a state of "Unlimited National Emergency." He accurately described the "Nazi world" as one that "does not recognize any God except Hitler . . . as ruthless as the Communists in the denial of God . . . where moral standards are measured by treachery and bribery."

He recognized that this posed an impending global conflict "between human slavery and human freedom—between pagan brutality and the Christian ideal." America, he explained, shall side with "human freedom— which is the Christian ideal" and will only accept "a world consecrated to freedom of speech and expression—freedom of every person to worship God in his own way—freedom from want—and freedom from terror."

Roosevelt affirmed that such success could only be obtained through a combined faith in freedom and God. He called on Americans to "reassert our abiding faith in the vitality of our constitutional republic as a perpetual home of freedom, of tolerance, and of devotion to the word of God." Roosevelt then concluded by quoting the Founding Fathers, who faced similar odds "with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence."

Roosevelt again addressed the nation by radio as war became ever more inevitable, to express to Americans the threat Nazism posed to our democratic and religious freedoms. On October 27, 1941, he described a German document outlining Hitler's plan to "abolish all existing religions" in which "the property of all churches will be seized by the Reich and its puppets. The cross and all other symbols of religion are to be forbidden . . . in place of the cross of Christ will be put two symbols—the swastika and the naked sword." Roosevelt then concluded with a pledge to the Nazis that "We stand ready in the defense of our nation and the faith of our fathers to do what God has given us the power to see as our full duty."

Franklin Roosevelt was a man of deep religious belief who understood, just as powerfully as Washington before him, that religion and morality were indispensable supports to the preservation of our liberties and our country.

Ray R Barmore
Health and Wellness Coach
The Herbal Guy
San Diego California
619-876-5273
Skype: barmore4
Email Me

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