Forgotten US History and the Church

Would it surprise you to know that George Washington refused to call anyone a patriot who worked to remove religion and morality from public and governmental life?

What would you say if I told you that the United States Congress tried to import 20,000 bibles from Europe, but then decided to endorse a version printed in America and recommended that version to every American?

Did you know that 27 of the 39 signers of the U.S. Constitution had seminary degrees?

Each of these statements are true, but they have been cleanly scrubbed from our history books and from our public memory.

If you become a student of pre-1900 U.S. History, you might be surprised at how influential Christianity has been in the foundation and maintenance of the federal government. Christianity was not only foundational to the United States, it was strongly promoted by many of the Founding Fathers, sometimes using government funds to advance the faith.

Thomas Jefferson, the author of the supposed "wall between church and state", authorized payment of funds by the United Sates to the Kaskasia Indians to help them build a church. He also approved seven years of financial support out of the government's coffers to pay for a priest! So how does this square with Jefferson being the creator of the concept of the separation of church and state?

By the way, the words "separation", "church" and "state" cannot be found in the First Amendment, the Constitution, or any other official founding document.

Why is it important to discover, recover and remember this information? Because the founders of this nation understood that a republic, like the United States, would never work, and would eventually fail if the People rejected morality and a Judeo-Christian understanding of God.

John Adams, the Second President of the United States and a crafter of the Declaration of Independence, stated, "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 [people]."

Unfortunately, there has been a consistent attack on the public demonstration and declaration of our faith for several years, sometimes by people who have sworn to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution." There are even some, in the highest offices in the land, who think that the constitution is fundamentally flawed and that we need to break free from its basic limitations.

However, the Constitution was written and designed to list a handful of things that the Federal Government had the power to do. Any authority, action, or power, other than those things specified in the Constitution, was to be determined by the States or the People. In short, it was intentionally designed to limit the power of the Federal Government. Modern political thought seeks to limit the People and give power to the Government.

The church has an opportunity to speak into this culture and remind it of the moral and religious foundation of the nation. No one else will do it. And when we do, we will not be wrapping the church in the American flag. Instead we will be wrapping America in the truths found in Scripture.

Truths like, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

"For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure."

"Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts."

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. "

"Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people."

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord."

Consider these parting words of George Washington: "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."

Questions or comments? Email me at curt@smdcog.org


You can find me on FACEBOOK at my Facebook Page (http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=504321719).

Here's a link to my Flickr.com Page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/curtisferrell/)

Thanks for reading!