OUR LOST HERITAGE "You shall not
remove your neighbor's landmark, which the men of old have set, in
your inheritance, which you will inherit in the land that the
LORD your God is giving you to possess." Deuteronomy 19:14
When the land of Canaan
was divided among the twelve tribes it was further divided to the
families in each tribe. Each family would mark the boundaries of
their fields with a landmark such as a stone or a post. An
unscrupulous neighbor could move the landmark over time and
effectively "steal" a portion of his neighbor’s inheritance. In a
very like manner the spiritual inheritance of Americans has been
"stolen" over time.
The chances are very strong that those of us who
have been educated in the government or secular educational systems
have been taught that our nation was founded primarily by deists and
agnostics. We have been further taught they built "an impregnable
wall of separation between church and state" that prevents the
church from influencing the state.
At times in our lives we may have heard a voice
saying that America was founded on Biblical truth and Christian
principles. Because of the secular education we have received we
might be inclined to think this kind of person has to be a real
weirdo. After all, what we’re hearing from news reporters and
commentators on television and in the press reinforce the idea that
America has always been a secular nation.
A TEN YEAR RESEARCH
The political science professors at the
University of Houston decided they would research the founding of
America and establish what the landmarks of America’s heritage were.
It took them ten years. They first gathered 15,000 documents written
by those who comprised the Continental Congress; wrote the
Declaration of Independence and made exceptional contributions to
the founding and formation of our nation. From those first 15,000
documents they selected 3,154 which they felt made the greatest
political impact in shaping this nation.
The first thing these political writers wanted to
know was what literature had influenced our founding fathers. They
discovered that thirty-four percent of their quotes were from the
Old and New Testaments that made up the Christian Bible. They found
that another sixty percent of their quotes were from other men who
were quoting from the Christian Bible such as Blackstone,
Montesquieu, John Locke, etc. Ninety-four percent of what they
wrote in documents and said in their speeches was based upon the
Bible
The second thing these political scientists
wanted to know was the philosophical and/or religious beliefs held
by these founding fathers. They found that 52 out of 55 were bold
and forthright in their profession of being Christian.
The slogan for George Washington was "First
in war; first in peace and first in the heart of his countrymen". In his Farewell Speech, George Washington summed up the
principles on which our nation was founded and on which he governed
as our first president: "Religion and morality are indispensable
supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who
should labor to subvert these great pillars."
"Give me liberty or give me death" is a
ringing quote widely recognized as coming from the lips of
Patrick Henry. Here is one that is widely forgotten, "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."
John Adams and Benjamin
Franklin were the only individuals to suggest the terminology of
the Declaration of Independence which has four references to God. In
1813, John Adams wrote Thomas Jefferson, "The general principles
on which the fathers achieved independence were the general
principles of Christianity."
Daniel Webster reflected on the National
Constitution and made this statement at Plymouth, Massachusetts in
1820, "…more than all, a government and a country were to
commence with the very first foundations laid under the divine light
of the Christian religion…Who could wish that his country’s
existence had otherwise begun? Let us not forget the religious
character of our origin."
John Quincy Adams reflected on the
foundations of our nation on July 4, 1821, "From the day of the
Declaration…they (the American people) were bound by the laws of
God, which they all, and by the laws of the Gospel, which they
nearly all, acknowledged as the rules of their conduct."
John Jay was an outstanding
contributor to our nations constitution and the first Chief Justice
of our Supreme Court. He said, "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."
Just three years after the Declaration of
Independence was signed the Supreme Court ruled in 1799, "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 and are equally entitled to protection
in their religious liberty."
It would probably be an amazement to many that in
1892, just 106 years ago the Supreme Court ruled that the United
States is a Christian nation. Justice Brewer delivered the
court’s decision (142 U.S.. 257), "These and many other matters
which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to
the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation…Our
laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon, and
embody, the teaching of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible
that it should be otherwise. To this extent our civilization and our
institutions are emphatically Christian."
A WALL OF SEPARATION RAISED
The often quoted phrase "wall of separation
between church and state" does not appear in the constitution or any
amendment to the constitution or any Supreme Court decision until
1947. The only previous reference was in a personal letter written
by Thomas Jefferson. As a result of the Everson Vs Board of
Education case in 1947 the court ruled, "The First Amendment has
erected a wall between church and state. That wall must be kept high
and impregnable." This ruling laid the foundation for removing every
reference to Christian teaching or practice from public institutions
and public activities. Amazingly, even the statements of our
founding fathers in regard to the Christian morals and principles
upon which our nation was founded would be against the law to be
quoted in our public school class rooms.
What did the First
Amendment to our Constitution say? "Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof." It can be demonstrated from the historical
development of the first amendment that it was simply saying that
Congress cannot establish a state church (like the Church of
England)
or prohibit the free exercises of any church.
But the wall of separation was effectively raised
and has been effectively used to prevent Christian morals and
principles from being taught in public institutions to our nation’s
children. Few of us need to be reminded what the tragic consequences
have been. Our spiritual and moral heritage has been lost in the
public area.
T HE RECOVERY OF SPIRITUAL AND MORAL PRINCIPLES
The process of restoring the landmarks of our
spiritual and moral principles to the public area are indeed
formidable and many would say impossible. Some admirable efforts are
being put forth. William Bennett, former Secretary of Education, is
an example. Not only has he written best selling books advocating a
return to the teaching of moral values but he has traveled our
nation speaking at schools and colleges, government bodies, talk
shows, and news programs. We wish him and others like him well.
Others have taken a different route. As a result
of the moral and spiritual vacuum in our public institutions there
has been a ground-swell of home schooling, church sponsored
schooling and private schooling.
Many parents are also awakening to the
realization that they can teach their children spiritual and moral
truths no matter how lacking these principles are in the public
area. Indeed, many are accepting this as their primary
responsibility.
Even business leaders are seeing the importance
of teaching their employees the values that made America a great
nation. They host seminars and sponsor conferences that emphasize
how essential these principles are in all our relationships…the
workplace, the home, and the social life.
What are those spiritual and moral principles our
founding fathers admired and felt were so vital to the fabric of our
nation? Many have written very helpfully. Perhaps, Dick De Vos, the
president of the Amway Corporation has done the best job of all in
cataloging and illustrating what they are. In his book, "Rediscovering
American Values" the table of contents outlines the teaching and
examples that made America a truly great nation. To the extent they
are embraced and practiced they will revitalize the truly great
qualities of America.
PART I - UPHOLDING FREEDOM
Doing What Is Right
Honesty, Reliability, Fairness, Compassion,
Courage, Humility, Reason, Self-discipline
PART II - BECOMING FREE
Doing What We Want As Long As It Is The Right
Thing To Do
Optimism, Commitment, Initiative, Work,
Perseverance, Accountability, Cooperation, Stewardship
PART III - PRESERVING FREEDOM
Helping Others To Do The Same
Encouragement, Forgiveness, Service, Charity,
Leadership, Opportunity, Education, Brotherhood
Our response might well be, "Wow, when we
consider where we are and how much we need to learn and teach others
and practice, there’s a lot to do." Yes, but families, church, and
God can join together. We can find help in the Bible and books like "Rediscovering American Values" and a surprising number of
other places. When we see the results in our own families it will be
worth it all. When we see the results in our nation we’ll be
delighted indeed.
Copyright © 2002 Thomas E Berry
All Scriptures quoted from NKJV except as otherwise noted
Copyright © 2008 Truth Helpers Inc.
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