Running head: THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA Soul
Sense
Am ica Carissa Campbell Senior Seminar “If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, then
we will be one nation gone under” – Ronald Reagan
(Quotes, 2016).
THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 2 U.S. Founding……………………………………………………………………………………4 Early History………………………………………………………………………….5 Christopher Columbus…………………………………………………………....6 Jamestown and the First Charter of Virginia…………………………….7 A Glimpse into the Founders Hearts…………………………………………………..8 Authors and Influencers of the Declaration and Constitution……8 Authors of the Federalist Papers……………………………………………12 George Washington’s Farewell address………………………………….13 Documents……………………………………………………………………………………...13 Magna Carta………………………………………………………………………….13 Mayflower Compact………………………………………………………………13 Fundamental Orders of Connecticut……………………………………….14 The New England Confederation……………………………………………15 Declaration of Independence…………………………………………………15 U.S. Constitution……………………………………………………………………16 State Constitutions………………………………………………………………...17 Early Text Book………………………………………………………………………………..17 The New English Primer……………………………………………………...…17 The Bullet proof George Washington…………………………………...…18 Removing the Foundation………………………………………………………………...18 People v. Ruggles…………………………………………………………………...19 School in Philadelphia……………………………………………………………20 Church of the Holy Trinity v. U.S…………………………………………….20 Separation of church and State………………………………………………20 Turning Point………………………………………………………………………..22 Current Situation…………………………………………………………………………..…22 Doctors not wanting to perform abortions……………………………..24 Firefighters-­‐ Pride Parade……………….…………………………………….25 Sweet Cakes………………………………………………………………………….25 Hobby Lobby………………………………………………………………………...26 Little Sisters of Mercy……………………………………………………………27 Policy Based on Judeo-­‐Christian Foundation…………………………………….28 References………………………………………………………………………………………31 THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 3 Abstract This paper answers the question, “does the United States have a Judeo-­‐
Christian Foundation”? It also will show how this concept has affected our nation, how our nation has changed since our foundation has been written out of America’s history and how it will continue to affect this nation as our foundation continues to crumble. The paper starts off with the founding of the United States, the founders Judeo-­‐Christian beliefs and the founding documents. The founding documents are cited and were written in old English. Washington’s farewell address is explained and other important events in history. The New English Primer, (the first text book in America), contents are discussed and unpacked. Then the paper gets into Supreme Court cases dealing with “Separation of Church and State” such as: Engle v. Vitale, Stone v. Graham and current cases that are going on today. The paper ends with policy that the author believes, after this study, are true and important to the United States and the future of this great Nation. THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 4 Introduction Psalms 11:3 asks, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do” (King James, pg. 807, 1978)? The Bible is very clear about the fate of a nation that forgets God, it falls; the Bible is full of examples. Our country is increasingly becoming hostile to our Judeo-­‐Christian foundation; Christian symbols are being pulled down, history is rewritten leaving God out and Christians are being forced to violate their deeply held beliefs. If we forget our Judeo-­‐Christian Foundation, this Nation will surely fall. In our current politically correct America; we are tolerant of every other religion besides Christianity. Christians should have the same religious freedom as other religions and should not be written out of America’s history. Without religion there is no moral foundation. This can be observed many times in history. Communism believes there is no God, they have no moral foundation, and they killed approximately 100 million people. The Nazis believed there is no God, again, no moral foundation, and they committed unspeakable atrocities killing approximately 25 million people. Christians should not be forced to participate in an activity or event that goes against their deeply held beliefs. Laws or judicial action that go against these policies should be repealed. James Madison the Chief Architect of the Constitution said “Religion [is] the basis and Foundation of Government” (Federer, 1994, P. 410). U.S. Founding A portion of the world goes to bed hungry and without the resources they should have to live their life. American poverty does not compare to other countries. We have freedom and opportunity that most countries do not have. Is it possible THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 5 that all this happened by chance? The United States does have a lot of resources from the land, but so do other countries and they have not risen to the standard the United States has attained. Early History What is it that makes this nation so special and so blessed? Lyman Abott said “A nation is made great, not by its fruitful acres, but by the men who cultivate them: not by its great forests, but by the men who use them; not by its mines, but by the men who build and run them. America was a great land when Columbus discovered it; Americans have made of it a great nation” (Arther S. Demoss Foundation pg, 23, 1986). America has a great economic structure, we are a generous nation with individual liberties and freedoms, but that is not what makes this nation so blessed. The blessings bestowed on this land can be found from one source and one power God. His providential hand was a part of this nation’s founding. In 1892 a Supreme Court decision Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States said “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 this sense and to this extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian… This is a religious people. This is historically true. From the discovery of this continent to the present hour, there is a single voice making this affirmation… we find everywhere a clear recognition of the same truth...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” (Arther S. Demoss THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 6 Foundation, pg. 21, 1986). What has blessed this nation is that it was founded on a Judeo-­‐Christian Foundation. Christopher Columbus Christopher (literally means Christ-­‐bearer) Columbus and His bother Bartolommeo took up the profession of mapmaking. In his journal Christopher has a quote of Isaiah 49:1,6 “ Listen to me, O coastlands, and hearken, you people from afar. The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name….I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (Marshall, Manuel, pg.31, 1977). Christopher was sure God had a plan for his life that encompassed carrying the Gospel to areas of the world where they did not know God. He calculated a root to the new world to share the Gospel and presented it in 1484 to John II of Portugal. Bartolommeo presented the plan to Henry VII of England both thought the idea was madness. Then the plan was presented to Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. They said no, but to try again after the conflict with the Moors was over. In preparation Christopher sold all his possessions leaving him in a hopeless place and planned on presenting to the King of France next. Father Perez who used to be Queen Isabella’s confessor sent a message to Queen Isabella the following morning “stating that he was convinced that God’s hand rested upon Christopher Columbus, and urging Her Majesty to reconsider his proposal” (Marshall, Manuel, pg.34, 1977). Queen Isabella did reconsider and accept his proposal. August 3rd 1492 the Santa Maria, Nina and the Pinta’s sails were let down displaying the red crusader crosses. Columbus was the first individual to THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 7 make contact with what we call today the United States and God was already directing up stream to develop the Judeo-­‐Christian foundation of this Nation. When Columbus landed in the new World he began to christen the land and prayed “O Lord, Almighty and everlasting God, by Thy Holy Word Thou has created the heaven, and the earth, and the sea; blessed and glorified by Thy Name, and praised by Thy Majesty, which hath deigned to use us” (Marshall, Manuel, pg.41, 1977). Shortly they had their first experience with the Indians and showed them their swords and out of the Indians ignorance they cut themselves. The ships admiral recorded this “So that they might be well disposed towards us, for I knew that they were a people to be delivered and converted to our Holy Faith rather by love than by force, I gave to some red caps and to others glass beads, which they hung around their necks, and many other things… At this they were greatly pleased and became so entirely our friends that it was a wonder to see… I believe that they would easily be made Christians, for it seemed to me that they had no religion of their own” (Marshall, Manuel, pg.42, 1977). Jamestown and First Charter of Virginia The Susan Constant, Godspeed and the Discovery set sail December of 1606, with forty-­‐four persons who would found Jamestown on May 14th 1607. King James I sent a charter along that reads, “I James, by the Grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland defender of the Faith-­‐We, greatly commending, and graciously accepting of, their Desires for the furtherance of so noble a work which may be the province of Almighty God, hereafter tend to the glory of his Divine Majesty, in propagating of Christian Religion to such People, as yet live in Darkness THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 8 and miserable Ignorance of true Knowledge and Worship of God, and may in time bring the Infidels and Savages, living in those Parts, to human Civility and to settled and quiet Government” (Weiss,Pg.24, 1966). A Glimpse into the Founders Hearts We cannot sit down and talk to the Founders, but we can read their writings and see their actions to catch a glimpse of their hearts. Did the Founding Fathers have a religion and who is classified as a Founding Father? For this study the people’s lives that will be looked into as the Founding Fathers are the individuals who wrote the Declaration of Independence, the creators of the Constitution, signers of both and the authors of the Federalist Papers. It is important to note the fact that “of the 55 writers and signers of the United States Constitution of 1787, were members of the Christian denominations: 29 were Anglicans, 16 to 18 were Calvinists, 2 were Methodists, 2 were Lutherans, 2 were Roman Catholic, 1 lapsed Quaker and sometimes Anglican, and 1 open Deist-­‐ Dr. Franklin who attended every kind of Christian worship, called for public prayer, and contributed to all denominations”(Federer, pg. 180, 1994). This is such a drastic change from what people believe for the Founders today. Authors and Influencers of the Declaration and Constitution John Adams was the second President and a writer of the Declaration and an influencer of the Constitution. On February 22, 1756 he wrote this in his diary: “Suppose a nation in some distant region should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited! Every member would be obligated in conscience, to temperance, frugality, and industry; to justice, kindness, and charity towards his THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 9 fellow men; and to piety, love, and reverence towards Almighty God… What a eutopia, what a paradise would this region be” (Federer, pg. 5, 1994). It seemed that he wished a country could encompass God and that was a beautiful thing to him. Benjamin Franklin another author of the Declaration wrote lessons on morals. One lesson stated “Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature” (Federer, pg. 244, 1994). It seemed that Franklin believed Laws came from God first. Roger Sherman was another author of the Declaration. He tried to curb monopolies and made this statement “ I appreciate the Holy Bible as the highest gift of God to man, unless it be the “unspeakable Gift” of Jesus Christ as the Savior of the World. It is the Divine assurance that our life does not end with death, and it’s strongest incentive to honorable, charitable Christian deeds” (Federer, pg. 557, 1994). He seemed to put God first and believed God gave His blessing to the people of this earth. After Thomas Jefferson was elected for his second term as President of the United States he prayed this prayer, “ Almighty God, Who has given us this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech Thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of Thy favor and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honorable ministry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion, from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitude brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues” (Federer, pg. 327, 1994). He was also an author in the Declaration and an influencer to the Constitution. THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 10 Samuel Adams a signer of the Declaration, stated in his journal, “I…. recommend my Soul to that Almighty Being who gave it, and my body I commit to the dust, relying upon the merits of Jesus Christ for a pardon of all my sins” (Wallbuilders). John Hancock another signer said this “I John Hancock...being advanced in years and being of perfect mind and memory-­‐thanks be given to God-­‐
therefore calling to mind the mortality of my body and knowing “it is appointed for all men once to die” [Hebrews 9:27], do make and ordain this my last will and testament…Principally and first of all, I give and recommend my soul into the hands of God that gave it: and my body I recommend to the earth.” (Wallbuilders). He gives praise to God and explains that he has given his life to God while he quotes a scripture. John Morton another signer of the Declaration said “, I, John Morton...being sick and weak in body but of sound mind and memory-­‐thanks be given to Almighty God for the same, for all His mercies and favors-­‐and considering the certainty of death and the uncertainty of the times thereof, do, for the settling of such temporal estate as it hath pleased God to bless me with in this life...” (Wallbuilders). He gives praise to God even though he is not in good health and still says He is a merciful God. There seems to be a pattern in their faith. James Madison was an author of the Constitution. Madison is known as the chief architect in creating the Constitution, he wrote a letter to a college saying, “Cursed be all that learning that is contrary to the cross of Christ” (Federer, pg. 410, 1994). He also wrote on religion and the government saying, “ Religion [is] the basis and Foundation of Government” (Federer, pg. 410, 1994). Benjamin Franklin wrote THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 11 an address at the formation of the Constitution. He said “I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid“(Weiss, Pg.38, 1966). John Dickinson is a signer of the Constitution he once said “Rendering thanks to my Creator for my existence and station among His works, for my birth in a country enlightened by the Gospel and enjoying freedom, and for all His other kindnesses, to Him I resign myself, humbly confiding in His goodness and in His mercy through Jesus Christ for the events of eternity” (Wallbuilders). Dickinson is humble in the face of God and gives Him thanks. Daniel St. Thomas Jenifer another signer of the Constitution stated “In the name of God, Amen. I, Daniel of Saint Thomas Jenifer…of dispossing mind and memory, commend my soul to my blessed Redeemer…” (Wallbuilders). Jenifer gave himself to his God as his redeemer this actually was his will. John Langdon another signer said “In the name of God, Amen. I, John Langdon,… ordain and publish this my last will and testament in manner following, that is to say-­‐First: I commend my soul to the infinite mercies of God in Christ Jesus, the beloved Son of the Father, who died and rose again that He might be the Lord of the dead and of the living…professing to believe and hope in the joyful Scripture doctrine of a resurrection to eternal life… (Wallbuilders). Langdon was a firm believer in God. Another signer of the Constitution, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney said “To the eternal, immutable, and only true God be all honor and glory, now and forever, Amen!...” (Walbuilders). Pinckney believed there is only one God, the God he THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 12 worships. Roger Sherman another signer of the Constitution once said “I believe that there is one only living and true God, existing in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost…. that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are a revelation from God…. that God did send His own Son to become man, die in the room and stead of sinners, and thus to lay a foundation for the offer of pardon and salvation to all mankind so as all may be saved who are willing to accept the Gospel offer” (Wallbuilders). Sherman appears to believe similarly to Pinckney, and is talking about God as the trinity. Authors of the Federalist Papers The Federalist Papers are many articles that pushed for ratification of the U.S Constitution. There were three authors to the federalist papers: James Madison, John Jay and Alexander Hamilton; they used the Pen name “Publius”. Without the federalist papers the Constitution would have likely not been ratified (Federer, pg. 233, 1994). John Jay said on October 12, 1816, “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 rule” (Federer, pg. 318, 1994). Alexander Hamilton signed the Constitution, helped write it and ratified it as well as being the author of fifty-­‐one Federalist Papers out of the eighty five. After the Constitutional convention he stated, “ For my own part, I sincerely esteem it a system which without the finger of God, never could have been suggested and agreed upon by such a diversity of interests” (Federer, pg. 273, 1994). It appears that the Founding Fathers were Christians; what would give people the impression they were not Christians? THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 13 George Washington’s Farewell Address For many decades our schools taught the Father of our Nation, George Washington’s farewell address, but this is no more. Washington’s address stated, “ 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” (Barton, pg.8, 1993). Washington was saying that religion and moralities were the pillars to the United States success and were key to the nation’s continual success. Could our Father of this Country be giving the people that follow him a warning about how to run America? Documents Magna Carta The 1215 Magna Carta was an important document in the Founding of our Nation, it established the rule of law and that no person was above the law. King John of England granted the Magna Carta peace treaty of liberties. The document says “Know that we, by the will of God and for the safety of our soul, and of the souls of all our predecessors and heirs, to the honor of God and for the exalting of the holy church and the bettering of realm (California Senate, pg. 3, 1978). The document has sixty-­‐three sections and the first section starts off with God. Section one “First of all have granted to God, and, for us and for our heirs forever, have confirmed by this our present charter, that the English churches shall be free and shall have rights intact and its liberties uninfringed upon” (California Senate, pg. 3 ,1978). Mayflower Compact THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 14 The Mayflower Compact was the first government document of the Plymouth colony in 1620. The pilgrims were looking for a new life, to be able to worship God in what affiliation they wished and to spread the Gospel. The Pilgrims had no form of government; this is why the pilgrims got together and formed the Mayflower Compact that established principles of the consent of the governance. The Mayflower Compact states “ In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwritten, the loyall subjects of our dread soveraigne Lord, King James, by the grace of God, of Great Britaine, France, and Ireland King, defender of faith, etc. Having undertaken for the gloire of God, and advancement of the Christian faith, and honor of our king and countrie, a voyage to plant the first colonies in the Northerne part of Virginia, doe by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God, and one another, (Weiss, Pg.26, 1966). This is the document the colony operated under and it appears to show that the individuals as a body believed they came over to America for the advancement of God’s Kingdom. Fundamental Orders of Connecticut January 1639 a document was written that functioned as a constitution forming their government. Freeman of Windsor, Wethersfield and Hartford developed this constitution which is seen as the prototype of our Federal Constitution. The document states, “and well knowing where a people are gathered together the Word of God requires that to mayntayne the people and union of such a people there should be an orderly and decent Government established according to God, to order and dispose of the affayers of the people at all seasons as occation shall require” (Weiss, Pg. 30, 1966). Later the document states “ for our selves and THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 15 our Successors and such as shall be adioyned to us att any tyme hereafter, enter into Combination and Confederation togather, to mayntayne and preserve the liberty and purity of the gospel of our Lord Jesus which we now professe, as also the disciplyne of the Churches, which according to the truth of the said gospell is now practised amongst us; As also in our Civell Affairs to be guided and governed according to such Laws, Rules, Orders and decrees as shall be made, ordered & decreed…” (Weiss, Pg.30, 1966). These people believed that God established government and it was needed in the colonies for order. They also believed this new government would maintain their liberties that they found in the Gospel. The New England Confederation Early life in the colonies was difficult and dangerous, because of this the delegates from the four colony’s: Plymouth, Connecticut, New Haven and Bay Colony met in May 19, 1643 and developed the Articles of Confederation, for protection of the colonies. The document states “Where we all came into these parts of America with one and the same end and aim, namely, to advance the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ and to enjoy the liberties of the gospel in purity with peace;” (Weiss, Pg.32, 1966). This group that came together wanted to advance God’s Kingdom through sharing the Gospel and wanted to be able to live freely in their worshiping their Lord. Declaration of Independence In 1776 the states were declaring their independence and it was creating a crisis. A committee was formed on June 10th, 1776 to create the Declaration of Independence, after eighteen days a draft was proposed. The committee consisted THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 16 of: ”Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and R.R Livingston” (Weiss, Pg.32, 1966). Four days later the draft was approved and two days after that the document was adopted, then signed by John Hancock. The Declaration states “and to assume, among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them-­‐ We hold these truths to be self-­‐evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that amongst these, are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness….” (Weiss, Pg. 40, 1966). Who is responsible for the laws of nature and what other religion has a creator besides Christianity? This was a revolutionary idea, because the Founders believed “rights” came from God and government was formed to “secure” these “rights”. U.S. Constitution From the first document to the first charter of Virginia to the Constitution of 1787 had been a hundred and eighty years and the documents were very similar. Before the signed section the Constitution does say “ the year of our Lord”. Also a question to ask yourself when reading the document is where did the writers get their ideas from for this document? The concept of the three branches of government can be found in Isaiah 33:22: “For the Lord is our Judge, The Lord is our Lawgiver, The Lord is our King; He will save us”(King James, pg. 1061, 1978). Jeremiah 17:9 shows why they decided to separate the powers of the government, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it (King James, pg. 1147, 1978)? This idea for churches to be exempt from taxes also comes from the Bible and is found in Ezra 7:24, “ also we inform you that it shall not THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 17 be lawful to impose tax, tribute, or custom on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, Nethinim, or servants of this house of God” (King James, Pg. 704, 1978). State Constitutions When one evaluates the state constitutions they are similar to the United States Constitution, but the preamble to the constitutions are very clear in what they stand for, the Alabama preamble states “invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God” (Weiss, Pg.156, 1966). The Alaska preamble begins by saying “ We, the people of Alaska, grateful to God and those who founded our nation” (Weiss, Pg.157, 1966). Even California a left leaning state’s preamble is “We, the people of the State of California, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, in order to secure and perpetuate its blessings, do establish this Constitution” (Weiss, Pg.160, 1966). New Jersey, another left leaning state today, preamble “We the people of the state of New Jersey, grateful to Almighty God for the civil and religious liberty’s which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to him for a blessing upon our endeavors to secure and transmit the same unimpaired to succeeding generations, do ordain and establish this Constitution” (Weiss, Pg.185, 1966). These people were so happy for freedom and religious liberty that it appears they had to first give thanks to God and appreciate these blessings they felt their God gave them. Early Text Books The New England Primer The first textbook printed in the United States was the New England Primer and was first used in Boston in 1690. Schools were different in this time, there were no grades, and their textbook was called a primer and its pages are not numbered. THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 18 This primer starts off with two prayers, a morning prayer and an evening prayer. Each letter in the alphabet has a picture next to it and a sentence describing that picture. Next to A it says “In Adam’s Fall We sinned all” then next to B it says “Heaven to find The Bible Mind”(New England Primer, 1991) the list goes all the way to Z. After this there is a list of questions, with the answer next to the question. The first question is “Who was the first man?” Adam and the list goes all the way to the Apostle Paul (New England Primer, 1991). The primer has the Lords Prayer, the creed and scripture. Half way through the book there are questions again. One of the questions is “Q. which is the first commandment? A. The first commandment is, thou shalt have no other God before me” (New England Primer, 1991). For two hundred years in the Nation, children were learning about God and growing in their faith in school. Bullet Proof George Washington This story used to be in school texts books, but cannot be found today. This story is a part of the French and Indian War; the British against the French. This was a territory dispute down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers that could not be settled peacefully and British veteran soldiers were sent to resolve this dispute. General Braddock and George Washington split the troops and went north. As they approached Fort Cumberland on July 9th 1755 the troops were ambushed. The British troops were trained to fight in the open, they were in a ravine and did not know how to respond while the other side was prepared leaving the British slaughtered. There were eighty-­‐six British officers and Washington was the only officer left on horseback. The following day Washington wrote a letter to his family THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 19 explaining what happened and that when the battle was over he took off his jacket and he found four bullet holes in his jacket, but he did not get shot. He told them “ By the all powerful dispensations of Providence, I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectation” (Barton, pg.4, 1993). In 1770 Washington returned back to those woods with Dr. James Craik. The Indian chief that attacked Washington’s troops wanted to meet Washington and they set up a meeting. In the battle the chief had ordered the Indians to shoot the officers first, this chief told Washington he personally shot Washington seventeen different times with no result. This chief believed he had a great spirit taking care of him and told the Indians to stop shooting at Washington. The chief told him “ I have traveled a long and weary path that I might see the young warrior of the great battle… I am come to pay homage to the man who is the particular favorite of Heaven, and who can never die in battle” (Barton, pg.5, 1993). This chief even recognized that a higher power was taking care of Washington and may not have understood Washington’s God, but still believed that something higher than man had a calling for Washington. Removing the Foundation People v. Ruggles The Supreme Court Case People v. Ruggles, in 1811, where Ruggles spoke profanities and attacked Jesus Christ in his writings was charged with three months prison and a five hundred dollar fine. The court said “ Whatever strikes at the root of Christianity tends manifestly to the dissolution of civil government” (Barton, pg.11, 1993). This man attacked Jesus Christ and the court believed that since our country was founded on Judeo-­‐Christian principles this was an attack on this country. THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 20 School in Philadelphia In 1844, a school in Philadelphia decided it was no longer going to teach the Bible and Christianity but would continue to teach morality, creating Vidal v. Girard’s Executors. The U.S Supreme Court said this in response “ Why may not the Bible, and especially the New Testament…be read and taught as a divine revelation in the [school]-­‐its general precepts expounded…and its glorious principles of morality inculcated?... Where can the purest principles of morality be learned so clearly or so perfectly as from the New Testament” (Barton, pg.11, 1993). The Supreme Court ruled that the school would continue teaching the Bible and Christianity as they had been. Church of the Holy Trinity v. U.S. The United States Supreme Court made a ruling in 1892 on the case Church of the Holy Trinity v. U.S. concluding,“ No purpose of action against religion can be imputed to any legislation, state or national, because this is a religious people…. This is a Christian nation” (Barton, pg.10, 1993). Courts base their decision on precedents (past rulings) for consistency and upon this decision the court provided eighty-­‐seven historical precedents and this is how the court came to their conclusion in this case. But as time went on there have been many instances where cases have been brought before the Supreme Court, and our Judeo-­‐Christian foundation has been ripped out of this country. Separation of Church and State Overtime the idea of “separation of church and state” developed, but where did this come from? The First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 21 respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”. This Amendment says nothing about “separation of church and state”. The genesis of the church–state idea was a letter that was initially written in 1801 from the Danbury Baptists in Connecticut to Thomas Jefferson. The Church was concerned for their religious freedom and government interference, Thomas Jefferson responded with a letter in 1802. Keep in mind the Constitution was written in 1787 and the Jefferson letter was written twenty-­‐five years later. The whole letter in context stated “Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach action only, and not opinions, I contemplate with solemn reverence that act of the whole American people which declares that their legislature should “make no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; thus building a wall of separation between church and state” ( Federer, Pg. 325, 1994). The “separation of church and state” idea was taken out of context from the letter and has be en used as the law when it is not and was not; the Constitution is the law. The point of this letter was to calm down the Danbury Baptists and confirm to them that the First Amendment protected their religious freedoms and the church from government interference. Nothing was said about the church influencing government or being shut out of government affairs. A group of people in 1853 petitioned Congress, as they wanted chaplains to not be a part of the Congress or military any more. March 27, 1854 the House gave a report on this topic stating, “ Had the people [the Founding Fathers], during the THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 22 Revolution, had a 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, but not any one sect [denomination]…. In this age, there is 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” (Barton, pg.14, 1993). The government at this time was aligned with what Thomas Jefferson was truly saying in his letters and with the Founder’s intent for this nation. Shortly after this the House Judiciary Committee made a statement saying, “ The great, vital, and conservative elements in our system [the thing that holds our system together] is the belief of the people in the doctrines and divine truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” (Barton, pg.14, 1993). This was a very bold statement for the Committee to put forth. Turning Point Things changed in 1947 during the case of Everson v. Board of Education and Jefferson’s letter was not sighted in its entirety. This is when the development of this concept of “separation of church and state” started (ie. The Establishment Clause). In 1958 a case Baer v. Kolmorgen was being discussed and one of the judges made a statement that if this concept of separation of church and state kept being used people would soon believe it was part of the Constitution. Things continued as they had been and in 1962 a case called Engel v. Vitale was brought before the court. This case was to stop school prayer, and it was successful. This was the first time in the United States history that education was separated from God. As I mentioned before THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 23 precedents are used to base the courts decisions. This case has zero precedents giving the decision no base, this was the first in history to not use precedents and the court just decided that there would be no more prayer in school (Barton, pg.16, 1993). Things did not end there, that same year the definition of church was redefined and it now would mean “a religious activity in public” (Barton, pg.15, 1993). This was just the beginning of cases where God was written out of this nation. Many more cases were brought forward Murray v. Curlett in 1963 band reading the Bible and religious classes, that for some schools at this point in time were mandatory for graduation. The courts were claiming that the Bible if read had psychologically damaged the child. In almost three hundred years schools had changed from the Bible basically being their text book in the New English Primer to the 1960’s were it was decided that the Bible could not be apart of a child’s education. Seven years later in the case DeKalb v. DeSpain took nursery rimes out of schools because it might guide children towards thinking about God. A school in Kentucky had the Ten Commandments hanging in the halls, just like an ordinary picture. It was not apart of the curriculum, but the Supreme Court found this case Stone v. Graham in their courtroom. The court ruled that it was not permissible for the Ten Commandments to be hanging in the classroom. In general a person would think that at least the last half of the Ten Commandments would be good general rules for their students to follow such as: do not lie, steal, kill, but the decision was made and the commandments were taken down. There was another case THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 24 Minersville School District v. Gobitis Regarding the Pledge of Allegiance. The list goes on with the attacks on our schools (Barton, pg.18, 1993). Current Situation Thomas Jefferson stated “ God who gave us life gave us liberty– Can the liberty be of a nation be secure when we remove a conviction that those liberties are a gift of God” (Monticello, 1987). Our country has been headed down the path of systematically removing our Judeo-­‐Christian foundation and our moral foundations. Thomas Jefferson believes our liberties will not be secure when we do this. As stated earlier when the moral foundation is removed all sorts of unspeakable atrocities and human rights violations occur. Are there any examples of this moral slide occurring in our country? Absolutely! Christian Doctors – Abortions The debate rages on, should a Christian doctor be forced perform an abortion over that doctor’s “conscientious objection”? Christians believe that life comes from God and an abortion is killing an unborn baby and yet Christian doctors are forced to perform an abortion, against their deeply held Christian beliefs. In addition it violates the Hippocratic oath they take that essentially states that they will do no evil to the patient. Moving from the abortion issue most individuals believe that killing a newborn is just that killing a baby. Princeton University’s Chair of bioethics, Peter Singer, does not agree with this. Singer says “the problem of the lack of any clear boundary between the newborn infant, who is clearly not a person in the ethically relevant sense, and the young child, who is. In our book, Should the Baby Live?, My colleague Helga Kuhse and I suggested that a period of twenty-­‐eight days THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 25 after birth might be allowed before the infant is accepted as having the same right to life as others” (Gray, 2011, pg. 29). Many people would not agree with Singer on this stance. Firefighters-­‐ Pride Parade In Hillcrest, San Diego, four firefighters were required to participate in a gay pride parade in 2007. The firefighters were sexually harassed by parade participants and sued the city over this matter. The court awarded them $34,300 plus over a half-­‐million dollars just in legal fees. The firefighters, John Ghiotto, Chad Allison, Jason Hewitt and Alexander Kane, “had sued because they felt it was wrong to have been forced by their superiors to take part in the parade” (Jones, 2010). Ghiotto said Friday, “This whole thing could have been solved in a day. They knew two or three days before that we didn’t want to be in that parade”” (Jones, 2010). A big question here is why were they forced when the four clearly did not want to attend the parade. The four had 1,800 attorneys backing them; the attorneys are apart of an organization called Alliance Defending Freedom. “The organization describes itself as a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-­‐minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith” (Jones, 2010). No one should be forced to participate in an event or activity that goes against their deeply held religious belief. Sweet Cakes Melissa and Aaron own a bakery called Sweet Cakes by Melissa. They were openly Christian as verses were displayed on their website and business cards. When the shop was open Christian music was played. “Before we opened, we asked THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 26 our pastor to come and dedicate the business to God, not once did anyone object to our expressions of faith; in fact, people often said they appreciated our openness about our faith” (Perkins, pg. 160, 2011). It was their business why would anyone object? If they do object they should take their business elsewhere. A woman came into the bakery; she needed a cake for her daughter’s upcoming wedding. After some discussion it became apparent that the daughter was marrying another woman. Aaron told her politely that the bakery could not bake a cake celebrating an activity that violated their deeply held religious beliefs. She called him a hypocrite and said this was discrimination. Then he said, “ I let her have her say, and my only response to her was to tell her I believed what the Bible says” (Perkins, pg. 161, 2011). Shortly after the incident the couple received a notice from the United States Department of Justice saying that they would be investigated for discrimination. Aaron emailed a radio talk show host, Lars Larson and explained what happened, and before he knew it he was on the show. Aaron said “The next day, more than two hundred new customers showed up wanting to buy stuff”. “Then the next day we had a line outside our shop that stretched for a block and a half. We couldn’t bake enough products to keep up with the demand” (Perkins, pg. 161, 2011). This couple choose to stand up for what they believe, they did it politely and there should not have been a problem because we have the First Amendment giving us religious liberty and freedom in the United States. Hobby Lobby This case is because the Affordable Care Act requires businesses to provide abortion to their employees. This case, Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, was to “determine whether THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 27 the government has the power to force family business owners to act against their faith based solely on their companies’ form of organization” (Burwell v Hobby Lobby). In June 2013 the court ruled, “by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals protecting Hobby Lobby and the Green family from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate…The Greens argued that the mandate substantially burdened their religious beliefs in violation of a federal law, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act” (Burwell v Hobby Lobby). This case now should be the standard for other cases because of precedents and this ruling is a part of history. If you are not familiar with “the Religious Freedom Restoration Act” it is a law to protect the First Amendment. It is interesting that we have come to a place where we have to make laws to protect the Constitution, which is supposed to be the law of the land. Little Sisters of the Poor V. Burwell Today we have the case of the Little Sisters of the Poor v. Burwell. The Little Sisters of the Poor is an organization of Roman Catholic Nuns that serve the elderly and the needy. They “urged the Supreme Court to protect them from $70 million dollars in government fines for refusing to violate their Catholic faith. This is the second time the Sisters have been forced to ask the Supreme Court for protection from the government’s efforts to make them provide contraceptives to their employees.” (The Becket Fund, 2016). Why is this happening when providing contraceptives to their employees is against what they believe, we are supposed to have religious liberty in this country! This group dedicates their lives to help people in our Nation; they should not be punished, but applauded. “The Little Sisters should THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 28 not have to fight their own government to get an exemption it has already given to thousands of other employers, including big companies like Exxon and Pepsi Cola Bottling Company” (The Becket Fund, 2016). The U.S Supreme Court should render their decision on this in June. Policy Based on Judo-­‐Christian Foundation Currently America is a very tolerant nation to every other religion besides Christianity. Because our Nation is tolerant of other religions, Christians should have the same respect, but currently they are not treated that way. Christians are being told to sit in the back of the bus. The First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”. This Amendment is supposed to protect the church and give religious liberty and religious freedom to the people of America. This religious liberty and protection the Bill of Rights gives has been granted to all religions. America should have never reached this point, but sin lives in this world and it draws men to live of the world instead of just in the world. Today we have many things that go against the First Amendment; we need to repeal everything that goes against religious liberty and religious freedom. Children and teachers no matter the religion should have the freedom to pray how they want to, and to whom they desire, because this is one of the key concepts in founding this nation. Aspects of every case where the Judeo-­‐Christian foundation was ripped out of our nation should be revoked and religious liberty should fill the void. We are supposed to have religious freedom in this Nation. This is one of the freedoms the Constitution gives us. We should not be forced to participate in an event or activity THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 29 that goes against an individual’s beliefs such as forced abortions and forcing businesses to cater to customer’s beliefs that are opposed by the business owner’s deeply held religious beliefs. Business used to have the right to refuse service to anyone, no matter the reason, “no shoes, no service”. Our country has turned upside down and is going to implode on itself, if things do not change. Americans should have the freedom to believe the religion of their choosing and have the ability to live according to their beliefs, as the Founders intended. When God is taken out of this country what morals will we stand upon? What will the standard be? There will not be a standard. This is why, since 1962 when we removed prayer from schools, America is now number one in: divorce, violent crimes, teen pregnancy’s, abortions, AIDS, drug use and for all the industrial nations we are the most illiterate (Barton, pg.24, 1993). How did this happen? Our Judeo-­‐
Christian Foundation was taken out of this nation and we turned from God. Our policy’s have changed to accommodate the changing culture and will continue to accommodate our culture as it becomes more secular. This affects all policy in this nation; with God in a positive way, without God in a negative way. New things will probably be added to the discussion, for example different types of marriages, such as polygamy, or NAMBLA (North American Man Boy Love Association), ideas that the government will have to develop policy around. This would have not happened if our Judeo-­‐Christian Foundation was not written out of our history and out of this nation. If we go back to our roots and let God back in our Nation we can begin to become a moral society again. If the United States continues on the path that it is on, this nation will surely fall. THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 30 Conclusion After reading this paper hopefully the audience has a better understanding of this topic and has a new idea of America’s Judeo-­‐Christian founding and the relevance it brings to the country’s policy and future governance to keep this nation standing. The United States was founded upon a Judeo-­‐Christian foundation, all people have to do is read this country’s history and documents to come to this conclusion as well, but the problem is most will not. THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 31 References Arther S. Demoss Foundation (1986). The rebirth of America. Arther S. Demoss Foundation Benjamin Weiss (1966) God in American History. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan publishing House Brainy Quotes (2016). Retrieved from: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/r/ronaldreag385754.html Burwell v Hobby Lobby. The ruling. Retrieved from: http://hobbylobbycase.com/ David Barton (1993) Americas Godly Heritage. Aledo, Texas: Wallbuilders Press Gray, C.L. MD. (2011). The Battle for America’s Soul Healthcare, the Culture War, and the Future of Freedom. Hickory, NC : Eventide Publishing Jones harry (2010). The San Diego union-­‐Tribune. Retrieved from: http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2010/oct/16/appeals-­‐court-­‐
upholds-­‐verdict-­‐pride-­‐parade-­‐firefig/ King James (1978) bible. Chicago: Moody Press Monticello (1987). Retrieved from: https://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/quotations-­‐jefferson-­‐
memorial#Inscription_under_the_Dome Peter Marshall, David Manuel (1977) The Light and the Glory, Did God have a plan for America. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Published by Fleming H. Revell A division of Baker book house Co. The Becket Fund (January 4, 2016) The becket fund for religious liberty. Retrieved from: http://www.becketfund.org/little-­‐sisters-­‐scotus-­‐brief/ THE SOUL AND SENSE OF AMERICA 32 The new English primer (reprint 1991) The new English primer. Aledo, Texas: Wallbuilders Press Tony Perkins (2011) No fear real stories of a courageous new generation standing for truth. Colorado Springs: Waterbook Press Wallbuilders. The founders as Christians. Retrieved from: http://www.wallbuilders.com/libissuesarticles.asp?id=78 William J. Federer (1994) America’s God and country Encyclopedia Of Quotations. Coppell, Texas: FAME Publishing Inc.