RESOLUTION
ON
FAITH OF AMERICANS
KC-1416-021
Preamble
Whereas, The Motto of the United States is: “In God We Trust” and is printed on our coins and
paper money 1; and
Whereas, The 2012 Idaho Republican Party Platform begins with these words: “ We believe
the strength of our nation lies with our faith and reliance on God our Creator,…” 2; and
Whereas, The Preamble to the Idaho Constitution contains the following words: "We, the
people of the State of Idaho, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom..."3 ; and
Whereas, The constitutions of all fifty states contain some mention of God; 32 states include
the words “Almighty God”, 5 states include the word “God”, the rest contain words such as
“Divine Guidance”, “Creator” etc. 4; and
Whereas, The Declaration of Independence includes the following references to God: “That
all Men are created equal”, “the Supreme Judge of the World”, “with a firm Reliance on the
Protection of divine Providence” 5; and
Whereas, Of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, most, if not all 56 were,
affiliated with a Christian church; of the 48 signers of the Articles of Confederation, most, if not
all 48, were affiliated with a Christian church and; of the 55 delegates to the Constitutional
Convention, most, if not all 55, were affiliated with a Christian church 6; and
Whereas, Washington, in his Farewell Address prayed to the Almighty, and noted the
connection between morality and religion 7; and
Whereas, There are two Christian references in the U.S. Constitution: 1, Sundays were not
counted in the days for the president’s signature or rejection of a bill, and 2, the date of
signing, in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven 8; and
Whereas, Benjamin Franklin moved for prayer for the Constitutional Convention 9; and
Whereas, The Mayflower Compact honored God in settling early America 10; and
Adopted August 25, 2015
Page 1 of 5
Whereas, The Supreme Court declared “we are a Christian people, and the morality of the
country is deeply engrafted upon Christianity ” 11; and
Whereas, Most oaths in the U.S. end with “so help me God” and many require placing the left
hand on the Bible, and raising the right hand 12; and
Whereas, Above the East entry to the Supreme Court building are the figures of a number of
law makers throughout ancient history, the most prominent (in the middle) being Moses with
the Ten Commandments13; and
Whereas, Many of the Ten Commandments are the basis of American law, especially at the
state level 14; and
Whereas, The basis for the punishment for many of our capital crimes is the Bible 15; and
Whereas, The pledge to the American Flag includes the words: “…one nation under God…” 16;
and
Whereas, The U.S. Supreme Court sessions begin with the words: “God save the United
States and this Honorable Court” 17; and
Whereas, Our President, at a time of great national tragedy, said: “God bless America”,
something officials in other countries seem unable to do 18; and
Whereas, It is evident from the above that America was founded on precepts found in the
Bible, and not other religions; now, therefore, be it
Main Motion
Resolved, That the Kootenai County Republican Central committee requests that the
Governor and other state officials serve in a manner supporting the Judeo-Christian Biblical
basis of law; and be it further
Resolved, That the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee encourages and calls
upon the Idaho legislature and the Governor of Idaho to yearly set aside a time in public
schools and other public venues for the reading of the Magna Carta, the Mayflower Compact,
and the Declaration of Independence so that the people of Idaho may know the religious
foundation upon which their government rests; and be it further
Resolved, That Judeo-Christian prayer be offered at the beginning of public meetings,
seeking divine guidance for the meeting and for their particular administrations.
Adopted August 25, 2015
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NOTES
Introduction
We have all observed a trend in this country toward more secularism, and a moving away from the principles of
our founding. The purpose of this resolution is to take some small step toward reversing that trend.
No.
Notes
1
In God we Trust is printed on our money.
http://www.treasury.gov/about/education/Pages/in-god-we-trust.aspx
2
The 2012 Idaho Republican Party Platform includes a reference to God our Creator.
“We believe the strength of our nation lies with our faith and reliance on God our Creator,”
http://www.idgop.org/
3
God is mentioned in the Idaho Constitution: We, the people of the state of Idaho, grateful to Almighty God
for our freedom, to secure its blessings and promote our common welfare do establish this Constitution.
http://undergod.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000081
http://legislature.idaho.gov/idstat/IC/Title003.htm
4
God is mentioned in the constitutions of all 50 states. 32 states include the words “Almighty God”, 5 states
include the word “God”, the rest contain words such as “Divine Guidance”, “Creator” etc.
http://undergod.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000081
5
God is mentioned in the Declaration of Independence, or a reference is made to a Supreme Being:
http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/documents/1776-1785/the-final-text-of-the-declaration-of-independence-july-41776.php
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html
6
Faiths of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, signers of the Articles of Confederation, and
delegates to the Constitutional Convention were at least nominally Christian.
http://www.adherents.com/gov/Founding_Fathers_Religion.html
7
Washington, in his Farewell Address, mentions the importance of Religion and Morality, as well as his
prayer to the Almighty to correct any unintentional errors.
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-CDOC-106sdoc21/pdf/GPO-CDOC-106sdoc21.pdf
In the section: Religion and Morality, and in the Conclusion.
http://www.wallbuilders.com/libissuesarticles.asp?id=62
Adopted August 25, 2015
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No.
8
Notes
1. Sundays were not counted in the days given the President to sign or reject a bill:
U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 7; Paragraph II.
2. U.S. Constitution, Article VII, Paragraph II. “…in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred
and Eighty seven…”
Year of our Lord counts from the birth of Jesus Christ and indicates the date the document was signed.
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/04/25/the-year-of-our-lord-christian-phrase-still-used-on-state-docum/
9
Benjamin Franklin called for prayer at the Constitutional Convention: “that henceforth prayers imploring
the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations”.
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/benfranklin.htm
10 The Mayflower Compact of the Pilgrims was written: “…for the glorie of God, and advancemente of the
Christian faith…” http://xroads.virginia.edu/~cap/puritan/purhist.html
11 Supreme Court declares we are a Christian People:
“…case assumes that we are a Christian people, and the morality of the country is deeply engrafted upon
Christianity, and not upon the doctrines or worship of those impostors." Church of the Holy Trinity Vrs. U.
S. page 143 U.S. 471
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Holy_Trinity_v._United_States
Church of the Holy Trinity Vrs. U.S. page 143 U.S. 471
“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.”
https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/143/457/case.html
12 Most oaths in the United States end with “So Help Me God”, and some require raising the right hand and
placing the left hand on Bible.
General oaths: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/So_help_me_God
Enlistment Oath: http://www.army.mil/values/oath.html
Officers: http://www.army.mil/values/officers.html
Jury Oaths: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juror%27s_oath
13 Moses is found in the frieze as you enter the Supreme Court Building.
[Different commentators place this either on the East or the South entry.]
http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/capital.asp
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Supreme_Court_Building
http://www.supremecourt.gov/about/courtbuilding.aspx
http://architecture.about.com/od/greatbuildings/ss/SupremeCourt.htm#step6
14 The Ten Commandments are found in the Bible in Exodus chapter 20.
15 Some capital crimes are mentioned in the Bible in Exodus chapter 21.
Adopted August 25, 2015
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No.
Notes
16 The pledge to the American flag includes the words: “…one nation under God…”
http://www.ushistory.org/documents/pledge.htm
17 The U.S. Supreme Court begins with the following words: “God save the United States and this Honorable
Court”.
http://williamhfranklin.blogspot.com/2010/10/all-rise-god-save-united-states-and.html
18 http://www.nccs.net/2005-07-can-god-save-the-united-states-supreme-court.php
Scalia, J., dissenting
SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES
No. 03—1693
McCREARY COUNTY, KENTUCKY, et al., PETITIONERS v. AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES
UNION OF KENTUCKY et al.
ON WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SIXTH CIRCUIT
[June 27, 2005]
Justice Scalia, in his dissenting opinion, writes:
On September 11, 2001, I was attending in Rome, Italy an international conference of judges and lawyers, principally
from Europe and the United States. That night and the next morning virtually all of the participants watched, in their
hotel rooms, the address to the Nation by the President[Bush] of the United States concerning the murderous attacks
upon the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, in which thousands of Americans had been killed. The address ended, as
Presidential addresses often do, with the prayer “God bless America.” The next afternoon I was approached by one of
the judges from a European country, who, after extending his profound condolences for my country’s loss, sadly
observed “How I wish that the Head of State of my country, at a similar time of national tragedy and distress, could
conclude his address ‘God bless ______.’ It is of course absolutely forbidden.”
Adopted August 25, 2015
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