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God and America
Belief in God is anchored in the Declaration of Independence:
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, 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, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
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 among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
From these the Fathers of our Nation had faith in, and firm reliance on, the divine Providence of the Creator, in Nature’s God.
The Pledge of Allegiance says:
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
America is one Nation under God, consistent with the Declaration. (Established by Public Law 396, a joint resolution by the Senate and House of Representatives in Congress.)
People forget that America was not founded by atheists. It was founded by Christians for a democratic, not a theocratic, cause.
On the Jefferson Memorial is the following quotation of Thomas Jefferson underscoring the importance of God:
“Almighty God hath created the mind free. All attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burthens . . . are a departure from the plan of the Holy Author of our religion . . . No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship or ministry or shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief, but all men shall be free to profess and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion. I know but one code of morality for men whether acting singly or collectively.”
And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God?
www.monticello.org/reports/quotes/memorial.html
In his first Inaugural Address George Washington spoke of his
“fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes, and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success the functions allotted to his charge.”
www.bartleby.com/124/pres13.html
House Resolution 847 of the 110th CONGRESS (dated December 2007) states:
Resolved, That the House of Representatives
(1) recognizes the Christian faith as one of the great religions of the world;
(2) expresses continued support for Christians in the United States and worldwide;
(3) acknowledges the international religious and historical importance of Christmas and the Christian faith;
(4) acknowledges and supports the role played by Christians and Christianity in the founding of the United States and in the formation of the western civilization;
(5) rejects bigotry and persecution directed against Christians, both in the United States and worldwide; and
(6) expresses its deepest respect to American Christians and Christians throughout the world.
thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.RES.847:
In 1956, House Joint Resolution 396 established as motto of the United States the phrase “In God we trust”:
“At the present time the United States has no national motto. The committee deems it most appropriate that ‘In God we trust’ be so designated as U.S. national motto.”
It was upheld 50 years later in 2006 by a unanimous vote of resolution S. Con. Res. 96.
References.
www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=2790
www.eisenhower.archives.gov/research/GUIDES/Eisenhower_and_religion.pdf
Samuel Prime 