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ONE
NATION UNDER GOD?
In the days just after
the 9-11 attacks it seemed that there might be a desire among
Americans to turn back to the Lord. But just when you might be hopeful
that the national seeds of spiritual renewal were beginning to
germinate in our country, up pops the weeds of liberalism and atheism,
eager to choke off any acknowledgment of a belief, reverence and need
for the Almighty. Specifically, I am referring to the decision by the
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, who ruled that
schoolchildren should not recite the pledge of allegiance because the
phrase "under God" violates the Establishment Clause of the First
Amendment. When the decision was greeted with an opposing outcry from
almost every politician within the Beltway - not to mention millions
of average citizens - the Ninth Circuit said it would "reconsider."
The ruling came as the result of a complaint filed by a California
atheist on behalf of his daughter, who it seems did not personally
have a problem with the pledge. Yet, the father felt that it was
treacherous for teachers to compel his daughter to recite this phrase
"against her will." In an interview with FOX News' Tony Snow, it
became evident that the plaintiff's objection was not with the
reference to a generic "God" but the inference that "under God"
actually meant "under Jesus." In other words, his problem is with
acknowledging the Son, the Messiah of the World, as the spiritual
guardian and savior of our nation. He, in fact, blatantly denied the
very notion that Jesus is the Son of God and that is, by definition,
the spirit of Antichrist. The Apostle John warned that, "Every
spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is
not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have
heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world"
(I Jn 4:3).
Therefore, as asinine as this Court decision is, we really shouldn't
be surprised by it or its timing. America is still recovering from one
of its most tragic times and many Americans are wondering how God -
not Allah, Buddha or that phantom "higher power" but the God of the
Bible - factors into this. Even so, and in spite of the severity of
our national crisis, those who are offended by the message of the
Messiah will not cease in their attempts to distance that message from
our classrooms and city halls. It is absolutely amazing that atheism
has been so successful in rewriting the history of America. By and
large, they have convinced John Q. Citizen that this nation's founders
never wanted God and politics to share the same space. Yet, America's
founding fathers acknowledged that this nation was indebted to the
Creator on a colossal scale. They understood the only way to honor the
debt was to honor Him as our Sovereign Protector, to adopt the
principles of His Word as the basis of our society and to make His
laws the law of the land.
George Washington is quoted as saying, "No people can be bound to
acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of
men more than the people of the United States. Every step by which
they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to
have been distinguished by some token of providential agency. . . . We
ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can
never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of
order and right which Heaven itself has ordained."
Mr. Washington not only confirms that the founders acknowledged the
United States was established providentially, but also warned future
generations that should we disregard what God ordains, then those
blessings we hold so dear - liberty, abundance, etc. - may one day
cease to be. September 11 may have served as a dramatic indication
that this possibility may already be upon us.
It is time for us all to be realistic. Instead of a display of
gratitude to the One who has blessed this nation with freedom, our
collective arrogance has driven us to defy Him in an effort to be free
from Him. Instead of showing our thankfulness for the abundance He has
bestowed upon us, our lust and greed has seduced us into worshiping
the abundance instead. Considering the unique history of our nation,
our relationship with God and understanding how the Lord deals with
those He loves, September 11 was bound to happen.
Just days after the September 11 tragedy, TIME published a special
edition devoted totally to the events of that day. In that edition one
reporter wrote, "If you want to humble an empire it makes sense to
maim its cathedrals. They are symbols of its faith, and when they
crumple and burn, it tells us we are not so powerful and we can't be
safe. The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, planted at the base
of Manhattan island with the Stature of Liberty as their sentry, and
the Pentagon, a squat, concrete fort on the banks of the Potomac, are
the sanctuaries of money and power that our enemies may imagine define
us. But that assumes our faith rests on what we can buy and build, and
that has never been America's true God."
Had this been written two hundred years ago, it would have been much
more accurate. In the infancy of our nation, we depended on the
Almighty. However, what once was a surety has since become a question
mark. Perhaps our gods are currently personified by these two
buildings and that is exactly why these two landmarks were struck with
such ferocity. Maybe our gods are the very abilities and ingenuity
that designed and constructed those concrete icons. Is it not our
immense diversity and collective capability that we take so much pride
in? Is this not what we uphold as the true "Spirit of America"? That
is what members of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals seems to think.
It may be that soon, "under God" is dropped from the pledge in an
effort not only to show tolerance for other beliefs but to foster
harmony among the peoples of our diverse and secular nation by
removing any obstacle that would divide us - even if the obstacle is
God. It might be even more accurate to say that we have become a
nation "under many gods"? If that is true, then we are clearly not
"one nation" and we certainly aren't "indivisible." If we continue on
this path to remove the one true God from our society, then the
divisions that have been held together for so long by His favor and
grace will explode apart in dramatic fashion. America the melting pot
will become America the boiling pot. Should we fail to respond to the
warnings of 9-11 and stand up and resist the efforts of those who
would remove God from our society, I’m afraid that similar dramatic
events will continue to occur.
Federal Hall in New York City. From this spot, George Washington took
the oath of office as first President of the United States. As he
swore to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution," his right
hand rested on the pages of an open Bible. It was opened to
Deuteronomy 28 & 29 - blessings and curses. This building is located
at the corner of Wall St. and Broad, adjacent to the New York Stock
Exchange.
Bill Cloud
Shoreshim Ministries
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