presents
Pamphlet #511
"A Christian Nation"
(America was founded to be Christian)
There are those that claim that America
was not meant to be a "Christian nation"
as this would be discriminatory against other religions.
However that may be,
the records of the group of men that gathered in Philadelphia in 1776
- Washington, Franklin, Jefferson --
show they did establish this nation under God (Christ).
Also,
America has been legally declared a Christian nation many times
by the Supreme Court of the United States.
Foremost was the declaration
February 29, 1892
in a case involving a church
and certain taxes.
(Holy Trinity Church vs. United
States, 143 U.S. 471)
The highest court of the land,
after mentioning various circumstances,
added the following words:
"and a volume of unofficial
declarations to the mass of organic utterances
that this is a Christian Nation."
Let it be noted that this nation is not to be "anti" any religion
and it is not to be "hetero-religious" (many religions).
It is to be Christian,
It was designed recognize worship of God
through Christ,
the Savior,
the only Mediator between God and man.
As a Christian nation,
it is to be generous and tolerate freedom of worship.
But,
as a nation,
it is not meant to be merely "religious",
it is to be Christian.
It should also be noted that the framers
of all the early Constitutions of the States
recognized this nation as a Christian nation.
This was evidenced by such points
as;
belief in Christ being a condition
of holding public office,
tax support and maintenance
of public Christian schools,
recognition of Sunday as the
Lord's Day
and recognition of Deity.
This was expressed in terms such
as
"Grateful to Almighty God,"
"So help me God"
and
"in the name of God, Amen."
and often
reference was made to the God
of the Old and New Testaments
of the Bible.
The members of the Supreme Court of the United States
take their oath of office with their hand on the Bible,
the Testimony of Jesus Christ,
thus recognizing His authority as being greater than theirs.
Washington,
when offered a crown to establish this nation as a monarchy said,
"America already has a King,
God is our King."
Going back to the establishment of the first colonies
we find that in 1696,
King James I of England,
who issued the first Charter,
began with these words:
"We greatly commending,
and graciously accepting of,
their desires for the furtherance of so noble a work,
which may be the providence of Almighty God,
hereafter tend to the glory of His Divine Majesty,
in propagating the Christian religion
to such people as yet live in darkness and miserable ignorance
of the true knowledge and worship of God,"
Subsequent charters were issued
in 1609 and 1611
containing the same religious
reference.
The pilgrim fathers who risked
their lives and limbs to cross the sea
did so "for the glory of God
and advancement of the Christian faith."
In 1620 the Pilgrims,
in their tiny boat the Mayflower,
bobbed across the broad Atlantic
to effect their own words expressed in their now famous compact:
"Having undertaken for the glory
of God
and the advancement of the Christian
faith
and honor of our king and country
a voyage to plant the first
colony in the northern parts of Virginia."
And in the same year,
King James I,
in answer to another petition,
granted the New England Charter,
in which was included the following
clause:
"We according to our princely
inclination,
favoring much their worthy disposition,
in hope thereby to advance the
enlargement of Christian religion,
to the Glory of God Almighty."
The Charter of Massachusetts
Bay
granted by King William and
Queen Mary,
and preceding the one by King
Charles I,
stated in part:
"may win and incite the natives
of the country
to their knowledge and obedience
of the only true God and Savior of mankind,
and the Christian faith."
The fundamental orders of Connecticut,
under which a provisional government
was instituted in 1638-1639 stated:
"and well knowing where a people
are gathered together
the word of God requires that
to maintain the peace
and union of such a people
there should be an orderly and
decent government established
according to God,
to order and dispose of the
affairs of the people
at all seasons as occasion shall
require;
do therefore associate and conjoin
ourselves
to be as one public state of
commonwealth;
and do for ourselves and our
successors
and such as shall be adjoined
to us at any time hereafter
enter into combination and confederation
together to maintain and preserve
the liberty and purity of the
gospel of our Lord Jesus which we now profess,
as also the discipline of the
churches,
which according to the truth
of said gospel is now practiced."
One could go on and on,
showing by history,
tradition and statistics that the United States is,
in fact to be a Christian nation.
Christianity came to this country with the first colonist;
has ever been powerfully identified with its rapid development,
both as a colonial and national government,but sadly,
today,
no longer exists as
a mighty factor
in the life of
the Republic of the United States.
If we don't change,
if we don't return to the days
of Christian influence,
we will lose our freedoms and our country!
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