Videos of the day: Happy Independence Day, America!
by LauraLoo and Hans Johnson
Here’s a quick and fun history lesson from Schoolhouse Rock on the birth of the United States July 4, 1776:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmSVnP-oDRs[/youtube]
The Unanimous Declaration of the
Thirteen United States of America
In Congress, July 4, 1776
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; that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.
Rep. James Lankford (R-OK) says the right to life is self-evident, and believes our government should be altered because it is destructive of the right to life. From the House Floor:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CdTnKWury0[/youtube]
Email dailyvid@jillstanek.com with your video suggestions.
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
It seems to me a peculiar thing….even more so being an evangelical…even fundamentalist on most points….that American Christians use the words of an unbeliever to highlight, even bolster, their beliefs and arguments that somehow America was and still is a Christian nation.
Thomas Jefferson penned these words above. Thomas Jefferson the Diest….the Unitarian. He also authored a type of Bible….his version of the Gospels… which EXCLUDED every mention, reference or even inkling of the divinity of Jesus Christ…the True Source of Freedom and Liberty.
For those who are unaware…..or would like to read it…. here is a link which is interesting as it has the not only Jefferson’s text…but the unrevised King James Version so you can see for yourself what Jefferson omitted and kept.
http://www.angelfire.com/co/JeffersonBible/
Here is a Wiki article on the Jefferson Bible in richer detail…..
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Bible
There is simply WAY to much conflation by Christians in this country of the Founding Father’s personal beliefs onto documents which framed and set the course of a Libertarian country where religion would be but one facet of that Libertarianism….not a State sanctioned one. Although many of the Founding Fathers expressed their desire and correct opinion that American, in order to flourish and survive in the long run, be run by citizens of Christian thinking and persuasion, certainly left it up to the people. In order for any one to think that this was a Christian nation, you would have to find a point in time in which America was a Theocracy based on Christian principles and law. Of course….there is no time period. And the occasional reference to God or Divine Providence, much less Jesus Christ by name, does not make a nation a Christian Nation.
For as Christ said himself…..“You will know them by their fruits.”
Where do we see the Fruits of this so called Christian Nation today?
Let me guess…..as the immigrants come into Ellis Island greeted by a Pagan Goddess.
Or perhaps Roe v Wade.
Or perhaps Gay Marriage
Or perhaps the #1 producer and consumer of pornography
Or perhaps the #1 market in the world for illegal and legal drugs.
Or perhaps the #1 consumer of anti-depressants
Or the #1 consumer market of any nation on the earth
Or the most gluttonous nation on the earth
And yet…..the very man you quote…the Diest…the Unitarian…..the denier of Christ the Son of God……gives you all the philosophical reason to do what you must do….eventually anyway. Namely, dissolve the bonds between you and the corrupt and tyrannical government that controls you. The Founding Fathers did not vote themselves freedom by electing sympathetic people to Parliament in England. They just simply quit and seceded. Of course, they had to defend that right by the gun.
The questions you have to ask are…..when…not if…..is this going to have to happen to secure for ourselves our Freedoms, including the right of an unborn child not to be murdered…..AND when it does happen….do you have the courage of the Founding Fathers to die for it?
Otherwise…quoting Jefferson as part of your remembrance of the 4th of July is useless at best….hypocritical at worst.
Name me a more Christian nation than the U.S.A. We mean by that a majority being Christian, and conducive to the practice of religion. None of the founders and few in the country ever intended it to be a theocracy like ancient Israel.
And nowhere in the New Testament will you find the demand that we make a government follow The Way. We are to render unto Caesar and look forward to the Millenium when there WILL be a theocracy.
In the meantime, it would be helpful not to share in Mr. and Mrs. Obama’s low opinion of their country. They and you may be ashamed of it, but most of us are not.
Happy Independence Day!!
To Hans Johnson…..
I cannot name another country that is more Christian because a Christian nation has never existed. If you want me to name another country that SELF-identifies with Christianity more than America then, once again, I cannot. All the polls every year (although that is decreasing year over year) state that WE look at ourselves as a Christian nation. But once again…our FRUITS say otherwise.
You make the mistake of conflating what WE say as a nation in a poll about being a “Christian” nation with the generous, charitable nature of the country as opposed to other countries in the world. I would remind you of the words of Jesus when he said…..
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.
Be very careful about polls and self-examinations. America’s opinion of itself and what God sees could be a VERY different thing. Once again…..examine the FRUIT !
To your point Hans about theocracy. I’m sorry. Who did you read on this thread that said anything about the Founding Fathers wanting a theocracy or that the New Testament demanded we make our government this way? Read my post again carefully.
To Carla….
Thank you…but I will mark the day as it can only properly be observed…..as America’s TRUE Memorial Day.
A Day of Mourning.
But for only so long. As the wisest man who ever lived, Solomon, after looking over his vast and wonderous kingdom, proclaimed………
1 The words of the Teacher,[a] son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!”
says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless.”
3 What do people gain from all their labors
at which they toil under the sun?
4 Generations come and generations go,
but the earth remains forever.
The Doom of America was planted in the Garden of Eden….for if Adam and Eve could throw away their PERFECT freedom….freedom from sin….freedom from death….freedom from sickness, oppression, tyranny, fear, doubt, shame, sadness, depression, loneliness, pain, rejection….TOTAL FREEDOM and not only that but Communion with Father God Himself…..
…..then how could anyone expect a piece of paper called the Constitution or the Bill of Rights or a Declaration of Independence restore for any length of time….much less in perpetuity…..what was lost at the Garden of Eden?
And if you understand that….AND….see the rot of the Fruit of this nation as it stands now…..knowing it can never be made right for it could not be right from the beginning then why waste anymore time worshipping it on the 4th of July or any day for that matter? America is the enemy of God’s Kingdom and God’s people….both Gentile and Hebrew…. as all man made countries become. Even Israel throughout history, with the VISIBLE presence of God at their side, rejected God and became an enemy of God and God’s Kingdom. So, once again, what hope did America ever have of being either a Godly or Christian nation for any length of time?
But I encourage you not to believe me…at all. Just observe. Let the facts on the ground now….and in the coming years….prove either you or me wrong.
To Jumbotron,
My comment was not directed to you specifically.
Man-o-man, Danny I think that you think that you speak the truth, but in reality you are so far off base that it is hard even knowing where to begin ….
First: We assume to be in charge of our quest for God. (pride) Perhaps this is a favored approach by many (especially His flock), but in the books “God in Search of Man’ by Rabbi Abraham Heschel, a wildly different and highly plausible view is presented.
Second when we talk of God, we are not necessarly talking about the religious knowlege (or faith). There is also a philosophical ‘knowledge’ known as metaphysics. It mainly is about what God DOES/powers.. {Under Christian thought for years, ‘God’ is usually referred to as male, but this is not required.} Any reference to God in the constitution/or other notions in the political rhelmn are of this notion AND THEY DO NOT PROMOTE ANY (one) RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVE. That said, the common reference to God and human-rights is not biblical and the whole concept of a Christian-nation/society is so far fetched, it is laughable. It is proper to speak of God, without any reference at all to scripture.
Thirdly: Any religion (Christianity too) is about WHO GOD IS vs WHAT GOD DOES …. GOD’S preferences to(not to) RELATE to us. [Is He a ‘he’? Does he wish to be Father …. Abba? Are we His flock/family/people? Does He even want to be involved in our lives (or remain at arms length while we atrociously kill and kill)?] To relate God does not require any of us to be perfect … we grow. And as a society we also grow. Just as it would be preposterous for a human-father to abandon his child (and still be loving) so too, God does not abandon us, even in our stupidities and ignorance!