"God in the Square"

"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, among these are the rights to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."

These stirring words "We hold these truths…" were not merely an after thought or aesthetic additions to the Declaration of Independence. The truths expressed in this sentence were the very foundation upon which the American Colonies separated from England a little over 200 years ago. The ideas expressed in this sentence set in motion, the greatest experiment in freedom mankind has ever attempted.

Clearly the founders of these United States held a Judeo / Christian worldview. They, our Founding Fathers, believed that the basis of all individual rights were a direct blessing from the God of the Bible. Thomas Jefferson said, "Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed their only firm basis; a conviction in the minds of the people that those liberties are the gift of God."

Our Founding Fathers likewise believed that to preserve this new nation would require each citizen to acknowledge the God of the Bible and His Commandments. John Adams said, "religion and virtue are the only foundation of all free government."

Our Founding Fathers did not give us a perfect government, and while our system of government still has it's own unique problems, the United States remains a beacon of hope to the tired, the poor and the oppressed. This nation, built on a firm belief in Jesus Christ, continues to provide the greatest opportunities for each individual to live, to be free, and attempt to succeed.

Ironically though, many living under God's blessing of freedom, would choose, (because of references to God), for the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and the Declaration of Independence to be illegal in public schools. Even our judicial system has ejected God from the public square by, deeming the posting of the Ten Commandments to be unconstitutional.

If indeed the future of our government rests as James Madison put it, on "the capacity of each and all of us… to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments", How long can we preserve our nation while publicly and privately rejecting the God who gave us our freedom and our nation?

Think about it!