Today we need to ask if our government recognizes God? Here I will give a synopsis of The United States Christian underpinnings.
What have our presidents
said?
1 George Washington
"To the distinguished Character of Patriot, it should be our
highest Glory to add the more distinguished Character of Christian. The signal
Instances of providential Goodness which we have experienced and which have now
almost crowned our labors with complete Success, demand from us in a peculiar
manner the warmest returns of Gratitude and Piety to the Supreme Author of all
Good.”
“The God who gave us life gave us liberty at
the same time.” “The practice of
morality being necessary for the well being of society, He [God] has taken care
to impress its precepts so indelibly on our hearts that they shall not be
effaced by the subtleties of our brain. We all agree in the obligation of the
moral principles of Jesus and nowhere will they be found delivered in greater
purity than in His discourses.” “I am a Christian in the only sense in
which He wished anyone to be: sincerely attached to His doctrines in preference
to all others.”
“The
belief in a God All Powerful wise and good is so essential to the moral order
of the World and the happiness of man, that arguments which enforce it cannot
be drawn from too many sources,” I have sometimes thought there could not be a
stronger testimony in favor of religion or against temporal enjoyments, even
the most rational and manly, than for men who occupy the most honorable and
gainful departments and [who] are rising in reputation and wealth, publicly to
declare their unsatisfactoriness by becoming fervent advocates in the cause of
Christ; and I wish you may give in your evidence in this way.”
“I
enter on the trust to which I have been called by the suffrages of my fellow-citizens with my
fervent prayers to the Almighty that He will be graciously pleased to continue
to us that protection which He has already so conspicuously displayed in our
favor.”
6 John Quincy
," with fervent supplications for His favor, to His overruling
providence I commit with humble but fearless confidence my own fate and the
future destinies of my country”
7 Andrew Jackson
“And a firm reliance on the goodness of that
Power whose providence mercifully protected our national infancy, and has since
upheld our liberties in various vicissitudes, encourages me to offer up my
ardent supplications that He will continue to make our beloved country the
object of His divine care and gracious benediction.”
8 Martin Van Buren
“I
only look to the gracious protection of the Divine Being whose strengthening
support I humbly solicit, and whom I fervently pray to look down upon us all.
May it be among the dispensations of His providence to bless our beloved
country with honors and with length of days. May her ways be ways of
pleasantness and all her paths be peace.”
10 John Tyler
“It
(Our Constitution) is a common protector of each and all the States; of every
man who lives upon our soil, whether of native or foreign birth; of every
religious sect, in their worship of the Almighty according to the dictates of
their own conscience; of every shade of opinion, and the most free inquiry; of
every art, trade, and occupation consistent with the laws of the States. All are entitled to equal rights and equal
protection. No union exists between church and state, and perfect freedom of
opinion is guaranteed to all sects and creeds.
I enter upon the discharge of the high duties which have been assigned
me by the people, again humbly supplicating that Divine Being who has watched
over and protected our beloved country from its infancy to the present hour to
continue His gracious benedictions upon us, that we may continue to be a
prosperous and happy people.”
11
James K. Polk
“Confidently
relying upon the aid and assistance of the coordinate departments of the
Government in conducting our public affairs, I enter upon the discharge of the
high duties which have been assigned me by the people, again humbly
supplicating that Divine Being who has watched over and protected our beloved
country from its infancy to the present hour to continue His gracious
benedictions upon us, that we may continue to be a prosperous and happy
people.”
12
Zachary Taylor
“I
congratulate you, my fellow-citizens, upon the high state of prosperity to
which the goodness of Divine Providence has conducted our common country. Let
us invoke a continuance of the same protecting care which has led us from small
beginnings to the eminence we this day occupy”
13 Millard Fillmore
Fillmore's ancestors were
Scottish Presbyterians
on his father's side and English dissenters on his mother's. No religious views
found.
14 Franklin Pierce
“It
must be felt that there is no national security but in the nation's humble,
acknowledged dependence upon God and His overruling providence. I can express no better hope for my country
than that the kind Providence
15 James Buchanan
“We
ought to cultivate peace, commerce, and friendship with all nations, and this
not merely as the best means of promoting our own material interests, but in a
spirit of Christian benevolence toward our fellow-men, wherever their lot may
be cast. I shall now proceed to take the
oath prescribed by the Constitution, whilst humbly invoking the blessing of
Divine Providence on this great people.”
16 Abraham Lincoln
“Intelligence,
patriotism, Christianity, and a firm reliance on Him who has never yet forsaken
this favored land are still competent to adjust in the best way all our present
difficulty.” “If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those
offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having
continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives
to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the
offense came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine
attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him?” "the judgments of the Lord are true and
righteous altogether."
17 Andrew Johnson
Johnson was the first U.S. President to
undergo an impeachment trial; the senate fell one
vote short of removing him from office. He is commonly ranked by historians as
being among the worst U.S. presidents. No religious views found.
18 Ulysses S; Grant
“I
ask patient forbearance one toward another throughout the land, and a
determined effort on the part of every citizen to do his share toward cementing
a happy union; and I ask the prayers of the nation to Almighty God in behalf of
this consummation.”
19 Rutherford
B. Hayes
“Looking for the guidance of that Divine Hand by which the destinies of
nations and individuals are shaped, I call upon you, Senators, Representatives,
judges, fellow-citizens, here and everywhere, to unite with me in an earnest
effort to secure to our country the blessings, not only of material prosperity,
but of justice, peace, and union—a union depending not upon the constraint of force,
but upon the loving devotion of a free people; "and that all things may be
so ordered and settled upon the best and surest foundations that peace and
happiness, truth and justice, religion and piety, may be established among us
for all generations."
20 James A. Garfield
“ I
shall greatly rely upon the wisdom and patriotism of Congress and of those who
may share with me the responsibilities and duties of administration, and, above
all, upon our efforts to promote the welfare of this great people and their
Government I reverently invoke the support and blessings of Almighty God.”
21 Chester
22 Grover Cleveland
“let
us not trust to human effort alone, but humbly acknowledging the power and
goodness of Almighty God, who presides over the destiny of nations, and who has
at all times been revealed in our country's history, let us invoke His aid and
His blessings upon our labors.”
23 Benjamin Harrison
“Entering
thus solemnly into covenant with each other, we may reverently invoke and
confidently expect the favor and help of Almighty God—that He will give to me
wisdom, strength, and fidelity, and to our people a spirit of fraternity and a
love of righteousness and peace.”
24 Grover Cleveland
“Above all, I know there is a Supreme Being who rules the affairs of men
and whose goodness and mercy have always followed the American people, and I
know He will not turn from us now if we humbly and reverently seek His powerful
aid.”
25 William McKinley
“Our
faith teaches that there is no safer reliance than upon the God of our fathers,
who has so singularly favored the American people in every national trial, and
who will not forsake us so long as we obey His commandments and walk humbly in
His footsteps.”
26 Theodore Roosevelt
“MY
fellow-citizens, no people on earth have more cause to be thankful than ours,
and this is said reverently, in no spirit of boastfulness in our own strength,
but with gratitude to the Giver of Good who has blessed us with the conditions
which have enabled us to achieve so large a measure of well-being and of
happiness.”
27 William Howard Taft
“I
invoke the considerate sympathy and support of my fellow-citizens and the aid
of the Almighty God in the discharge of my responsible duties.”
28 Woodrow Wilson
“America
29 Warren
“I must utter my belief in the divine
inspiration of the founding fathers. Surely there must have been God's intent
in the making of this new-world Republic.”
30 Calvin Coolidge
“If American democracy is to remain the greatest hope of humanity, it
must continue abundantly in the faith of the Bible.”
31 Herbert Hoover
“THIS occasion is not alone the administration of the most sacred oath
which can be assumed by an American citizen. It is a dedication and
consecration under God to the highest office in service of our people. I assume
this trust in the humility of knowledge that only through the guidance of Almighty
Providence can I hope to discharge its ever-increasing burdens.”
32 Franklin
D. Roosevelt
33 Harry S. Truman
34 Dwight D. Eisenhower
“Before all else, we seek, upon our common labor as a nation, the
blessings of Almighty God. And the hopes in our hearts fashion the deepest
prayers of our whole people.”
35 John F. Kennedy
“the
same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue
around the globe—the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity
of the state, but from the hand of God.
We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first
revolution. With a good conscience our
only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to
lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here
on earth God's work must truly be our own.”
36 Lyndon B. Johnson
“we
have no promise from God that our greatness will endure. We have been allowed
by Him to seek greatness with the sweat of our hands and the strength of our
spirit”. “democracy rests on faith, that
freedom asks more than it gives, and that the judgment of God is harshest on
those who are most favored.” “For
myself, I ask only, in the words of an ancient leader: "Give me now wisdom
and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can
judge this thy people, that is so great?
37 Richard M. Nixon
“let us go forward, firm in our faith, steadfast in our purpose,
cautious of the dangers; but sustained by our confidence in the will of God and
the promise of man.” “Let us go forward
from here confident in hope, strong in our faith in one another, sustained by
our faith in God who created us, and striving always to serve His purpose.”
38 Jerald Ford
” “For millions of
men and women, the church has been the hospital for the soul, the school for
the mind and the safe depository for moral ideas.” “My fellow Americans,
…………... Our great republic is a government of laws and not of men. Here, the
people rule. But there is a higher power, by whatever name we honor Him. Who
ordains not only righteousness but love, not only justice, but mercy.... Let us
restore the golden rule to our political process and let brotherly love purge
our hearts of suspicion and hate.”
39 Jimmy Carter
Here before me is the Bible used in the inauguration
of our first President, in 1789, and I have just taken the oath of office on
the Bible my mother gave me a few years ago, opened to a timeless admonition
from the ancient prophet Micah: "He hath showed thee, O man, what is good;
and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with thy God." (Micah 6:8)
40 Ronald Reagan
“If
we ever forget that we're ‘One Nation Under God’, then we will be a nation gone
under.” “…our founding fathers believed
that “Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant
and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.
41 George H. W. Bush
“And my
first act as President is a prayer. I ask you to bow your heads. Heavenly Father, we bow our heads and thank
You for Your love. Accept our thanks for the peace that yields this day and the
shared faith that makes its continuance likely. Make us strong to do Your work,
willing to heed and hear Your will, and write on our hearts these words: "Use
power to help people." For we are given power not to advance our own
purposes, nor to make a great show in the world, nor a name. There is but one
just use of power, and it is to serve people. Help us to remember it, Lord.
Amen.”
42 Bill Clinton
“The scripture says, "And let us not be weary in well-doing, for in
due season, we shall reap, if we faint not.
From this joyful mountaintop of celebration, we hear a call to service
in the valley. We have heard the trumpets. We have changed the guard. And now,
each in our way, and with God's help, we must answer the call.” May God strengthen our hands for the good
work ahead—and always, always bless our America
43 George W. Bush
“After the Declaration of Independence was signed, Virginia Jefferson
arrived for his inauguration. The years and changes accumulate. But the themes
of this day he would know: our nation’s grand story of courage and its simple
dream of dignity. We are not this
story’s author, who fills time and eternity with his purpose. Yet his purpose
is achieved in our duty, and our duty is fulfilled in service to one
another. Never tiring, never yielding,
never finishing, we renew that purpose today, to make our country more just and
generous, to affirm the dignity of our lives and every life. This work continues. This story goes on. And
an angel still rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm”
44 Barack Obama
“One of the
great strengths of the United States is... we have a very large Christian
population - we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation
or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by
ideals and a set of values.”
45. Donald J. Trump
45. Donald J. Trump
Before America declared independence, patriots in all 13 colonies came together in days of fasting and prayer. In the bitter cold of Valley Forge, Washington and his men had no food, no supplies, and very little chance of victory. It reminded me a little bit of 2016. We had very little chance of victory. (Laughter.) Except for the people in this room and some others believed we were going to win. I believed we were going to win. But what they did have was have an unwavering belief that God was with them. I believe that too. God is with the people in this room.
Our Declaration of Independence states, “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”
Our Constitution, in the Bill of Rights section (which
rights, as we know from the Declaration are granted by our Creator), states
that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or
of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition
the Government for a redress
of grievances”. Most of the dispute over
this passage is due to wrong interpretation of the’ establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof’ part.
Associated writings by those who wrote the passage clearly explain that
it is meant to stop the federal government from setting up a state church
similar to what they had in England
“Many states were as explicit about the need
for a thriving religion as Congress was in its thanksgiving and fast day
proclamations. The Massachusetts Constitution of 1780 declared, for example,
that ‘the happiness of a people, and the good order and preservation of civil
government, essentially depend on piety, religion and morality.’ The states
were in a stronger position to act upon this conviction because they were
considered to possess "general" powers as opposed to the limited,
specifically enumerated powers of Congress.”[1]
Many State
Constitutions have a public
expression of faith.
Connecticut… “The People of Connecticut acknowledging with gratitude, the good providence of God, in having permitted them to enjoy a free government; do, in order more effectually to define, secure, and perpetuate the liberties, rights and privileges which they have derived from their ancestors; hereby, after a careful consideration and revision, ordain and establish the following constitution and form of civil government.”
South Dakota…“We, the people of South Dakota, grateful
to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberties, in order to form a more
perfect and independent government, establish justice, insure tranquility,
provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and preserve to
ourselves and to our posterity the blessings of liberty, do ordain and
establish this Constitution for the state of South Dakota.”
Virginia…“That religion or the duty which we owe to our Creator,
and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and
conviction, not by force or violence; and, therefore, all men are equally
entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of
conscience; and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian
forbearance, love, and charity towards each other.”
Some of ‘We The
People’ said-
In
1986, U.S. District Court Judge Frank McGarr said - “The truth is that America
John Jay,
the first chief justice of the Supreme Court said, “It is the duty as well as
the privilege and interest of our Christian nation you select and prefer
Christians for their rulers” and that “this is a
Christian nation”.
Patrick Henry said that “this country was not founded
by religionists but by Christians, not on religions but on the gospel of Jesus
Christ.”
In 1911, Woodrow Wilson said, “America
Charles Hodge,
who was the principal of the Princeton Theological Seminary
between 1851 and 1878, said, “The
proposition that the United
States of America
After exhaustive study and
review of our history, in 1892, the
Supreme Court declared that we are a Christian Nation.[2]
Calvin Coolidge
said, “If American democracy is to remain the greatest hope of humanity, it
must continue abundantly in the faith of the Bible.”
John Hancock
said to pray,
“that all nations may bow to the
scepter of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and that the whole earth may be
filled with his glory and that
the spiritual kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may be continually
increasing until the whole earth shall be filled with His glory.”
Benjamin Franklin said, “As to Jesus of
Nazareth, my opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the system of
morals and His religion as He left them to us, the best the world ever saw or
is likely to see.”
Samuel Adams said, “I conceive we cannot
better express ourselves than by humbly supplicating the Supreme Ruler of the
world . . . that the confusions that are and have been among the nations may be
overruled by the promoting and speedily bringing in the holy and happy period
when the kingdoms of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may be everywhere
established, and the people willingly bow to the scepter of Him who is the
Prince of Peace.”
John Adams said, “The general
principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general
principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe,
that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as
the existence and attributes of God.” “The Holy Ghost carries on the whole
Christian system in this earth. Not a baptism, not a marriage, not a sacrament
can be administered but by the Holy Ghost. . . . There is no authority, civil
or religious – there can be no legitimate government but what is administered
by this Holy Ghost. There can be no salvation without it. All without it is
rebellion and perdition, or in more orthodox words damnation.”
John Quincy Adams said, “In the chain of
human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the
birthday of the Savior. The Declaration of Independence laid the cornerstone of
human government upon the first precepts of Christianity.”
Elias
Boudinot, president of congress, first attorney admitted to
the Supreme Court, framer of the Bill of Rights and director of the U.S.
Congress,
1854 – “The great, vital, and conservative element in our
system is the belief of our people in the pure doctrines and the divine truths
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Daniel
Webster said, “The Christian religion – its general principles –
must ever be regarded among us as the foundation of civil society.
Whatever makes men good Christian’s, makes them good citizens.”
Samuel
Huntington, signer of the Declaration of Independence and
president of congress said, “It becomes a people publicly to acknowledge the over-ruling hand of
Divine Providence and their dependence upon the Supreme Being as their Creator
and Merciful Preserver . . . and with becoming humility and sincere repentance
to supplicate the pardon that we may obtain forgiveness through the merits and
mediation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”
Francis
Scott Key said, “May I always hear that you are
following the guidance of that blessed Spirit that will lead you into all
truth, leaning on that Almighty arm that has been extended to deliver you,
trusting only in the only Savior, and going on in your way to Him rejoicing.”
President
James Madison said, “I have sometimes thought there could not be a
stronger testimony in favor of religion or against temporal enjoyments, even
the most rational and manly, than for men who occupy the most honorable and
gainful departments and [who] are rising in reputation and wealth, publicly to
declare their unsatisfactoriness by becoming fervent advocates in the cause of
Christ; and I wish you may give in your evidence in this way. “
Benjamin
Rush, signer of the Declaration of Independence,
‘Father of American Medicine’, treasurer of the U.S. Mint and ‘Father of Public
Schools under the Constitution said, “The only means of establishing and perpetuating our
republican forms of government is the universal education of our youth in the
principles of Christianity by means of the Bible. The
great enemy of the salvation of man, in my opinion, never invented a more
effective means of limiting Christianity from the world than by persuading
mankind that it was improper to read the Bible at schools.”
Joseph
Story, the Father of American Jurisprudence and Supreme
Court justice said, “One of the beautiful boasts of our municipal jurisprudence is that
Christianity is a part of the Common Law. There never has been a period in
which the Common Law did not recognize Christianity as lying at its
foundations.”
GEORGE
WASHINGTON; JUDGE; MEMBER OF THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS; COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE
CONTINENTAL ARMY; PRESIDENT OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION; FIRST PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES; “FATHER OF HIS COUNTRY” said, “You do well to wish to
learn our arts and ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ.
These will make you a greater and happier people than you are.”
I think I have made my point that our
country, The United States of America, was founded on the principles of Jesus
Christ. I literally had to reign myself
in from using more evidence to prove we were founded as a Christian nation. This was truly a labor of Love.
Lakeland , FL
Rick Rahn
28th. Day of
May, in the year of our Lord Christ, 2020
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