This study will be a loose sequel to the previous "America; you're too young to die". As sequels are never as good as the original, I can only pray that the Holy Spirit leads me to adequitly convey the remainder of troubling statistics that plague our nation today. After showing that we are in a battle with those who are bent on deconstructing our history books and misleading our youth and adults into believing that this was never to be a Christian nation one must conclude, that besides the church sleeping through one of its most important battles. There is a lack of "Character" in this country today from our leaders. If we believe that the founding fathers depended on the Holy Scriptures as their guide in forming one of the greatest nations this world has ever seen, let us start there as well.
Psalm 32:3-5… when I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. I acknowledged my sin to Thee, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord"; and you did forgive the guilt of my sin.
Those who deny that they have sinned or try to somehow cover them up will surely pay the consequence of His just Judgment. We can not hide from God, not even behind this rich and great country we now live, by His grace. But a nation that acknowledges and repents of its national sins will surely find forgiveness and restoration. Can you take a guess at what stage we are in at present? We as individuals and as a nation will not or can not take responsibility for our wrongs. It's always something or someone else. The environment, society, our race, our gender or even our age. But never us, its never our fault. Deny, deny, deny.
Proverbs 14:34… righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.
A nation that recognizes God will be blessed and rewarded. Sin on the other hand will bring it to ruin. We have seen this over and over in scripture from Israel to Babylon to Persia to Rome itself. Those who learn from history are wise. Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to relive it. A nation led by men of character will flourish while the lack of character will destroy it entirely.
Daniel Patrick Moynahan… senator from New York said this recently. "What in the last 50 years in New York City is now better then it was then? I find myself wondering where so much went wrong. We were a city of about the same size. We had only about 150,000 more people then. We had the best subway system, the best housing, t5he finest schools and the best-behaved citizens. In 1949 there were exactly 44 homicides by gunshot in the city of New York. Last year there were 1,499. The decline since then in our social institutions is without equivalent. Most important is the decline in the family. The small platoons by which a country can not function without. In 1943 the illegitimate birth rate was 3%. Last year it was 45% and 80% in some districts. This was a much fuller city 50 years ago. But a much more stable one. We have lost our luster and safety in a number of things".
Some harsh words for a city in distress. However this is only a snapshot of where America finds itself today. Interestingly enough, Senator Moynahan was one of the very men who voted on or approved some of the legislature that has brought us to this point. How sad he didn't recognize this fact before voting yes on abortion, increases in welfare and a slew of other liberal entitlements that have robbed people of their self respect and drive to better themselves.
The Wall Street Journal, March 15, 1983… an article entitled "Quantifying America's Decline" asked the question, what happened to America, in so many different arena's of life? Where it was once a world leader it is now a world straggler. Where once it was strong where it should be great, it is now strong where it should be weak.
America's cultural condition is far from healthy. Just how much has the American life has declined in the past 30 years despite the enormous governmental attempt to improve it. 14.4% of the gross national product goes to the inner cities to under gird a declining American system. We spent 800 billion dollars a year just to keep it running. Since 1960 we have put just over 2.5 trillion dollars into our cities, welfare system and infrastructure to just try to keep it afloat. That's enough money to buy every fortune 500 company, and every acre of farmland in America. And if you think this was money well spent by men of character, think about this. We still pay farmers millions of dollars a year not to grow certain products we have in abundance, to keep the price up while a world for the most part starves.
Despite this enormous effort, we still see a continuing decline. There were eight cultural indicators cited by this article: 1. SAT scores in 1960 averaged 975 while today they are only 899 2. Illegitimate birth in 1960 averaged 5.3% while today they are 26.2% 3. In 1960 8% of homes were single parent homes, today that number is 42% 4. 3.5% of the nation was on welfare while today 27% is government assisted 5. we had a 3.6% teenage suicide rate while today it tops 15.3% 6. in 1960 16.1% of crimes were considered violent in nature (rape, murder, armed robbery, assault, auto theft, kidnapping etc.) today that number is a staggering 75.8% 7. The median sentence for a crime was 3 years in prison while today the average is only 10 days total. 8. 1 in 100 employees were government workers. Today 1 in 7 employees is a government worker and 32% of the gross national product goes to keep government running.
Are we getting our moneys worth? Are these the statistics of a nation of character? I keep wondering when this train wreck will finally make contact. Character no longer plays a part in decision making in this country. Want some further examples? Why do we have more employees at the USDA then we have farmers? Why does it cost twice as much for the government printing office to produce a job that that of one printed in the private sector? It all goes to character. Character does count. Edmond Burke said it best "all it take for evil to triumph, is for good men to do nothing". Well, good men have done nothing and let this whole thing get away from us. Much of what is said and done today lacks character. Listen to this:
A young intern just fresh out of college and working his first job for a senator in Washington had just made a decision and was called into account by his senator boss. "Why did you make that decision" the man was asked? Well, I took the best information available and using my principles made a decision based on the facts. The man was told by the senator " decisions based on principle will get you run out of this town".
Our main area of failure were covered in our last study. They were: 1. We stopped praying… 1 Timothy 2:1-3 says "First of all then, I urge you that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgiving's be made on behalf of all men. For kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity; this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior. When we stopped praying for our leaders we handed them over to a different power that the one we would have led these men.
2. We bought the lie of the deconstructionists… that our founding fathers were deists or atheists. We let them rewrite the history books to fit their agenda. We believed them when they said there should be a separation of church and state and that it was written in the constitution. And we believed them when they said this was not a Christian country.
Time Magazine September 7, 1992… an article criticized the religious right and it's influence on politics in this country. The article "why the religious right is wrong" said "no amount of pious ranting can change the fact that not all the founding fathers believed in the same God or any God at all". The truth is that of the 56 signers of the Constitution, 52 were Orthodox Christians. The article went on to say that Thomas Jefferson was a renowned doubter of God. Yet if you visit the Jefferson Memorial in Washing you will find the walls covered with his favorite scriptures. Thomas Jefferson said this "I have always said and will always say that the studious perusal of the sacred volume, the Bible, will make us better citizens". The article then went on to say that John Adams said that "the judao-Christian religion is the bloodiest religion that ever existed" he never said anything that can be found to even resemble this. What he did say was "our constitution was made for a moral and religious people". They also claimed that Abraham Lincoln did not believe in a personal God. If you read Lincoln's manuscripts and personal diary you come to the conclusion that only a moron would say that Lincoln did not believe in a personal God. But because it appeared in Time Magazine it went unquestioned. We have come to accept that character does not matter and if it appears in print, then it must be true.
The same Time article, praises our founding fathers for putting up such a high wall of separation of church and state and claims it is the best defense we have against threats to our freedom. Re3member that the term "separation of church and state" did not even get into the world book encyclopedia until 1963. Why did it take 160 years if the founding fathers established it? Did we forget it, or just mis-place it. No, it took that long for the rewriters of our history books to get the courage to do it. I think they would have been run out of town if they tried it any earlier.
If there was to be this great separation of church and state, why did Congress appoint chaplains to all branches of the armed services? And why did they insist that Washington's inauguration culminate with a church service at St. Paul's chapel? Finally, why did they, on the day that they approved the first amendment call on George Washington to proclaim a national day of Thanksgiving and Prayer?
November 1992… Curt Fordis the Governor of Mississippi in a speech he was giving called America "a Christian Nation". The press had a field day with this and tried to crucify Fordis. The headlines read. "The audacity of him to call this a Christian Nation" and "the ignorance of him to call this a Christian Nation". Every elitist in this country was up in arms over this statement, that the United States was a Christian Nation. The Washington Post, November 19, 1992… ridiculed him for the statement. They called him a bigot and intolerant to all minorities and an exclusionist to other religions. All Curt Fordis did was make a statement of historical fact. Frankly the Washington post should get an "F" in American History.
John Jay… first chief justice of the Supreme Court said " Providence (their term for God in their time and culture) has given to our people, a choice for their rulers. And it is the duty as well as privilege and in the interest of our Christian Nation to select and prefer Christians as our rulers. Patrick Henry called this a Christian Nation. And John Quincy Adams said "the highest glory of the American Revolution was that it connected in one indissoluble bond, the principle of civil government and the principles of Christianity. The word character carries with it a responsibility of honest and moral behavior. The men that write such garbage are neither. Their agenda is and has been concocted in Hell to undermine this countries very fabric and bring its people to a lower standard. It is a matter of character. Character does count. The Supreme Court has said this is a Christian nation:
1796 Runkel vs. Weinmiller: The United States Supreme Court "by our form of government, the Christian religion is the established religion and all sects and denominations are placed upon the same and equal footing".
1811 People vs. Rugel: The Supreme Court of New York "the people of this State in common with this great nation confesses the great doctrine of Christianity as the rule of faith and practice". After listing many examples conclude that "this is a Christian nation".
Holy Trinity vs. The United States: 124 years after the declaration of independence said this "by our laws and our institutions, one must necessarily be based upon and embody the teaching of the redeemer of mankind. It is impossible for it to be otherwise, and in this sense and to the extent that our civilization, culture and belief show that this is a Christian nation". Do you know that this case and its findings are totally absent from every constitutional law book and text of any law school in America? Even though it was cited in 1989 and by John Paul Stevens in 1991 as the case that guided this statute. One constitutional lawyer from Washington DC upon reading "America you're too young to die" six times said this "three generations of law students have not had the opportunity to study any of these cases for themselves. It is no wonder we are where we are today".
That’s why character counts. What kind of character re-writes history to fit their agenda? What kind of Character sensors history, and court cases of the government of the United States? What are they afraid of?
1931 United States vs. Macintosh: 140 years after the ratification of the first amendment said this "we are a Christian people, and that we have a duty to be obedient to the will of God".
Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren: on February 15, 1954 told Time magazine "I believe no one can read the history of this country without realizing that the good book and the spirit of the savior Jesus Christ have from the beginning been our guiding genius. (is that fanatical)? If we look at every early charter and constitution of America we see a Christian land governed by Christian people. The entire Bill of Rights came about because of the Bible and the belief our founding fathers had in it. I like to think that we are living today in the spirit of the Christian religion. I also like to believe that as long as we do so, no great harm can come to this country". He must have been reading different history books that those our children have in school today. Today we have a sanitized version that has erased all mention of Christian influence and dependence.
Psalm 33:18-22: says this "Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope for His loving kindness, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His Holy Name. Let thy loving kindness, O Lord, be upon us, according as we have hoped in thee". Do you think Earl Warren read his bible? Remember what he said, "as long as we live in the spirit of the Christian religion, no great harm can come to this country". We have certainly drifted from character.
3. We have bought the lie that character does not count: during the re-election campaign of President William Jefferson Clinton, he was quoted as saying "character doesn't count". It became the battle cry of the Democratic Party for the re-election. Every problem we have today can be traced to a lack of character in leadership.
William Penn: founder of the common wealth of Pennsylvania in 1681 said, "government, like clocks go from the motion men give them. Therefore, government rather depends upon men not men depending upon government. Let the men be good and the government can not be bad, but if the men be bad, government can never be good. I know some say, let us have good laws, regardless of the men who execute them, but let them consider that though good laws do well, good men do better. Good laws may lack good men, but good men will never lack good laws, nor allow bad ones". Does this sound contemporary, yet he said this in 1681?
Noah Webster 1758-1843: said this "when you become privileged with the right of voting public officers. Let it be impressed upon your mind that God commands for you to choose for yourselves rulers who are just men. (Character counts) and if the citizens neglect this duty, and place unprincipled men in office, it will soon be corrupted. Laws will be made, not for the public good as much for the selfish local projects". Again a contemporary statement from over 100 years ago. Why else would Tip O'Neal take a trip with his aid to Ireland at the expense of the taxpayer? "If the republican government fails to secure public prosperity and happiness, it must be because citizens neglected their divine command and elected bad men to make and administer laws". Boy was he prophetic!
Samuel Adams: organizer of the protest against the "Stamp Act" and organizer of the Boston tea party and founder of the Sons of Liberty said this "impress upon the mind of men the importance of educating little boys and girls in the study and practice of the elevated virtues of the Christian system". What he is saying is that Character counts.
Abigail Adams: wife of John Adams, she was the powerhouse and the real President of the United States (so nothing has really changed there) said "a patriot without religion in my estimation is as great a paradox as an honest man without the fear of God. Because the scriptures tell us that Righteousness exalts a nation".
John Adams: co drafter of the Declaration of Independence and the first Vice President was called the colossus of independence by Thomas Jefferson and nick named Atlas of independence said the following. "We have no government armed with a people able to contend with human passion except they be bridled by morality and religion". Yes, character does count.
John Quincy Adams: our sixth President, the primary architect of our foreign affairs policy who served in government for 70 years. He began as he acted as his father's secretary as he served abroad. "It is essential my sons, that you should form and adopt certain rules or principles (Character). It is in the bible that you then must learn and it is in the bible then that you should practice its ways".
Daniel Webster: yes, the dictionary guy, said this. "Whatever makes men good Christians, makes them good citizens". Character.
James Garfield: our twentieth President said "now more than ever, the people are responsible for the character of Congress. If that body is evil, reckless or corrupt, it is because the people tolerate evil, recklessness and corruption. If it is intelligent, chaste and pure, it is because the people demand such qualities in their legislators". Remember that all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.
The reason we can not see character today is because 30 years ago it was removed from our educational process. Text books were re-written, laws were passed and 30 years ago a nation began to deify man. Abraham Lincoln said "the philosophy of the schoolroom in one generation, will be the philosophy of the government in the next". In the last 30 years, the politically elite have celebrated a different kind of independence.
Jeremiah 2:10-13: cross over to the coastlands of Kittim and see, and send to Kedar and observe closely. And see if there has been such a thing as this. Has a nation changed gods when they were not gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, o heavens at this, and shudder, be very desolate, declares the Lord. For My people have committed two evils; they have forgotten Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
Despite all we have read, this second revolution is being celebrated where God has been dethroned and man has been enthroned. This is not John's idea. Listen to the Supreme Court of the common wealth of Pennsylvania in the case vs. Sharpless "every law establishes and regulates morality. The first religion to appear in the history of mankind was the worship of God and the second the worship of man. In America, the first religion is expressed primarily in Christianity and the second in humanism. It is not a question of whether morality can or should be legislated. It is a question of which religious guidelines will undergird the legislature. Religious guidelines that deify man or deify God. It seems like Israel, we have changed gods. For 190 years we deified God and for the last 30 we have deified man. Look where it has left us.
Starting in 1947 the United States Supreme Court deviated from its traditions and erected a wall of separation between church and state. In 1962 it removed prayers from our schools. In 1963 it banned the reading of bibles in public schools. In 1965 it banned the audible prayer of students over their meals. In 1967 it banned a nursery rhyme because it might make students think about God. In 1980 it removed the public posting of the 10 commandments because upon reading them students might opt to obey them. In 1984 it banned the offering of prayers at graduation ceremonies and forced the removal of bibles from teacher's desks. We can distribute condoms in our schools, which have a 60% failure rate but are forbidden to distribute the bible, which has a 100% success rate. The Supreme Court even forced two towns to remove crosses from their flags and city seals. And just recently has tried to force a judge in North Carolina to stop opening his court sessions with prayer. Just 61 years after the Supreme Court said we are a Christian nation, we have dethroned God and deified man. How did this happen?
Supreme Court Justice William Brennen: recently said the following "it is arrogant to use the constitution as the Founding Fathers intended it. It must be interpreted in light of current problems and current needs".
I thought the Supreme Court was set up to protect the constitution. I think justice Brennen is the one who is arrogant. After all, who's current needs and problems are we talking about? The political elite, that’s who. We need a third revolution of prayer to re-establish this "Christian Nation". We can not mimic the blessings of God by spending obscene amounts of money as our three trillion-dollar debt only prove. Character counts. Let me end this study by giving three biblical reasons why Character counts.
1. Righteousness builds a great nation. Proverbs 14:34 we were great because we were founded on righteousness and character. God blessed and elevated us above every nation on this earth.
2. Leaders without character make lousy decisions. Job 12 talks about making the right decisions and following God's council. It also says that those who do not are destined for waste. Do we have waste today? You betcha! Our government spent over 10 million dollars to find ways to eliminate waste in government and could only find 10 departments that qualified. So they turned to the American people and asked if they knew of waste that could be cut. Well. I have some. v $250,000 to study why pigs eat exotic plants in Hawaii. Conclusion, they were hungry. v $6,400,000 to build a private ski resort in Idaho v $1,500,000 to study the potato v $400,000 additional to study the sweet potato v $2,800,000 to study how to use wood (we already have too much dead wood, don't you think)? v $800,000 to count every tree, shrub and flower in Washington v $3,800,000 went to the Poultry center for excellence (don't we know what chicken tastes like already)? v $3,700,000 went to study urban gardens programs v $100,000 to study the beach at Wakiki. (I want that grant) v $400,000 to study the methane emissions of cows v $270,000 to study the sexual preferences of the Japanese quail. Conclusion, they like each other v $500,000 to build a replica of the Great Pyramid. v $1 billion to build a tunnel in New York that only 120 people a day will use (you could buy them all limo's for that price v $6,000,000 to search for intelligent life in outer space. (someone should spend some money looking for intelligent life in congress)
3. Leaders without character bring Judgment upon all of us. 1 Kings 16:29-33 tells of how evil King Ahab and Jezebel were and that Elijah brought God's judgment. It would not rain for 3 ½ years. When Elijah returns King Ahab says "there you are, you trouble maker of Israel". Elijah had to explain it was Ahab and his fathers sinning that caused the judgment, not Elijah. The finger pointing never stops, and neither do they take their own responsibility for what they do. And we all pay for it in the end. Even today, they will point fingers, but we must be strong.
2 Samuel 24 tells of how David was getting ready to go to war. God had already said the victory belonged to Him, but David wanted to do it himself and take the victory. As a result the nation had to suffer God's judgment. Read the story it is fascinating.
Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War was asked if God was on our (the northern) side. Lincoln said, sir, my great concern is not that God is on our side, but rather that I am on God's side. So whose side are we on? All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. We have to stop buying the misconceptions and lies. We must pray for our leaders. We must fight to have our classrooms and children released from the deconstructionists. We must pray for healing of our nation. We must pray for a return of character to our leaders. And we must admit that we allowed it to happen and ask God's forgiveness.
This completes the second in an 8 part series called "The Awakening of America". We have already covered "America you're too young to die" and "America, character does count". The four remaining studies are as follows: v A Timeless Truth for America v Seduced to Death (study on pornography and its effects) v What do you say to a Homosexual Friend (the myths about the homosexual agenda) v A child or a choice ( the abortion issue)
If this series has been a blessing to you or if you have a preference as to which study you would like to see next, please feel free to tell me. John