I LOVE MY COUNTRY BUT …
Hi. My name is Dale Dawson. I am a hopelessly sentimental slob who gets really emotional at patriotic July 4th celebrations, military air shows and John Phillip Sousa band concerts. Sometimes I even get misty eyed, but when you get older people tend to overlook such sentimental nonsense.
I am thankful that I am being allowed to share some thoughts with you from time to time because, while I truly love my country, I hate what our government has become. It is doubtful that I am alone in my thinking.
Our founding fathers were not dummies. They knew what they were doing when drafting the Constitution and I personally feel that they sought the guidance of God and He guided the pen that wrote the words which have guided our nation for well over 200 years.
In the dawn of our nation’s birth, those given the awesome responsibility of writing the guidelines for a nation still in the womb of history knew they were on hallowed ground and didn’t take any “politically correct” path when acknowledging their total reliance on our Creator.
In modern day patriotic gatherings, it is still OK to mouth the words, “God Bless America” but in the everyday operation of our nation, God is no longer welcome because He is not “politically correct.” Excuse me, but I am not a politically correct type of person and refuse to give my God a back seat in my life or the life of my country.
I have no intention of doing some sort of sermon when sharing my thoughts, because I know we come from many different backgrounds and religious persuasions. Some folks have no spiritual persuasion, and that’s OK too. I just wanted to let you know where I’m coming from because I believe that God has already blessed America over and over again, but we can’t expect that to go on much longer if we, as Americans, allow politicians to shut Him out of every area of our nation’s life.
As most everybody knows, “separation of church and state” is nowhere to be found in our Declaration of Independence, Constitution or Bill of Rights. It was never intended that God should be excluded from the daily affairs of our government. It was the other way around. GOVERNMENT was banned from forming a national religion.
You may not always agree with the thoughts I express. That’s OK and that is what makes America so great. We are able to have differing opinions on several things and still be united by the things on which we agree.
God Bless Americans. Remember, We ARE The People.
Dale Dawson
August 25th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
You’re wrong Dale. Our constitution not only guarantees us freedom of religion, but it grants us freedom FROM religion as well. The Christian right is trying to rewrite the history of the United States as part of its campaign to force its religion on others. They try to depict the founding fathers as pious Christians who wanted the United States to be a Christian nation, with laws that favored Christians and Christianity.
This is patently untrue. The early presidents and patriots were generally Deists or Unitarians, believing in some form of impersonal Providence but rejecting the divinity of Jesus and the absurdities of the Old and New testaments.
Thomas Paine was a pamphleteer whose manifestos encouraged the faltering spirits of the country and aided materially in winning the war of Independence:
I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of…Each of those churches accuse the other of unbelief; and for my own part, I disbelieve them all.”
From:
The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine, pp. 8,9 (Republished 1984, Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY)
George Washington, the first president of the United States, never declared himself a Christian according to contemporary reports or in any of his voluminous correspondence. Washington Championed the cause of freedom from religious intolerance and compulsion. When John Murray (a universalist who denied the existence of hell) was invited to become an army chaplain, the other chaplains petitioned Washington for his dismissal. Instead, Washington gave him the appointment. On his deathbed, Washinton uttered no words of a religious nature and did not call for a clergyman to be in attendance.
From:
George Washington and Religion by Paul F. Boller Jr., pp. 16, 87, 88, 108, 113, 121, 127 (1963, Southern Methodist University Press, Dallas, TX)
John Adams, the country’s second president, was drawn to the study of law but faced pressure from his father to become a clergyman. He wrote that he found among the lawyers ‘noble and gallant achievments” but among the clergy, the “pretended sanctity of some absolute dunces”. Late in life he wrote: “Twenty times in the course of my late reading, have I been upon the point of breaking out, “This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it!”
It was during Adam’s administration that the Senate ratified the Treaty of Peace and Friendship, which states in Article XI that “the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion.”
From:
The Character of John Adams by Peter Shaw, pp. 17 (1976, North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC) Quoting a letter by JA to Charles Cushing Oct 19, 1756, and John Adams, A Biography in his Own Words, edited by James Peabody, p. 403 (1973, Newsweek, New York NY) Quoting letter by JA to Jefferson April 19, 1817, and in reference to the treaty, Thomas Jefferson, Passionate Pilgrim by Alf Mapp Jr., pp. 311 (1991, Madison Books, Lanham, MD) quoting letter by TJ to Dr. Benjamin Waterhouse, June, 1814.
Thomas Jefferson, third president and author of the Declaration of Independence, said:”I trust that there is not a young man now living in the United States who will not die a Unitarian.” He referred to the Revelation of St. John as “the ravings of a maniac” and wrote:
The Christian priesthood, finding the doctrines of Christ levelled to every understanding and too plain to need explanation, saw, in the mysticisms of Plato, materials with which they might build up an artificial system which might, from its indistinctness, admit everlasting controversy, give employment for their order, and introduce it to profit, power, and pre-eminence. The doctrines which flowed from the lips of Jesus himself are within the comprehension of a child; but thousands of volumes have not yet explained the Platonisms engrafted on them: and for this obvious reason that nonsense can never be explained.”
From:
Thomas Jefferson, an Intimate History by Fawn M. Brodie, p. 453 (1974, W.W) Norton and Co. Inc. New York, NY) Quoting a letter by TJ to Alexander Smyth Jan 17, 1825, and Thomas Jefferson, Passionate Pilgrim by Alf Mapp Jr., pp. 246 (1991, Madison Books, Lanham, MD) quoting letter by TJ to John Adams, July 5, 1814.
Furthermore, in Jefferson’s version of the New Testament, the author removed all references to the deification of Christ. he Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth was an attempt by Thomas Jefferson to glean the teachings of Jesus from the Christian Gospels. Jefferson wished to extract the doctrine of Jesus by removing sections of the New Testament containing supernatural aspects as well as perceived misinterpretations he believed had been added by the Four Evangelists
James Madison, fourth president and father of the Constitution, was not religious in any conventional sense. “Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprise.”
“During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What have been its fruits? More or less in all places, pride and indolence in the Clergy, ignorance and servility in the laity, in both, superstition, bigotry and persecution.”
From:
The Madisons by Virginia Moore, P. 43 (1979, McGraw-Hill Co. New York, NY) quoting a letter by JM to William Bradford April 1, 1774, and James Madison, A Biography in his Own Words, edited by Joseph Gardner, p. 93, (1974, Newsweek, New York, NY) Quoting Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments by JM, June 1785.
Ethan Allen, whose capture of Fort Ticonderoga while commanding the Green Mountain Boys helped inspire Congress and the country to pursue the War of Independence, said, “That Jesus Christ was not God is evidence from his own words.” In the same book, Allen noted that he was generally “denominated a Deist, the reality of which I never disputed, being conscious that I am no Christian.” When Allen married Fanny Buchanan, he stopped his own wedding ceremony when the judge asked him if he promised “to live with Fanny Buchanan agreeable to the laws of God.” Allen refused to answer until the judge agreed that the God referred to was the God of Nature, and the laws those “written in the great book of nature.”
From:
Religion of the American Enlightenment by G. Adolph Koch, p. 40 (1968, Thomas Crowell Co., New York, NY.) quoting preface and p. 352 of Reason, the Only Oracle of Man and A Sense of History compiled by American Heritage Press Inc., p. 103 (1985, American Heritage Press, Inc., New York, NY.)
Benjamin Franklin, delegate to the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, said:
As to Jesus of Nazareth, my Opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the System of Morals and his Religion…has received various corrupting Changes, and I have, with most of the present dissenters in England, some doubts as to his Divinity; tho’ it is a question I do not dogmatize upon, having never studied it, and think it needless to busy myself with it now, when I expect soon an opportunity of knowing the Truth with less trouble.” He died a month later, and historians consider him, like so many great Americans of his time, to be a Deist, not a Christian.
From:
Benjamin Franklin, A Biography in his Own Words, edited by Thomas Fleming, p. 404, (1972, Newsweek, New York, NY) quoting letter by BF to Exra Stiles March 9, 1970.
The words “In God We Trust” were not consistently on all U.S. currency until 1956, during the McCarthy Hysteria.
The Treaty of Tripoli, passed by the U.S. Senate in 1797, read in part: “The government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion.” The treaty was written during the Washington administration, and sent to the Senate during the Adams administration. It was read aloud to the Senate, and each Senator received a printed copy. This was the 339th time that a recorded vote was required by the Senate, but only the third time a vote was unanimous (the next time was to honor George Washington). There is no record of any debate or dissension on the treaty. It was reprinted in full in three newspapers – two in Philadelphia, one in New York City. There is no record of public outcry or complaint in subsequent editions of the papers.
August 29th, 2009 at 7:06 am
First of all, I believe this county was ordained by God and built on his principles. I do believe it was God inspired. Our Forefathers were genius in the fact that they new man could not be accountable for self. They designed the Constitution so that leaders would be held accountable not only to the people, but also to God. Hence “In God We Trust”
My second concern is the use of contemporary literature/history books to form a clear picture of our forefathers character and spiritual standpoint. Using contemporary literature presses the ideology of the day and squanders the truth of the past. Likewise, we do not use writing of Christ in the 12Th century to depict his life. No, we use the gospels which were written decades after his death by eyewitness accounts.
Christ makes it simple: If you are not for me, you are against me. It was only by our loyalty to God that we became a free nation. Our Forefathers purposefully planted the 10 commandments and scripture all over Washington to remind future generations of the reason for our success. Likewise, if congress is not accountable to God, who are they accountable to? It has not been the people. Has our government unknowingly become Satan’s puppets?
Our father in heaven believes in American principles because they mimic his heavenly plan. In America, we have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Similarly God promises eternal life, liberation from sin, and no tears, no pain (happiness) in heaven. I can’t but help believe the forefathers did not have this relationship in mind when they wrote the constitution.
Lastly, without the higher deity of God, whose to say what is right and what is wrong. Congress may feel they are acting justly in this “progressive era” to take more power and more control over the people. Why not, they are not answering to God or his word. America will fall, just like Israel, if we abandon his ideology for this great nation.
I apologize for not having prestine facts; I did not do any formal research before posting this note. It is saturday moring and I am drinking hot tea. However, I do love this county and I fear the direction it is heading. I think God must be apart of it.
Praying for America, In Christ name, just as George Whashington did on June 8th 1973 and multiple other times,
your tea party friend,
Alicia
August 29th, 2009 at 7:16 am
sorry, early moring. Geoge’s prayer was June 8th, 1783.
Alicia
August 29th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
The founding fathers may have had varying degree’s of faith, but I disagree that the US Constitution was structured around any level of accountability to God. The entire premise of the US Constitution is – and always has been – that the rights of the individual are primary over the will of government. That may originate from the common agreement that every individual has certain inalienable rights, but those rights are not limited to a requirement that one must also believe in God. The right to not believe is just as protected as the right TO believe.
My only concern on that level is the hypocrisy that’s sometimes demonstrated where an athiest is protected by the courts if he/she wants to express their faith, but a believer in God is condemned by the courts if they express the opposite belief. I have a family member who was targeted by an unknown coworker because he always wore a small dove pin on his lapel. He was told that he’d be fired if he didn’t remove it because other employees were offended. And that was in a government office. Freedom of religion? I certainly don’t think so.
In short, the Constitution is designed to protect all beliefs – God or No God are equally protected. In practice, we’ve been seeing that the courts and schools have been distorting the law as they transform of freedom “of” religion to freedom “from” religion. If that latter is true, religion is no longer a protected form of speech – it’s protection is limited to the will of others and the whim of the courts.
August 29th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Alicia,
This country was founded as a secular nation. ur nation was founded not on Christian principles but on Enlightenment ones. God only entered the picture as a very minor player, and Jesus Christ was conspicuously absent. Our Constitution makes no mention whatever of God. The omission was too obvious to have been anything but deliberate, in spite of Alexander Hamilton’s flippant responses when asked about it: According to one account, he said that the new nation was not in need of “foreign aid”; according to another, he simply said “we forgot.” But as Hamilton’s biographer Ron Chernow points out, Hamilton never forgot anything important.
In the eighty-five essays that make up The Federalist, God is mentioned only twice (both times by Madison, who uses the word, as Gore Vidal has remarked, in the “only Heaven knows” sense). In the Declaration of Independence, He gets two brief nods: a reference to “the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God,” and the famous line about men being “endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights.” More blatant official references to a deity date from long after the founding period: “In God We Trust” did not appear on our coinage until the Civil War, and “under God” was introduced into the Pledge of Allegiance during the McCarthy hysteria in 1954.
August 31st, 2009 at 5:46 am
Chuck, from your writings I assume you are a athiest, or a agnostic.
I suggest you take a trip to Colonial Williamsburg, where you will get a very accurate portrail of how our country was founded. It is totally contrary to the opinions that you express.
First to say that God or Jesus Christ were not part of our nations foundation are nothing short of blasphemy! Our founding fathers as well as our nation have deep Christian roots.
THe separation of church and state was to prevent the “state” from forming or proclaiming that one church or religion, of the “states” choosing, was the one and only one to be allowed to be a part of or practice in. IT was not meant to say that you cannot pray in schools, before a function of government, or to disallow the practice of prayer or religion because it “offends” you!
Our nation was clearly founded on strong Christian principles, and we have clearly strayed from them. As a whole is our nation better or worse off for it? I don’t see us prospering anymore!
Chuck, argueing with you is the same as argueing with a wall, or a dog. you can say your viewpoint till your 40 shades of blue and the other side simply will never see it.
August 31st, 2009 at 9:51 am
There are no shades of blue about it, it’s a simple fact that this nation’s government was founded on not only freedom of religion, but freedom from religion as well. I’ve been to Williamsburg several time; having majored in history as an undergrad it’s one of my favorite places to travel. Tell us what exactly in Willamsburg ‘proves’ that the Founding Fathers intended this nation to be a ‘christian’ nation?
What does my religion, or lack thereof, have to do with anything? The opinions that you and Alicia (particularly) have espoused suggest that in order to be a real or true American one must be a Christian. That suggestion is one of the most unAmerican notions that I have ever heard. Let’s say that I am a Hindu, or a Druid, or an atheist, and I less American than you because of it? Were the Colonial American Jews who fought and died fighting for independence in the Revolutionary War not ‘real Americans’? I sometimes think that people such as Alicia and yourself would be more at home in the Middle East amongst the Taliban and religious police, where forced compliance with religious zealousy is De rigueur.
September 2nd, 2009 at 3:44 am
Chuck,
never ment to upset you so. I do beleive you have a right to practice whatever religion you want to. You deserve respect just as I do. I agree, there is separation of church and state for an individual’s protection. I voiced my opinion and in no way was it forcful, disrepectful, or directed at you. I do believe this country was based on God’s principles, but I don’t expect everyone to agree. God also accepts that many will reject him, however he continues to bless this nation.
No, I do not want to go to the Middle East. There I would possibly be murdered or beaten. Infact, I thought that was very hateful. I would not wish that on any American.
your tea party friend,
Alicia