From the writings of Columbus to the Mayflower Compact, to the Declaration of Independence, America's founders clearly and articulately enshrined bedrock Christian principles in the foundation of this country.
For example, in explaining the purpose of his journey that led to the discovery of the new world, Christopher Columbus said, "It was the Lord who put into my mind—I could feel His hand upon me—the fact that it would be possible to sail from here to the Indies . . . All who heard of my project rejected it with laughter, ridiculing me . . . There is no question that the inspiration was from the Holy Spirit, because he comforted me with rays of marvelous illumination from the Holy Scriptures . . . For the execution of the journey to the Indies I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics, or maps. It is simply the fulfillment of what Isaiah had prophesied . . . No one should fear to undertake any task in the name of our Savior, if it is just and if the intention is purely for His Holy service . . . the fact that the Gospel must still be preached to so many lands in such a short time—this is what convinces me." (Source: Columbus' Book of Prophecies)
Our pilgrim fathers wrote in the Mayflower Compact, "In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwritten . . . Having undertaken, for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith . . . a voyage to plant the first colony in the Northern parts of Virginia."
In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson invokes our Creator-God no less than four times. In fact, Jefferson predicates the Declaration on "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" and concludes the Declaration with an appeal to the "Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions" and with "a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence."
Attorney and author, John
Whitehead, in his book, The Separation Illusion
Accordingly, our U. S. Constitution is dated: (1) from the birth of Christ, and (2) from the birth of our independence (Article. VII.). Secondly, the Constitution requires the President and Congress to respect "the Christian Sabbath" (Sunday) as a day "excepted" from governmental business (Article. I. Section. 7.). Thirdly, the First Amendment prohibits the U.S. Congress from making any law "respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." In other words, the federal government has no right to interfere with the free expression of religion (by individuals or States) in any shape, manner, or form. Fourthly, Article. VI. of the Constitution prohibits any religious test as a qualification for public office.
The intent of the Constitution's framers was, therefore, in the matter of religion (especially the Christian religion, whose adherents birthed America), that the federal government would maintain a healthy respect for it, and keep its hands off. For the last several years, however, instead of respecting religion—especially the Christian religion—the leaders of our federal government have increasingly demonstrated animosity, and even hostility, toward both the Christian faith and Christian people.
While claiming to be "tolerant" and "pluralistic," our federal government, in practice, shows little tolerance or pluralism regarding Christianity. Time and again, Christian practices and people are singled out for humiliation, persecution, or retribution. This situation follows an eerily similar pattern to that of the old Holy Roman Empire.
The Roman Empire loved to tout its tolerance for any and all faith systems. One common adage at the time was that "there are as many gods in Rome as people." So tolerant was Rome for myriad religious beliefs that it even constructed an altar to the "UNKNOWN GOD," for fear that it may have neglected to honor someone's obscure god.
Why was it, then, that the Roman Empire took delight in publicly persecuting, torturing, and executing Christians? What happened to tolerance? What happened to pluralism? In direct contravention of its own laws and policies, Rome singled out Christianity for public repudiation. And that is exactly what the U.S. government is currently doing. I'll say it outright: the U.S. government has become patently anti-Christian.
In spite of Constitutional requirements to keep its hands off religious liberty, the U.S. government routinely singles out Christian practices for public repudiation. For years now, federal judges have demanded that local schools (under the jurisdiction of local and state governments) prohibit prayers or Bible reading.
Does anyone find it a little interesting that all over America, while Christian students are denied the right to pray or read the Bible in public schools, Muslim students are not only allowed to pray in public schools, but are also often provided special prayer rooms within the schools so that those students may leave their classrooms and pray? In fact, in some school districts, if the Muslim prayer time interferes with a student's tests, the student is many times free to make up the test in order that he or she may be faithful to the prayer meeting. Of course, the reading of the Koran is also included in the Muslim's prayer time. All of this is done with the full knowledge and blessing of the U.S. government (and the ACLU, by the way), including the myriad federal courts—courts that are always "fast on the draw" to squash any and all attempts by Christians to pray or read their Bibles in public schools.
And it is not just the Muslim religion that meets with the approval of the U.S. government. Federal courts find no fault in public school students observing Kwanzaa, celebrating the pagan holiday of Halloween, or engaging in various eastern religious practices such as Hindu meditation. At least one school district in Utah has allowed Tibetan monks to conduct Tantric Buddhist devotionals in its public schools. At least two schools in California have even introduced New Age curricula honoring Lucifer to their students. Basically, any and all religious beliefs are condoned and tolerated by the U.S. government—every belief system except Christianity, that is.
In addition, how many local or State courts have been ordered by federal judges to remove any and all copies of the Ten Commandments or other scriptural references from their buildings? How many local governments have been ordered by federal judges to remove any and all Nativity or Manger scenes from their properties? How many chaplains have been ordered to remove Bibles from soldiers, sailors, or Marines? How many Bibles have been destroyed by orders from military commanders? How many prisoners or detainees have been denied Bibles (even when requested) by order of military brass? How many military officers have been overlooked for promotion (and thus drubbed out of military service) for not being willing to surrender their Christian convictions to "sensitivity" or "diversity" training (a euphemism for homosexual brainwashing)? How many times has the U.S. government quietly looked the other way when Christian people have been slaughtered en masse? (Can anyone say, "Sudan"?) How many Christian chaplains in the armed forces have been ordered to not pray in Jesus' name? How many pro-life Christians have been targeted by federal police agencies for special scrutiny? How many sheriffs' offices (run and managed by Christian law enforcement officers) have been denied federal funds for not submitting to a variety of repulsive policies mandated by the federal government?
Then there is this AP story: "Iraq has lost more than half the Christians who once called it home, mostly since the war began, and few who fled have plans to return." The report continued, saying, "The number of Arab Christians has plummeted across the Mideast in recent years as increasing numbers seek to move to the West, saying they feel increasingly unwelcome in the Middle East and want a better life abroad.
"But the exodus has been particularly stark in Iraq—where sectarian violence since the U.S.-led 2003 invasion has often targeted Christians.
"The AP found that hundreds of thousands of Christians have fled." (Source: The Associated Press, Thursday, May 14, 2009)
To highlight the AP report, in 1987, there were 1.4 million Christians in Iraq. Now there are fewer than 400,000. For all of Saddam Hussein's sins, persecution of Christians was not one of them. Under Hussein's regime, Christians, for the most part, led a persecution-free existence—something extremely rare in Muslim countries. In fact, Saddam Hussein even had Christians serving in his administrative cabinet.
Enter the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
Since removing Saddam Hussein, the U.S. government has installed an Islamic puppet government, which has resulted in the persecution of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Christians.
I hope all the evangelical Christians who continue to support George W. Bush and his unconstitutional, preemptive invasion of Iraq are paying attention. I hope all my Christian friends who kept trumpeting the unconstitutional policies of President Bush, "because he is a Christian," are paying attention. I really wish that James Dobson and his ilk would have been as outraged at the unconstitutional (not to mention unchristian) policies of the former Republican President as they are the current Democratic President, because, for all intents and purposes, the federal government is functioning in exactly the same way under one as it did under the other.
Whether domestically or internationally, the U.S. government is obviously committed to an anti-Christian agenda. Where the federal government once respected Christianity and vowed to not interfere with the faith and practices of Christian people, it has now become an archenemy of religious liberty. With virtually every constitutional safeguard being violated by the modern federal government, about all that is left is for the constitutional prohibition of government business being conducted on Sundays to be expunged. Don't be surprised, therefore, when federal courts begin mandating that public schools require students to attend class on the Lord's Day.
If we are to restore the principles of religious liberty, it will be necessary for State governments—and for Christian people in particular—to stand united against an ever-growing, ever-menacing federal leviathan that is intent on destroying the safeguards and foundations of a once-proud constitutional republic, which was, after all, rooted and founded upon Christian principles.
Dr. Chuck Baldwin is the pastor of Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida. He hosts a weekly radio show. His website is here.
