It seems he would have been quite comfortable with Jeremiah Wright’s sermon about America’s “chickens coming home to roost.” While it is undeniable that our country has taken some indefensible actions, the fact remains that, at least until recent years, it has been the closest thing to a Christian nation the world has seen. This thinking bothers the critics, whose secular humanistic expectations of us are higher than our creators, while ignoring the wickedness all around us.

He obviously either did not live through the cold war period, or has chosen to overlook the Evil Empire we faced off against in that time. It is easy to criticize the US for things that have gone wrong and justify the world hating us, while making nice with dictators, both major and petty, around the world who have slaughtered millions. It seems that there is a guilt among some for the success our country has had and the ease of their lives. There is also, in some quarters, a rejection of the Judeo-Christian values that have guided our country to greatness.

Outside of a few specifics, we have nothing to apologize for on the world stage as we have generally been a stabilizing influence. When disaster strikes anywhere in the world, who comes to help the victims. Do the Chinese? Do the Islamic states? Do the people in the Russian sphere lend a hand? No! It is the evil Americans who show up with food, clothing, medicine, and anything else that is needed. We have often given more to overseas victims than we’ve given to our own people. That is how terrible we Americans are.

Unfortunately, sometimes our leaders have allowed the concept of “the greater good” to guide our support of some pretty awful people. Many times we would have been better off heading George Washington’s advice to steer clear of foreign alliances of this sort. Instead, we have followed the course of expediency rather than the course we know is right. Our error was that we have tried to take the short cut of trusting the untrustworthy and being unequally yoked with brutal, godless men who could do us favors in the short term.

I’m not sure this makes us evil. It does make us foolish and lazy! We don’t have to go around taking out every petty dictator that appears on the world scene, but we certainly don’t have to finance and arm them either. We have forgotten the value of virtue. Yet, in spite of errors in judgment our country has done nothing so awful as to warrant the hatred of those wanting to kill us. We have been a little heavy handed in times past, but to find the reason for the irrational attitude of the followers of radical Islam, we need look no further than the Koran, with its message of dominance and victory over the infidels.

The conflict we are facing is nothing that can be negotiated away. You can only negotiate with reasonable and rational people. We can blame ourselves all we want, and, while we can always do better, we can never make ourselves acceptable to the radical Islamic leaders except by surrender.

So, the blame America first crowd does not have the solution to world peace, but they do have the solution to destroying patriotism and pride in our country.

As I was growing up, hearing about the speeches and marches of Martin Luther King, much of what I heard was that he was stirring up trouble where he had no business. In the rural northeast there was little knowledge or understanding of the situations he was fighting against. There was only one black student in my high school graduating class and she was kind of cute and fit in with everyone, so I could not comprehend what the fuss was all about.

It was only later, after Dr. King was gone, and I saw grown men with dark skin addressed as “Boy” and saw pictures of segregated facilities that I began to grasp the struggles of freedom fighters like Martin Luther King Jr and others like Medgar Evers.

Our Declaration of Independence enshrined the words “all men are created equal”. Correctly it does not specify all men of a certain color, a particular economic class or those connected to the “ruling class”. It says all men are created equal. It does not say that some are only three fifths equal as some in congress specified so as to obtain congressional representation, yet not recognize the humanity of some citizens.

In so many ways, the projected rights some feel they have to lead, based on their skin color is just as repulsive, perhaps even more so, than the projected right to lead of the English royalty that our founding fathers threw off. It has been my personal observation that those who look down on others because of some external characteristic like skin color have the least reason to look down on anyone.

It may be for this reason that they are the most defensive and most violent in keeping what they consider to be their God-given dominance. History tells us that the Democrat Party rose to power in the Reconstruction south, partly through the efforts of its terrorist wing, the Ku Klux Klan that intimidated black voters and often left them hanging high in trees as a warning to others.

It is against this backdrop that Dr. King took his struggle to the streets in the 50’s and 60’s. The old racist thinking hadn’t changed much, but it had developed a veneer of sophistication and pleasantry. The north was little better as many, lured by the promise of jobs, migrated north to less hospitable climates. Most making the move “knew their place” and created an underclass of cheap laborers who basically did what they were told.

Our country is not what it should be, but great strides have been made in the direction Dr. King was working. Our black friends owe him a great debt of gratitude for his inspired leadership. The rest of us do also. He opened the eyes of many of us to situations we did not see or chose not to see.

What can we learn from this man of God who stood against established social norms? First thing we see was his commitment to non-violent protest. I believe it was part of his spiritual DNA. It also was a matter of practicality as he represented a minority group surrounded by many who would be only too happy to return violence with greater violence. Today many are questioning whether we can right the wrongs of the current administration peacefully. Dr. King, following in the footsteps of Ghandi, showed what can be accomplished by single-minded dedication to one’s goal. Unfortunately, his life ended when someone, seeing white dominance threatened, chose the violent route to a temporary victory.

Our government was not so powerful and pervasive at the time. It was not as immune to citizen concerns. King’s phones were tapped, but he did not have an empowered Department of Homeland Security breathing down his neck. We need to hope and pray that such an approach can work in our situation. If it does not, we need to decide, like our founding fathers, how much we value our freedom and what price we are willing to pay to keep it for ourselves and our children.

The non-violent approach he used was not a non-confrontational approach. Martin Luther King Jr. and his followers sat down in lunch counters that refused to serve them. The closed down streets. Together they raised their voice, letting the world know they would not be denied. The non-violent approach was not an easy road as King told the people they had to stick together. They had to work together, they had to pray together, they had to march together. They at to get arrested together. Whoa! Did he say get arrested together?

Sit ins at lunch counters, while conceived as peaceable, did not always end peacefully. Protesters were hauled off to jail for trespassing. Sometimes overzealous police, protecting the old value system, cracked some heads or crosses were burned in the night. Some working for freedom suffered the same fate as King and Evers… some simply disappeared forever.

We may be up against a more pleasant speaking opponent, but Chicago style thuggery can be just a vicious. The question for us is how far is each of us willing to go in pursuit of the freedom and justice that used to be the United States of America. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is rightly a heroic figure in the black community – and the rest of our country. But, we can all learn from his life, his mission and his dedication. Thank you, Dr. King.

Responsibility & Effectiveness of Government

The care of human life and happiness, not their destruction, is the legitimate responsibility of a good government.

A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.

A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned – this is the sum of good government.

That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves.

To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.

Yes, we did produce a near-perfect republic. But will they keep it? Or will they, in the enjoyment of plenty, lose the memory of freedom? Material abundance without character is the path of destruction.

When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe.

My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government

Right to Bare Arms

The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes… Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man. (quoting Cesare Beccaria)

Those who hammer their guns into plows, will plow for those who do not.

No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.

Banks

I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.

Courts

One single object … [will merit] the endless gratitude of the society: that of restraining the judges from usurping legislation.

Press

The only security of all is in a free press. The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when permitted freely to be expressed. The agitation it produces must be submitted to. It is necessary, to keep the waters pure.

Liberty

When the government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.

What county can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time that its people preserve the spirit of resistance.

I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.

I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.

Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add “within the limits of the law,” because law is often but the tyrant’s will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual.

Prosperity

Were we directed from Washington when to sow, and when to reap, we should soon want bread.

The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.

Religion

No nation has ever existed or been governed without religion. Nor can be. The Christian religion is the best religion that has been given to man and I, as Chief Magistrate of this nation, am bound to give it the sanction of my example.

Davis was not some radical psycho as many think of him today. He was a graduate of West Point. He was a United States Senator. He believed in the constitution, but, based on his observation, he had little confidence in the willingness of the industrialized, more internationalist northern states would respect it if it came in conflict with their plans and interests. In his own words:

“My devotion to the Union of our fathers had been so often and so publicly declared; I had on the floor of the Senate so defiantly challenged any question of my fidelity to it; my services, civil and military, had now extended through so long a period and were so generally known, that I felt quite assured that no whisperings of envy or ill-will could lead the people of Mississippi to believe that I had dishonored their trust by using the power they had conferred on me to destroy the government to which I was accredited. Then, as afterward, I regarded the separation of the States as a great, though not the greater evil.”

As late as February if 1860 he was working on legislation that would strengthen the union while providing for the ability of the individual states to provide for their own affairs. This was not well received, and when his home state of Mississippi decided to withdraw from the union, he believed it was his duty to do his part to help the effort to succeed.

Davis greatly admired George Washington and, in many ways, saw himself in a similar situation… fighting to free his people from an oppressive and overreaching national government. He believed that General Washington would side with the rebels in their quest to be free of federal control. This belief is open to discussion, but a portrait and bust of our first president were displayed in prominent positions in his home. This was, to him, the second American Revolution.

It is a humbling experience to stand in the room where southern leaders like Robert E. Lee, J.E.B. Stuart and Stonewall Jackson met with President Davis to plan the defense of their land. They were godly men, pursuing a course they believed to be best for the people and their country. I’m certain their prayers went up to heaven on behalf of their cause. It was not to be and the answer was “No”.

Two of the three visitors lost their lives fighting for a cause the believed in… a lost cause. Lee, when seeing the end was near, did everything he could to minimize the loss of the men in his command, including giving up the dream of the Confederate States. These men were dedicated and capable – perhaps more capable than the leaders they met on the battlefield.

The did not succeed, but they spent themselves following the dream of freedom as they saw it. Today, even in defeat, they are admired by those who understand them. In Virginia, their names are found on all sorts of roads and other public facilities. It was not for the cause of slavery that they fought. Most of the men they led were simple farm boys, not wealthy plantation owners. Their land was invaded and they were doing their best to send the intrudes back home. They were major players in the tragedy we call the War Between the States, or Civil War.

None of them wanted to take up arms against their fellow countrymen, yet they did what they believed they had to do. Perhaps it was not the right choice, but perhaps there are times a person has to stand up and fight for something, even if there is no chance of victory. If we only undertake struggles when we know we can win, there is little virtue in us. Yet, if we join the battle when the outcome is uncertain, simply because it is the right thing to do, though it costs us everything, we are closer to being the person we were created to be – not just someone existing in a shadow land.

“Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the world, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns on this day? … Is it not that, in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in the progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer’s mission upon earth. That it laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity, and gave to the world the first irrevocable pledge of the fulfillment of the prophecies announced directly from Heaven at the birth of the Savior and predicted by the greatest of the Hebrew prophets six hundred years before?”

Adams was exactly right: America’s birth is directly linked to the birth of our Savior. In fact, the United States of America is the only nation established by Christian people, founded upon Biblical principles, and dedicated to the purpose of religious liberty. This truth is easily observed within America’s earliest history.

America’s forebears first established a written covenant with God as early as November 11, 1620, when they penned The Mayflower Compact. It states in part:

“In the name of God, Amen. … Having undertaken, for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and Honour of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia; do by these presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid; And by Virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the General good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.”

The sentiments and statements of America’s founders make it clear that this nation has enjoyed a love and appreciation for the rights and freedoms recognized in Natural Law that is unique in the annals of human history. No other people have such a heritage.

One thing America’s founders could not envision was–after they had paid so terrible a price to purchase our liberties–that the time would come when their posterity would be denied the basic freedoms to publicly express their reverence for God. Never could they have imagined that the day would come when citizens of the sovereign states (each with a State constitution protecting religious liberty) would be denied their right to pray in school, or place Nativity scenes on public property, or hang copies of the Ten Commandments on courthouse walls.

I am also confident that America’s founders would be completely repulsed by the way the United States has jumped headlong into corporatism, socialism, and globalism. At the national level, Democrats and Republicans alike have created a central government so large that it would be unrecognizable to any Founding Father (even Alexander Hamilton or John Adams). In addition, both Big Business and Big Religion have sold our great country down the old proverbial river. Truly, our Founding Fathers must be rolling over in their graves.

Therefore, at this Christmas season, let us remember well the founding principles of these United States of America. Furthermore, let us renew with vigor the fight for freedom before our liberties and our heritage are gone altogether.

From my family to yours: Merry Christmas!

P.S. Many readers of this column also watch our live stream broadcast from Liberty Fellowship each Sunday afternoon at 2:30pm (Mountain Time). Since this Sunday is Christmas Day, Liberty Fellowship will conduct its service on Christmas Eve, Saturday, December 24, at 5pm (Mountain Time). And, yes, this service will be broadcast live. I invite readers to join us as we celebrate Christ’s birth this Saturday, December 24, at 5pm (Mountain Time). To view our live stream broadcast, click here.

For more by Chuck Baldwin, click here.

It could have been just the fanciful ranting of a semi senile old man… but, it wasn’t. He persisted in pursuing the evil empire until it became obvious that the central planning and control of the oppressive regime was no match for the creativity and industry of our free people. He knew that there was no substitute for victory. He knew that making nice with those who want to defeat you and wipe you from the history books only gives them time to regroup and plan for more dastardly attacks. He knew so much this current administration hasn’t even considered.

Knowing something is good. Acting on your knowledge is better. The best is seeing the culmination of this knowledge and action. Reagan called on Gorbachev to tear down the despised wall, he must have struck a nerve… and eventually the wall came tumbling down.

[Being so wrapped up in thinking of ourselves as the center of the universe, we sometimes forget that this is not the only time our country faced threats and dangers.  John Adams knew the source our his country's safety and ultimate greatness.  This is the text of President John Adams' March 23, 1798 national Fasting and Prayer proclamation; as printed in the The Phenix/Windham Herald, April 12, 1798.]

By the President of the United States of America

A PROCLAMATION

AS the safety and prosperity of nations ultimately and essentially depend on the protection and blessing of Almighty God; and the national acknowledgment of this truth is not only an indispensable duty which the people owe to Him, but a duty whose natural influence is favorable to the promotion of that morality and piety, without which social happiness cannot exist, nor the blessings of a free government be enjoyed; and as this duty, at all times incumbent, is so especially in seasons of difficulty and of danger, when existing or threatening calamities, the just judgments of God against prevalent iniquity are a loud call to repentance and reformation; and as the United States of America are at present placed in a hazardous and afflictive situation, by the unfriendly disposition, conduct and demands of a foreign power, evinced by repeated refusals to receive our messengers of reconciliation and peace, by depredations on our commerce, and the infliction of injuries on very many of our fellow citizens, while engaged in their lawful business on the seas: —Under these considerations it has appeared to me that the duty of imploring the mercy and benediction of Heaven on our country, demands at this time a special attention from its inhabitants.

I HAVE therefore thought it fit to recommend, that Wednesday, the 9th day of May next be observed throughout the United States, as a day of Solemn Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer; That the citizens of these states, abstaining on that day from their customary worldly occupations, offer their devout addresses to the Father of Mercies, agreeably to those forms or methods which they have severally adopted as the most suitable and becoming: That all religious congregations do, with the deepest humility, acknowledge before GOD the manifold sins and transgressions with which we are justly chargeable as individuals and as a nation; beseeching him, at the same time, of his infinite Grace, through the Redeemer of the world, freely to remit all our offences, and to incline us, by his holy spirit, to that sincere repentance and reformation which may afford us reason to hope for his inestimable favor and heavenly benediction; That it be made the subject of particular and earnest supplication, that our country may be protected from all the dangers which threaten it; that our civil and religious privileges may be preserved inviolate, and perpetuated to the latest generations; that our public councils and magistrates may be especially enlightened and directed at this critical period; that the American people may be united in those bonds of amity and mutual confidence, and inspired with that vigor and fortitude by which they have in times past been so highly distinguished, and by which they have obtained such invaluable advantages: That the health of the inhabitants of our land may be preserved, and their agriculture, commerce, fisheries, arts and manufactures be blessed and prospered: That the principles of genuine piety and sound morality may influence the minds and govern the lives of every description of our citizens; and that the blessings of peace, freedom, and pure religion, may be speedily extended to all the nations of the earth.

And finally I recommend, that on the said day; the duties of humiliation and prayer be accompanied by fervent Thanksgiving to the bestower of every good gift, not only for having hitherto protected and preserved the people of these United States in the independent enjoyment of their religious and civil freedom, but also for having prospered them in a wonderful progress of population, and for conferring on them many and great favours conducive to the happiness and prosperity of a nation.

Given under my hand and seal of the United States of America, at Philadelphia, this twenty-third day of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety-eight, and of the Independence of the said States the twenty-second.

JOHN ADAMS

By the President,

TIMOTHY PICKERING, Secretary of State

These Pilgrims were mostly “Separatists,” who had left Europe to seek a land of liberty, where men could be free to worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience–not according to the demands of a State church or an oppressive government. They made their intentions and motivations clear when they signed America’s first covenant, a document called The Mayflower Compact:

“We whose names are under-written . . . Having undertaken, for the Glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith . . .”

This undertaking had prompted them to leave their homes, livelihoods, families, friends, and way of life, and make a dangerous voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. Many became ill and some did not survive to see the New World. But they all believed that they were doing God’s will and that He would honor their faith. And He certainly did.

Although the original Pilgrims had a few confrontations with the American Indians–some were even violent–for the most part, the Indians were friendly and accommodating. They taught the Pilgrims what crops to grow and how best to grow them. They helped them understand American agriculture and the ways of the wild game endemic to that part of North America. And by the time they held their first Thanksgiving banquet, the relationship between those original Pilgrims and Massasoit and his small tribe of Indians was one of genuine trust and friendship.

God had, indeed, smiled upon the small band of Pilgrims. They had survived a long, treacherous journey across the ocean, had written the immortal Mayflower Compact, had built their homes and communities, had established a civil body-politic, had successfully planted and harvested enough food to keep them through the winter, and had established peaceful relations with the native Indians.

The Pilgrim Thanksgiving may have been the first such celebration, but it was far from the last.

Not long after becoming America’s first (and greatest) President, George Washington issued our country’s first Thanksgiving Proclamation on October 3, 1789. In the proclamation, Washington wrote:

“Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor . . .

“Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be–That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks–for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation–for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war–for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed–for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted–for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

“And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions–to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually–to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed–to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord–To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us–and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.”

Presidents ever since have likewise issued proclamations of thanksgiving exhorting the American people to humbly acknowledge the protection and blessing of Heaven upon our land. It is particularly appropriate that they would do this. After all, we Americans–of all people–have sufficient reason to give corporate thanks to Almighty God, as our Christian forebears founded this land for the express purpose of seeking religious liberty.

The history of the world’s nations is largely the story of one despot being replaced with another. Throughout the annals of human history, the story of human government is that of the rise and fall of one empire after another; one king or potentate after another; one dictatorship being replaced with another dictatorship; one form of monarchy being replaced with another form of monarchy. Some were kinder than others. Some were benevolent. Some were harsh. And some were downright cruel. But until July 4, 1776, there was no such thing as a nation founded on self-government, federalism, and religious liberty.

For the first time in world history, Christian people were granted a land of blessing and hope. In the human sense, America became to Christians what Canaan was to Old Testament Israel. In America, believers could live at peace with both their society and their government. They no longer had to choose between obeying their God and obeying their king. In America, there was no king but King Jesus. In America, men could truly render unto God that which was God’s, as Caesar did not demand for himself that which was God’s alone. (In fact, in America, we have no Caesar.) Men no longer had to violate their conscience in order to stay out of jail. Believers were no longer required to worship at the altar of the State or the State Church. In America, men could live free.

I repeat: if anyone has a reason to give corporate thanksgiving unto God, it is the people of the United States.

The common attitudes being displayed by many Christians–along with their spiritual leaders and pastors–today, however, would seem largely out of place by America’s founders. Apathy, indifference, and lethargy seem to rule the day. I constantly hear things like: “God hasn’t called me to get involved in politics,” or “I am only called to preach the Gospel,” or “Maybe we need to go into persecution,” or “It’s not my responsibility to fight for liberty.” All of which expose their personal cowardice and utter contempt for the sacrifices rendered by their brave ancestors–sacrifices that procured the very blessings of liberty that they now hoggishly wallow in without appreciation or afterthought. And now, when faced with the imminent threat of the loss of the very liberties that they have taken for granted, they glibly reject any personal responsibility to maintain said liberties for their posterity–and pharisaically excuse their miserable conduct with pious-sounding clichés. They even have the wicked audacity to attempt to use the Scripture as an unholy closet in which they might hide–the same Scripture that their forefathers claimed as an illuminating beacon that was used to conquer the darkness of oppression.

I pray that this Thanksgiving season may be a time of both rejoicing and reflection, as well as a time of feasting and fellowship. But may it also be a time of rededication and renewal and a time of determination and decision. And I pray that we will each give our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength to the restoration of the principles of liberty upon which our republic was built. Let us renew the Spirit of ’76 in America once more. In the face of whatever danger and challenge that may oppose us, I pray that we will be the ones that will rise up to reclaim the blessings of liberty for our children and our children’s children. So help us, Almighty God!

For more by Chuck Baldwin, go to http://chuckbaldwinlive.com .

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to“recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.

George Washington

Having just thrown off the bondage of a despotic monarch and a state church, the good Baptists from Connecticut were concerned that the new state would impose its’ religious dictates on the citizens as had the old one. Instead of merely reading about the letter, let’s have a look at the context and see what Jefferson really said – not what the progressives would like us to believe he said.

Messrs. Nehemiah Dodge, Ephraim Robbins, and Stephen s. Nelson
A Committee of the Danbury Baptist Association, in the State of Connecticut.

Washington, January 1, 1802

Gentlemen,–The affectionate sentiment of esteem and approbation which you are so good as to express towards me, on behalf of the Danbury Baptist Association, give me the highest satisfaction. My duties dictate a faithful and zealous pursuit of the interests of my constituents, and in proportion as they are persuaded of my fidelity to those duties, the discharge of them becomes more and more pleasing.

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature would “make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” thus building a wall of separation between Church and State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.

I reciprocate your kind prayers for the protection and blessing of the common Father and Creator of man, and tender you for yourselves and your religious association, assurances of my high respect and esteem.

Th Jefferson
Jan. 1. 1802

In our up tight, politically correct culture, it is also a revelation to see something else Jefferson said in this letter… “the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions”. He understood that motivation of a criminal act was beyond the scope of government to control. He understood that it was wrong for a man to beat the living daylights out of his neighbor. He did not care about the source of the malice involved in the act. He understood that it was the job of the government to insure the peace and safety of its’ citizens, not uniformity of thought.

He also knew that one reason for hurting one’s neighbor was just as bad as another. Even though he founded the institution, Jefferson knew that it was no less acceptable for a man to harm his neighbor because he was a Virginia Tech fan instead of a University of Virginia fan, than if the victim were beaten because he like to do strange things with other men. Both acts were wrong.

In this letter, we saw the idealism as well as, perhaps, the naivete of our third President. He did not foresee that politicians and academics, eager to make political gains would embrace an inaccurate understanding of one concept and totally ignore others that did not fit their agenda.

This is one more case where we simply cannot depend on the information given to us… by the media, by academics, or by politicians. We need to go out and find the truth for ourselves. We just cannot be surprised that to a progressive, telling the truth may well be a hate crime.