Thursday, August 08, 2013

The Myth of Separation of Church and State

I read an article link while over at the TEA Party Community this morning, and wanted to share the article here along with some thoughts that I had after reading it.

I am not a Constitutional scholar (as Barry Soetoro seems to claim - ha!), and I'm not extremely well read on all of the interpretations of our Founding Documents.  However, I think that I have a good general knowledge of them; as well as how and why our founding came about.  Moreover, my 24 years of Bible study has helped me see that the truth of our founding is entrenched in Judeo-Christian laws, faith, and values that come directly from the Bible.

First, here is a link to the article:


Examiner.com: The Myth of Separation of Church and State.


I would like to draw your attention to the long comment posted there underneath the essay. The author of that comment seems to be saying (at least that is how I interpreted it) that a completely secular government here in the U.S. was the goal of the writers of the Constitution. However, I disagree with that and here is why.

Before the Constitution was written, The Declaration of Independence came first. The document is filled with acknowledgement of God and pointed towards the fact that England's king usurped power by inflicting governmental power over the colonies (and, thus, was taking away their God given rights) while at the same time, the powers-that-be in England tried to form one government approved certain Christian denomination over the people. 

Our nation is (or was) based on Judeo-Christian values in order to preserve our freedoms, liberty, and justice.  But when government becomes all too powerful, it leads to tyranny.  Our freedoms, including religious freedom, are taken away.  Without God's Word as a guide, our nation would not have existed (IMHO) and this "great experiment" would not have survived.  Now, I'm not so sure of our survival anymore.  Those who would have us become a socialist/communist/Islamo-fascist nation are intent on rejecting the very principles, morals, values, and ethics that allowed us to become great in the first place.  They are getting away with corruption, deception, propaganda, and downright evil - all the things that created Nazi Germany, Leninist and Stalinist Russia,  Imperial Japan, and all of the communist nations with dictators (like Mao) that have killed hundreds of millions of people. 

The way I see it is that denying (or repressing) our Judeo-Christian values is having a devastatingly negative effect on our culture, government, freedoms, liberty, and the justice that used to exist here.

The current attempt to bring Muslim sharia law into our nation is proof that such a religion (more like a political jihadist "religion" of force) is detrimental to our Constitutional Republic and needs to be suppressed.  Why?  Because they want a caliphate - which means that their goal is to take over (by jihad) not only the U.S. but the world.  Even the perpetrators of radical Islam admit that Christianity or Judaism cannot exist in their world.  Even the non-religious aren't safe.  Christians, Jews and secularists are all labeled as infidels and deserving of death if we don't convert to Islam.  This is according to their "holy" book, the Koran.

I think that the balance of church and state can exist while not infringing upon religious beliefs that come from the Bible.  False religions and dangerous cults notwithstanding, the plumb line of Scripture guided our Founders towards envisioning a Republic (as Franklin stated when created - "We have given you a Republic...if you can keep it.") 

The principles that our nation was built on can only be kept by those with faith in God - and is not achievable without Him.  Why?  Because without the Creator and Judge of the Universe as a basis for good, anything goes and evil will flourish.  Just a few of my thoughts on this issue.

Your thoughts?

Hat tips: 

Examiner.com
Charters of Freedom

7 comments:

Christinewjc said...

A commenter over at the TEA Party Community shared a great link:

The Federalist Papers: What Is The Law of Nature's God?

GMpilot said...

My thoughts?

My first thought is that you've been sucking up David Barton again. My second thought is that you still have a weak grasp of history.

If you'll re-read the DoI, you will see “Creator”, “Nature's God” and “divine Providence”, but there is no mention of a Judeo-Christian God. Indeed, there is no mention of a Jewish, or Christian, or Mahometan (as Muslims were called then) God at all.
Despite your rantings about freedom, you forget that at that time, it was still widely believed that to defy a king was to defy God, since the king ruled by God's will. The USA was the first nation in history to say “to hell with that!” and let the people, and those chosen by the people, rule.

If God's Word™ really had been a guide for the nation, things would be very different today. The very idea of a republic does not exist in the bible; only dictatorships, monarchies, and the primitive socialism practiced by some early Christian sects. Women would have no place (and no life) outside the household, slavery would still be common, and anyone could be put to death for doing any sort of labor on the Sabbath (House on fire? Tough luck, dude). Fortunately, that's only your opinion, as you say...and we all know what opinions have been compared to.

You've been chanting the phrase socialist/communist/Islamo-fascist for years. I'm certain that you can't tell them from apart; you just lump them together as Things You Do Not Like, without realizing that nearly all of them are incompatible with each other.

You say Mulims “want a caliphate - which means that their goal is to take over (by jihad) not only the U.S. but the world. Even the perpetrators of radical Islam admit that Christianity or Judaism cannot exist in their world. Even the non-religious aren't safe.” My observation is that radical Christianity feels the same way. Everywhere it has gone, it too has tried to stamp out the local religions and establish itself as the only one. We have talked before about the many pogroms committed against the Jews in Europe, and even today, in our 'blessed' nation, there are those who seek to convert Jews, even though the Jews know more about the Christian God than any Christian does.
Non-religious people have never been safe anywhere, at any time. The old “those who are not with us are against us” excuse is all some religious people need to harass and destroy. Both Muslim and Christian alike would gladly compete for the privilege of killing me first.

Christinewjc said...

Oh GM...here we go again.

It is precisely because our nation was built on Judeo-Christian beliefs and values that other religions can freely exist here. You won't see that in Sharia law Muslim nations. Convert or die is their mantra - and chopping off the heads of "infidels" (especially Christians who won't renounce Christ) is their "final solution."

GM wrote:

"You've been chanting the phrase socialist/communist/Islamo-fascist for years. I'm certain that you can't tell them from apart; you just lump them together as Things You Do Not Like, without realizing that nearly all of them are incompatible with each other."

They can all be lumped together because they all lead to tyranny. Many of them work together (like the Imams with Nazi Germany in the past, and the Commie and radical Islamists sympathizers of the Zero BADministration today. However, we are now seeing the split that inevitably comes when one (Commie Russia) sides with the dictator Assad in Syria, while Ovomit sides with and funds the Muslim Brotherhood terrorists.

A similar scenario happened in Egypt, and Muslim Brotherhood Morsi was kicked out.

Just more terrible foreign policy by the puppet Obama's handlers - like Commie George Soros and Iranian jihadist Valerie Jarrett.

Christinewjc said...

Another great link to read:

Religion and the Founding of the Republic

GMpilot said...

Indeed, here we go again.
Other religions can freely exist here, but that wasn't always the case. Catholic Maryland warred with Protestant (and Quaker) Pennsylvania, as well as with Anglican Virginia. In Puritan Massachusetts, Quakers got hanged; of the 13 colonies, only Rhode Island practiced anything like the religious freedom of today so precious to you. Let's not even talk about the LDS, okay? As recently as 200 years ago they didn't even exist...just like Evangelicals, come to think of it.

AFAIK, the American Indian nations had no idea what Christianity was until it was introduced to them. No one seems to have thought that they had good enough gods of their own. Only Christians and Islamics are so insecure about their beliefs that they must make the rest of the world believe as they do.
You mentioned imams working with Nazi Germany in the past. Need I remind you that both Catholic and Lutheran officials also cooperated with Hitler's regime? Not to mention Pope Pius XII, who was largely silent on Nazi activities during WWII. In 1949, however, he excommunicated every Catholic involved in any Communist organization. Fidel Castro was declared beyond the pale, but Adolf Hitler never was. Hmmm.

In any case, you asked for thoughts from your readers. Since no one else has chosen to say anything (perhaps they don't read?), I have.
All nations, great and small, seem to need myths to help them get started. The trick is to know where the myths end and the facts begin...and as a nation, I don't believe we've learned that yet.

Christinewjc said...

"Catholic and Lutheran officials, and Pope Pius XII do not speak for nor represent the true church of Christianity. Those who "cooperated" with Hitler (if, indeed, your facts are correct) sinned when they did so.


Look, I was raised Roman Catholic and I saw the not-so-subtle "dislike" for the Jews. The idea that the Jews put Jesus to death is an oxymoron, because Jesus laid down his life willingly on the cross. Recall when he stated, "Forgive them Father, for they know not what they are doing."

Jesus is all about forgiveness, mercy, grace and love. However, such a gift must be received by those who truly repent of their sins and accept Him as Lord and Savior of their lives.

About the lack of commenters here. I don't know the exact reason why more don't comment. My stats show that 58 individuals have read this post. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that this terrible tyrannical (which shows a lot of similarities with Hitler's regime) government (that has sprung up and gone into overdrive under the spawn of Satan puppet - Barack Insane Obama - and the evil puppeteers who are actually doing the hard work of destroying America) is spying on the American people; thus, it causes some to resist writing down anything political or religious for fear of being targeted (like the TEA Party).

Whatever the reason, there are people who respond to my posts over at the TEA Party Community so that keeps me busy on some days where a big discussions on important topics come up.

Some people are probably working two part time jobs (because of Zero's atrocious Hellscare bill and lack of skill in allowing the small and large businesses to prosper anymore) and they don't have time to comment on blogs.

One day, this nightmare of the pResidency of the Obama puppet will come to an end. And that will be a great day for America!

GMpilot said...

CJW: "Catholic and Lutheran officials, and Pope Pius XII do not speak for nor represent the true church of Christianity. Those who "cooperated" with Hitler (if, indeed, your facts are correct) sinned when they did so.”
Oooh, so who represents the 'true church of Christianity'? What standards are used to determine this? If you say “those who love and follow the Lord”, then that includes people like Moses and Gideon—and they weren't even Christian!
Yes, the German Christians did cooperate with the Nazis. Some resisted; most did not. That they 'sinned' by doing so is irrelevant. According to Christian doctrine, we're all guilty of sin, just by existing.

”Look, I was raised Roman Catholic and I saw the not-so-subtle "dislike" for the Jews. The idea that the Jews put Jesus to death is an oxymoron, because Jesus laid down his life willingly on the cross. Recall when he stated, "Forgive them Father, for they know not what they are doing."
Isn't there something in the scriptures that says that the sons shall not suffer for the sins of their fathers?
Oh, wait, that's the Old Testament; the New is as much about blood and vengeance as it is about forgiveness (see Revelation).
An oxymoron is two mutually contradictory terms, like 'jumbo shrimp', or 'compassionate conservative'. Or a God who can see into the future, yet is constantly blindsided by events in the present. If Jesus was innocent of any crime yet died anyway, it was state-assisted suicide, as well as a wrongful death. But he's unlikely to come back and initiate a lawsuit.

Church-state separation is, unfortunately, a myth these days, in this country. While it is true that we have no “official” church, Protestantism has been the de facto one since at least the early 1800s. Anti-Catholic and anti-Semitic feeling has surfaced fairly often in our history. Anti-Muslim feelings are quite new to this tradition; no one seems to feel this way about Hinduism or Buddhism. But it makes little difference. Whenever and wherever gods and governments mix, no one is safe.