To Bible, or Not to Bible? America's New State Religion. Separation of Church and State? What's Ahead For America? Misty. Cargo Trailer.

"Do we or don't we believe in the Bible? Should we or shouldn't we quote Scripture in government and in daily life?"

 

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America's New State Religion

"If there is one tenet of faith that characterizes multiculturalism, it is the belief that feelings are more important than truth, morality, obedience to God, or anything else."

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Separation of Church and State?

 

"Some people believe that the U.S. Constitution forbids any connection between religion and government - or, as it's popularly known, separation of church and state. American history, however, clearly proves otherwise.

The website for the U.S. Library of Congress contains a lengthy history of Christian church services being held in the most recognizable of government buildings—the U.S. Capitol building, where the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives meet! Notice these excerpts from a portion of the site titled "Religion and the Federal Government" (emphasis added throughout):

"It is no exaggeration to say that on Sundays in Washington during the administrations of Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809) and of James Madison (1809-1817) the state became the church. Within a year of his inauguration, Jefferson began attending church services in the House of Representatives. Madison followed Jefferson's example . . . Worship services in the House . . . continued until after the Civil War . . . Preachers of every Protestant denomination appeared. (Catholic priests began officiating in 1826.) . . . Throughout his administration Jefferson permitted church services in executive branch buildings. The Gospel was also preached in the Supreme Court chambers.

"Jefferson's actions may seem surprising because his attitude toward the relation between religion and government is usually thought to have been embodied in his recommendation that there exist "a wall of separation between church and state." In that statement, Jefferson was apparently declaring his opposition, as Madison had done in introducing the Bill of Rights, to a 'national' religion. In attending church services on public property, Jefferson and Madison consciously and deliberately were offering symbolic support to religion as a prop for republican government."

The site includes descriptions of religious services also being held in the U.S. Treasury Building (by several denominations) and the Supreme Court chamber, and notes that for a time the U.S. Marine Band provided musical accompaniment for hymns at worship services in the U.S. Capitol building. Find many other interesting facts clearly contradicting the common legal interpretation of separation of church and state. "  Article by Scott Ashley

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What's Ahead for America?

" "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

These words, some of the most famous in the English language, are found in the Declaration of Independence of what would become the United States of America, adopted on July 4, 1776—a pivotal point in human history. As I write this on the evening of July 4, I can hear the thunder of fireworks exploding in the distance as Americans celebrate the nation's 235th birthday.

Notice a truth that is self-evident in the words above: The men who wrote and signed this famous declaration believed that "all men are created"and that they have a Creator. The Declaration also refers to "Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" and to "the Supreme Judge of the world." Obviously God was very much in their thinking at that pivotal time.

What would the nation's Founding Fathers think if they could see their nation today?

They would obviously be profoundly impressed at the material wealth and prosperity of the country. Our houses, highways, cities and communications would astound them. Our standing as the world's lone superpower would amaze them. The sheer size of the country—"from sea to shining sea"—would astonish them.

But many other things would shock them, and clearly not in any positive way.

What would they think of the fact that we murder more than a million helpless, innocent, unborn children every year through abortion?

What would they think of the shocking plagues of immorality, adultery, sexually transmitted diseases, drug and alcohol abuse, divorce, sexual perversions, violence and crime that rot our nation?

What would they think of the staggering amount of debt run up by our governments—currently totaling more than half a million dollars per U.S. household—with no realistic way to pay it off?

Why is this nation, so strong for so long, now facing problems seemingly at every turn? Why does it seem that things have suddenly gone so wrong in so many ways all at once?

Thomas Jefferson, primary author of the Declaration of Independence and later the third President of the United States, wrote this warning: "Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever."

Jefferson knew enough about history to know that a nation that forgets God will reap the consequences of rejecting our Creator—a lesson the United States is increasingly learning the hard way.

Another famous American President, Abraham Lincoln, said: "We have forgotten God . . . We have become . . . too proud to pray to the God that made us. It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness."

What did these men know that we don't? One thing they understood is the eternal truth of Proverbs 14:34: "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people."

They understood that ultimately a nation's strength is only as strong as its faith in and obedience to its Creator. And they warned of exactly what we are seeing today."

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Yesterday:

 

First, I reinstated the Word Verification for comments, as I was getting spam, then I realized how inconsiderate that was to my readers.  It is easy for me to delete the spam comments, and a nuisance for you to have to go through the hoo-hah of Word Verification, so it is off again.

 

Ray arrived to do some painting, but I could tell his back was hurting.  So when Jay called on some pretext or another, I knew he must be broke and wanted to work, as he gets paid daily!  As the grass needed mowing, and I knew that Ray wasn't in any shape to do it, I drove down to get Jay.

  

With just one dog now, Misty, I took her with me.  I used to take Paco and Misty quite often, but with just one it is easier, so I will take her more often.   We walked across the street to say Hi to Muffie, and I let Misty off leash in their yard.  She and Paco have been there lots of times.  For the first time, Misty followed Muffie up the deck steps, and as Misty is near blind, she was scared to come back down, she would go to the edge of the steps, and she didn't know how many there were.  So I leashed her and guided her down saying "Down" at each step.  That is how she gets in the car, too, I lead her to the open door and say "Up", and she jumps in, and to get out, I say "Down".  She is fine around here, as long as something hadn't been moved.  Sometimes she bumps into Bobcat my cat, or Prime the foster cat, but they don't mind.

 

Jay and I were going to put the doghouse (cowling) back over the B+'s motor, until I noticed there was a vacuum hose missing off a fitting in there.  Also, Jim, the mechanic was going to check out the fuses, as even with the new house battery connected, there are no inside lights.  So I drove it down to Jim's, and parked it in front of his motor home, an older Allegro Class A which is for sale.  This is the first summer for years that Jim and his wife haven't driven it up north for the summer, they were "Sunbirds".  His knee will no longer let him do all that traveling.  They didn't expect all this knee trouble, and they had just put in a much larger RV refrigerator.  Anyway, that got my B+ out of my front yard, so that Jay could mow there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the 5 dead pine trees gone, we really miss the shade that they gave us in our work area beside the workshop.

Ray painted the shelves, the bottom of the table, and bed.  Jay and I installed two of the shelves.  We haven't installed the 12v. lights under them yet.

 

It was hot out there!  That was enough for the day.