Founders' Christian FaithDid you know our Founding Fathers held prayer meetings for several days before writing the Constitution? Have you read what these men wrote about their own personal faith, and how they prayed to God in Jesus' name for guidance in setting up our nation? I had never actually read what they wrote when they conveyed their deepest hopes and desires for the United States of America. Their words are no longer in American history books, though they once were. Christianity is no longer popular. In fact, Christianity has become a religion only the dumb and uneducated espouse, sort of like a Southern accent. But, Christian men who wrote biblical values and principles into our Constitution founded our nation. That's what's wrong in Washington today. Few, if any, in Washington today have a faith comparable with any of our Founding Fathers, much less share their values and principles. For those who argue Christian faith played less than a pivotal role when these men wrote the Constitution, consider their own words and decide for yourself. Benjamin Franklin: "As to Jesus of Nazareth, my opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the system of morals and His religion as He left them to us, the best the world ever saw or is likely to see." And the epitaph Franklin wrote for his own tombstone: "The Body of B. Franklin Printer; Like the Cover of an old Book, Its Contents torn out, And stript of its Lettering and Gilding, Lies here, Food for Worms. But the Work shall not be whlly lost: For it will, as he believ'd, appear once more, In a new & more perfect Edition, Corrected and Amended By the Author." Thomas Jefferson: "The practice of morality being necessary for the well being of society, He [God] has taken care to impress its precepts so indelibly on our hearts that they shall not be effaced by the subtleties of our brain. We all agree in the obligation of the moral principles of Jesus and nowhere will they be found delivered in greater purity than in His discourses." "I am a real Christian - that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus Christ." I chose Franklin and Jefferson for two reasons: many say they were not Christians, and they are among the best known founders. Did you know more than half of the men who met to write the Constitution held degrees in Christian theology? John Jay, original chief justice of the Supreme Court: "[T]he evidence of the truth of Christianity requires only to be carefully examined to produce conviction in candid minds... they who undertake that task will derive advantages." "Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation, to select and prefer Christians for their rulers." Can you imagine anyone in Washington uttering such words today? America is not the same nation our Founding Fathers established or hoped we would become. To read more declarations our Founding Fathers made regarding Jesus, Christianity, and the Bible, go to www.Wallbuilders.com, or read one of these books: "The 5000 Year Leap" by W. Cleon Skousen or "Original Intent" by David Barton. Christian philosophy is diametrically opposed to socialist philosophy running rampant in Washington today. Christian philosophy values individual freedoms and rights of conscience. Socialist philosophy values what's best for "all the people." Can a healthcare worker, based on his or her religious faith, refuse to participate in an abortion? The Obama administration is undermining that right of conscience, abridging individual religious freedom in favor of supporting easier access to abortions. Socialism produces two classes: elite (government leaders with their own healthcare, salaries, and perks) and everybody else (with standardized, limited healthcare, capped salaries and wages). Our Founding Fathers envisioned exceptionally limited federal government in a nation filled with individuals who enjoyed personal freedoms and opportunities. Our nation flourished under these values and principles. Washington has dramatically changed America into an entitlement state with raging deficits and debt where big, federal government tells individuals what they can, can't, or must do. America needs a Christian revolution…just like the one that founded our nation. (Daniel L. Gardner is a syndicated columnist who lives in Starkville, MS. You may contact him at PJandMe2@gmail.com)
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