"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ! For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity and freedom of worship here." -- Patrick Henry
There was a time in our land when the dominance of traditional Western Christian civilization created an atmosphere in which gambling, fornication, infidelity, foul language and unethical acts in business, politics and private life were publicly shamed. Not that these activities didn't take place, but they weren't done openly, at least not by any "decent, reputable people," unlike today. The Christian faith gave strength and inspiration to the founders of our republic, and inspired generations of their followers until the union of States was a land that was unmatched in freedoms, prosperity and overall happiness. All that has come to be, in America, is due to that which is the foundational part of any culture: religion.
In their brilliant simplicity, the writers of the U.S. Constitution added the first Amendment, stating, "that Congress shall make no laws respecting the establishment of religion…" There is not a word about keeping faith-based activities out of public activities or public life. If it was their desire to eliminate Christian influence on government, then why has Congress always opened their sessions with prayer? Why must people take an oath on the Bible to tell the truth when acting as a witness in a courtroom?
The founders never meant to deny religious expression in public forums; they only wanted to prevent the federal establishment of a particular religion. More specifically, they didn't want the federal government to endorse a specific Christian denomination. While the federal government wasn't to endorse a specific religion, nothing prevents the individual states from doing so. In fact, several states had officially recognized "state religions," as late as 1877, and these were never considered unconstitutional.
However, the anti-establishment generation of the 1960s has now come of age to BE the establishment. With that, the last eight years has seen an unbridled assault on religion, but specifically Christianity. The FBI, BATF and other federal agencies have been used to spy on certain Catholic and Protestant organizations. The Justice Department kept dossiers on various leaders of these organizations. One of the key "positions" of an individual to qualify for observation is if you are pro-life. A pro-life Christian deserves considerable more watching than illegal aliens or individuals traveling to the U.S. from countries known to train terrorists.
The individuals who, based on their religious beliefs, find life so precious that they would stand up for the most innocent of humans are finding their personal lives secretly torn apart by federal agents as they attempt to find something to use against them to prevent these defenders of life from trying to save our most precious resource: future generations of Americans. This activity by the federal government is purely political and has nothing to do with law enforcement. Isn't it interesting that these kinds of covert activities, which brought so much outrage years ago, were suppose to have ended in the 60s? Now our former "60s radicals" are the establishment and all of a sudden these are acceptable techniques again…if used against the "appropriate" individuals. Between the government snooping and Supreme Court's unconstitutional decisions over the last decade (and even farther back), you can see how Christians have become the target of a government that is growing more socialistic all the time.
But why Christians? Why attack this religion that preaches love and compassion? Simple; the government is out of control and out of bounds with the Constitution. Christianity is a religion of faith and conscience. The egomaniacs in the federal government don't want a conscience. If they had one, they would have to admit how immoral and unethical they are. They might even actually feel they have to be held accountable. They don't want that. Since the federal leviathan doesn't want anyone or anything to point out their abuses, they have to attack the source of moral conscience: Christianity.
For generations, Christians have been allowed to freely and openly worship in America. That is changing. As servants of the state become bolder, the attacks against Christians will become more violent. Christians have grown soft, complacent and indifferent. If we don't defend our rights, we will lose them. The Bible Belt (the South) is the stronghold for our traditional Christian faith. The fight for the South is not just for our region, culture and way of life; it is a fight for the most important aspect of who we are: a Christian people.
If you don't believe this, take another look at the news, at the judicial rulings. Try to set up a nativity scene in a public forum and see if your "freedom of speech" is stomped. Our backs are against the wall. What will you do? You may say, "I'm not a Christian." Even if that is so, the foundation of your freedoms comes from Western Christian Ideas. These ideas are being destroyed, and therefore so are your freedoms. Whether you believe or not, this is your fight too.
Jeff Adams
23 March 2001