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Those who would deny America's Christian foundations often use Abraham Lincoln as an example. They claim that Lincoln was not a religious man. He wasn't when he was elected, but was converted while in
office. From that point forward, he was a praying man. In Washington D.C. there is a place where we can see a moving display of genuine presidential
piety: the National Cathedral. It contains a statue of Abraham Lincoln poised on his knees.
Patrick Henry, who is called the firebrand of
the American Revolution, is still remembered for his words, “Give me liberty or
give me death.” But in current textbooks the context of these words is deleted. Here is what he actually said:
“An appeal to arms and the God
of hosts is all that is left us. But we shall not fight our battle alone. There
is a just God that presides over the destinies of nations. The battle, sir, is
not to the strong alone. Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased
at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it almighty God. I know not what
course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death.”
Here are quotes from other prominent figures in American history.
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| "I have lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, sir, in the Sacred Writings, that 'except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.' I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel;..." |
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Benjamin Franklin
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“I am a real Christian, that is to say, a
disciple of the doctrines of Jesus. I have little doubt that our whole country
will soon be rallied to the unity of our Creator and, I hope, to the pure
doctrine of Jesus also.”
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Thomas Jefferson
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| "The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time." |
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Thomas Jefferson
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“It is impossible to govern the world without
God and the Bible. Of all the dispositions and habits that lead to political
prosperity, our religion and morality are the indispensable supporters. Let us
with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without
religion. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that our national
morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”
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George Washington
(from his farewell speech on September 19, 1796)
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“Oh, eternal and everlasting God, direct my
thoughts, words and work. Wash away my sins in the immaculate blood of the Lamb
and purge my heart by thy Holy Spirit. Daily, frame me more and more in the
likeness of thy son, Jesus Christ, that living in thy fear, and dying in thy
favor, I may in thy appointed time obtain the resurrection of the justified
unto eternal life. Bless, O Lord, the whole race of mankind and let the world
be filled with the knowledge of thee and thy son, Jesus Christ.”
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George Washington
(from his personal prayer book)
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| “We have no government armed with the power
capable of contending with human passions, unbridled by morality and true
religion. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It
is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” |
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John Adams
(in an address to military leaders)
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| "God reigns, and the government at Washington lives." |
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James A. Garfield
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| "God and man have linked the nations together." |
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William McKinley
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“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.”
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John Jay
(our first Supreme Court justice)
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“The highest glory of the American Revolution
was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil
government with the principles of Christianity.”
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John Quincy Adams
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“The foundations of our society and our
government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be
difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be
practically universal in our country.”
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Calvin Coolidge
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“The Congress of the United States recommends
and approves the Holy Bible for use in all schools.”
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A resolution passed by the US Congress in 1782
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“The Christian religion is the religion of our
country. From it are derived our notions on the character of God, on the great
moral Governor of the universe. On its doctrines are founded the peculiarities
of our free institutions. From no source has the author drawn more
conspicuously than from the sacred Scriptures. From all these extracts from the
Bible I make no apology.”
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William Holmes McGuffey
(author of the McGuffey Reader, which was used
for over 100 years in our public schools with over 125 million copies sold
until it was stopped in 1963)
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“We have staked the whole future of our new
nation, not upon the power of government; far from it. We have staked the
future of all our political constitutions upon the capacity of each of
ourselves to govern ourselves according to the moral principles of the Ten
Commandments.”
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James Madison
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In my view, the Christian religion is the
most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free
government ought to be instructed... No truth is more evident to my mind than
that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to
secure the rights and privileges of a free people."
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Noah Webster
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"...It is rather for us to be
here dedicated to the great task remaining before us ~ that from these honored
dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full
measure of devotion ~ that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not
have died in vain ~ that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of
freedom ~ and that government of the people, by the people, for the people,
shall not perish from the Earth."
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Abraham Lincoln
(an excerpt from the Gettysburg Address)
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"If we ever forget that we're One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone
under."
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Ronald Reagan
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"In want or in plenty, in times of challenge or times of calm, we always have
reasons to be thankful. America is a land of abundance, prosperity, and hope.
...This Thanksgiving, we again give thanks for all of our blessings and for the
freedoms we enjoy every day. Our Founders thanked the Almighty and humbly sought
His wisdom and blessing. May we always live by that same trust, and may God
continue to watch over and bless the United States of America."
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George W. Bush
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"Americans have always found power and unity through prayer. In 1988, the Congress, by Public Law 100-307, called on the President to issue each year a proclamation designating the first Thursday in May as a 'National Day of Prayer'. Today, on this National Day of Prayer, we once again come together to give thanks to Almighty God for the bountiful blessings He has bestowed on our great Nation and to ask for His unfailing counsel. We also acknowledge our dependence on God’s love to guide our families, communities, and our country away from harm and toward abundance and peace.
Our Nation acknowledges that religious liberty is a natural right, given to us by our Creator, not a courtesy that government extends to us. The First Amendment recognizes the freedom of religion and safeguards this right against government infringement. The United States’ steadfast commitment to upholding religious freedom has ensured that people of different faiths can pray together and live in peace as fellow American citizens. We have no tolerance for those who disrupt this peace, and we condemn all hate and violence, particularly in our places of worship.
Throughout our Nation’s history, Americans have consistently turned to God for guidance at pivotal moments. In 1775, the Continental Congress first declared a day of prayer, asking American patriots throughout the colonies to pray in earnest for divine help in forming our Republic. Seventy-five years ago this June, President Franklin D. Roosevelt led the Nation in prayer as courageous Americans stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. He prayed: "Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor . . . Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith." Today, we also pray for strength for our Nation and our Armed Forces as we face new challenges at home and abroad.
Our Nation’s honored tradition of prayer has sustained us and strengthened our trust that God will continue to watch over and accompany us through the best of times and the darkest hours. May we as Americans never forget the power of prayer and the greatness of our Creator. On this National Day of Prayer, let each of us, according to our own faiths, call upon God for His guidance and express our gratitude for the love and grace He bestows on us and our country."
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Donald J. Trump
(Presidential proclamation on National Day of Prayer, 2019) |
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