Saturday, May 14, 2011 "WHEREAS"

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Public Law 97-280

     WHEREAS the Bible, the Word of God, has made a unique contribution in shaping the United States as a distinctive and blessed nation and people;

     WHEREAS deeply held religious convictions springing from Holy Scriptures led to the early settlement of our Nations;

     WHEREAS Biblical teachings inspired concepts of civil government that are contained in our Declaration of Independence and Constitution of the United States;

     WHEREAS many of our great national leaders, among them Presidents Washington, Jackson, Lincoln, and Wilson, paid tribute to the surpassing influence of the Bible in our Country's development, as in the words of President Jackson that the Bible is "the Rock on which our Republic rest";

     WHEREAS the history of our Nation clearly illustrates the value of voluntarily applying the teachings of the Scriptures in the lives of individuals, families, and societies;

     WHEREAS this Nation now faces great challenges that will test this Nation as it has never been tested before; and

     WHEREAS that renewing our knowledge of and faith in God through Holy Scripture can strengthen us as a nation and a people:
NOW, THEREFORE, be it

     resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the President is authorized and requested to designate 1983 as a national "Year of the Bible" in recognition of both the formative influence the Bible has been for our Nation, and our national need to study and apply the teachings of the Holy Scriptures.

Thomas P. O'Neill
Speaker of the House
Strom Thurmond
President of the
Senate
- Pro Tempore
Approved
October 4, 1982
Ronald Reagan

It has been said of me, that on this blog I am selective in posting religious quotes that support my views.  It has been said of me, that on this blog I am trying to push my religious views on everyone else. 

I have been told that our Founders were deists at best or were not religious men at all. They formed a government secular in nature and separated from the Church, sighting the 2nd Amendment clause in the Constitution and Jefferson's "Separation of Church and State" statement in his Danbury letter.

I have been accused of trying to rewrite history to fit my own particular religious views.  The problem with all those accusations is I have never posted anything that our founders did not themselves say.  My particular views were formed from my studies of their own writings.

Up until I began reading their writings I was convinced like most Americans still are, that the Constitution separated our religious views from our political views.  It was not until I began my own study of our Founders some years ago that I came to understand the importance they placed upon their religious faith in the formation of our Nation.

My desire to see the Christian faith prosper and the continued practice of Christian principles in our society is nothing new.  It is not a new idea, I have no original view to offer, only the original one that lies at the Foundation of this great Nation.  

From "Public Law 97-280" you find confirmation of all I set forth in all these blog postings.  Confirmation of the influence that the Holy Scripture had on the formation of this Nation, you find confirmation of my desire to see our people renewing their faith and studying the scriptures.

The confirmation that many of our leaders held and supported the infusion of Scripture among the populace.  Confirmation of the fact that the Bible rests as the "Rock" or support of our Republic.

Confirmation that applying the teachings of Scripture not only to individuals but also to families and society, in general, is to our benefit and accepted as a Constitutional permissive desire for our public officials.

Confirmation that the overcoming victories our history has produced as well as our success in the coming tests have and will depend upon our ability to implement the wisdom that the Holy Scripture has afforded to us.

Confirmation that it was the Holy Scriptures and not a huge variety of philosophical and religious ideas from a multitude of equal sources from which our form of government and society were drawn. 

I suppose I should not expect this post to end the debate or the accusation more than any of the others, but nevertheless, I continue; as Martin Luther once said: "Here I stand, I can do no other" a quote I feel unworthy to even compare myself to.

May God bless each of you,

David