Sunday, July 25, 2010 The Year "1794"

Sunday, July 25, 2010

The Year "1794"

The year is 1794, George Washington is President of the United States. The Constitutional Convention is history, and a new government is being instituted. What kind of atmosphere do we find in this new Country as a result of a victorious Revolution? The Declaration of Independence has found fulfillment in this newly won victory. The Constitution is implementing the principles in practicable terms that were laid out in the Declaration. 98.4% of Americans claim to be Protestant; 1.4% claim to be Roman Catholic, thus, 99.8% are professing Christians.

It would be hard to tell an American society in 1794 that they would not be able to pray in their schools and post the Ten Commandments on the walls of their public buildings. Remove Crosses from their view so as to not offend someone. This must have been a terrible atmosphere to live in that allowed for such unreasonable activities.

Just imagine living in a society that encouraged children to pray at school, that even read scripture, and recognized the place it held in our government! They posted scripture on their buildings and their monuments! Their judgments of right and wrong were based upon this moral code defined in scripture! Terrible it must have been.

One of our Founders describes how all these unconstitutional activities were affecting their society; Benjamin Franklin writes: “The almost general mediocrity of fortune that prevails in America obliging its people to follow some business for subsistence, those vices that arise usually from idleness are in great measure prevented.

Industry and constant employment are great preservatives of the morals and virtues of a nation. Hence bad examples of youth are more rare in America; which must be a comfortable consideration for parents. To this may be truly added, that serious religion, under its various denominations, is not only tolerated but respected and practiced. Atheism is unknown there, and infidelity is rare and secret; so that persons may live to a great age in that country without having their piety shocked by meeting with either an atheist or an infidel.

And the Divine Being seems to have manifested his approbation of the mutual forbearance and kindness with which the different sects treat each other, by the remarkable prosperity with which He has been pleased to favor the whole country.” - Benjamin Franklin. (Information to Those Who Would Remove to America. (London: M. Gurney, 1794,) pp. 22,23.

I can’t help but wonder that if we encouraged our children to pray, and encouraged serious religion in our society, we might have to tolerate such morals and virtue?
Our then President said, “No man has a more perfect reliance on the all-wise, and powerful dispensations of the Supreme Being than I have nor thinks his aid more necessary.” - George Washington.

May God bless each of you,
David