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"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this." (Isaiah 9:6-7)
Just tune in any number of news media outlets, and I dare say it won't be long till you'll probably hear an argument, pro or con, addressing the subject of "the separation of church and state.” So what is your layman's opinion on the subject? Let us first look at the original First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
As far as the secular, legal interpretation is concerned, I feel we all probably know just how far this one amendment (The Constitution of the United States, First Amendment) has been stretched completely out of shape. For you see, all our country’s founding civil and legal documents were presented with the intent of honoring our 'Supreme Being,’ God.
So, where did this phrase "Separation of Church and State" originate and how does it line up with the original First Amendment of The Constitution of the United States? According to an internet search;
"Separation of Church and State" is a phrase used by Thomas Jefferson and others expressing an understanding of the intent and function of the Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States which reads: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."
And this phrase "Separation of Church and State" is generally traced to a January 1, 1802 letter by Thomas Jefferson, addressed to the Danbury Baptist Association in Connecticut, and published in a Massachusetts newspaper.
"I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church & State."
Oh how we have strayed from the facts, from the founding truths of this great document. Our nation was founded on unalienable rights with government through family, church and community, all of which reflected our Biblical values.
And now what has our country come to? Crosses are torn down in public parks. Prayer and Bible reading has been banished from public entities such as our schools and government assemblies. Atheistic factions are attempting to remove such mottos as "In God We Trust" and "Under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance.
Moreover, as stated before, Separation of Church and State is nowhere found in the Constitution or any other founding legislation. Our forefathers would have never allowed the restrictions on religion exacted in today's legal action.
So, how and why have "We the People" let this document become so legally desecrated? Simply put, we have just sat back on our laurels by not getting involved. Can this mindset be changed? I think yes, by doing our homework and electing godly government representatives. In other words, we must get back to the Bible, back to the principles of God. Our forefathers never sought to separate the principles of the church from society. In fact, the day after the "First Amendment" passage, Congress proclaimed a national day of prayer and thanksgiving.
Our forefathers got it right, as human government was established by our Creator, God by His sovereignty for the good of humanity and to bring glory to His Name. (Psalm 115:1-2)
Every ruling government that has ever existed was established by God (Romans 13:1), instituted by Him (Romans 13:2), through God's servants. (Romans 13:4, 6) Therefore, we believers, as well as all non-believers are to submit to government authority (Romans 13:1,5), pay our taxes (Romans 13:6) and give government the appropriate authority. (Romans 13:7)
Where it not for our Creator, those in power would have no power at all. (John 19:10-11) They can easily be removed by God, at His sovereign command. (Psalm 75:7) (Daniel 2:21).
In fact, the forerunner for this abrupt ungodly interpretation of our founding document was probably set in motion in Scripture. Both the Old and New Testaments give ample evidence of abuse of the structured government of that day, including the well established Scribes, Pharisees and, Sadducees, who were known for standing against God's principles.
Many of the Bible's devoted Christians even lost their lives for standing for the truth of the Gospel over the religious and government practices of that day. In fact the first New Testament martyr, Stephen, who not only was a dedicated Christian, but both a noted administrator and powerful speaker lost his life for the sake of the Gospel. When confronted by the various antagonistic governments he gave a powerful account of Jewish history that stung his listeners. (Please read Acts 7: 1-53)
And the Apostles and Peter took a brave stand against the then-known government, as they stood against the high priest and his officials, who were Sadducees. After being thrown in jail, and being released by an angel of the Lord, who opened the gates of the jail, the Apostles were brought before the high priest. Then when they were instructed to stop preaching, they stated that they must obey God rather than man. (Please read Acts 5:12-42)
And none other than God himself in human form (John 1:1-4,14), Jesus Christ surely upset the establishment’s apple cart (John 1:5, 10-11) when He came on the scene. Please see (Matthew 16:1-4), (Matthew 22:15-22), Mark 12:15-34), (Mark 12:38-40) and (Luke 6:6-11) for just a few examples of His opposition to government.
His final crucifixion was carried out by the Roman government. Of course, we know this was the eternal will of God, the Father as it was necessary to break the curse of our inherited sin. (1 Peter 2:24) (1 Cor 15:14)
Yes, government has always stood in the way of the gospel; case in point, this ridiculous and unconstitutional ruling of "Separation of Church and State.”
Why this obvious miscarriage of justice, this misinterpretation of the First Amendment? It is because of Satan's control of this present world. (Ephesians 6:11-12) But this control is only temporary, as we Christians happen to know. (1 Peter 1:3-5)
No matter how dark our politics may seem at times, our hope as Christians is anchored in Jesus Christ. Because He now lives, our hope is alive too, and we look forward to the future.
Now let us put our blog words into action, by initially giving observance to God's holy Word (2 Chronicles 7:14) If we will only humble ourselves, commit our nation to prayer, and seek God’s divine guidance, He will hear us and heal our great land again and bring us back to the full intention of our founding documents. That is putting God back in our governments.
And if you need additional support from God's Word, then take to heart (2 Timothy 3:16) and (2 Peter 1:21). Similar to the human writers of our founding documents, God superintended the human writers so that, using their individual personalities, they composed and recorded the scriptures.
A parting thought: Since the church was established and ordained by God, (Matthew 16:16-18), why not change this worn-out slogan from Separation of Church and State to Separation of God and State." How well would this new phrase be accepted in Congress, and with the American populace? What are your thoughts?
AUTHOR'S POSTSCRIPT
"The framers of the American Constitution combined the best political ideas of the past with innovations in what The Federalist called an improved science of politics: federalism, separation of powers, and checks and balances. Doing so, they created a form of government which had, in the words of James Madison, "no model on the face of the earth.”
“Because men are not angels, government is necessary. Because no man stands to another as God to man, or as man to beast, government must be based on consent. The moral foundation of the Constitution is in the Declaration of Independence and its principle of equal rights. Under the Constitution, government was to be limited to protecting those rights.”
“In recent decades, the way our government operates has departed from the Constitution. It has become less limited, and our liberties less secure. At the same time, true civic education in America - education in the Constitution - has largely died out.” " (Larry P. Arnn, President, Hillsdale College)
Do you agree with Mr. Arnn's statement? I surely do; it’s a very good dissertation. However, we are only sojourners in this old land of ours. (Philippians 3:20) All human governments will eventually end and Jesus will reign over everyone forever, as explained in the introductory scripture. Amen!
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