There are those today that believe this nation has never been nor ever was intended to be a nation under God. The proof, however, that this nation has always been a nation under God is overwhelming. To give you a small amount of that proof I would like you to follow me on a tour of Washington D.C. Let's begin with the Washington Monument. In the cornerstone of that monument was placed a Holy Bible along with copies of the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution. On the east side of the aluminum capstan is the Latin inscription Laus Deo, which means "Praise be to God".
Now let's walk over to the Jefferson Memorial. There are those today who claim that history shows Jefferson as a deist. Therefore you might be surprised what you will find in the Jefferson Memorial. On the inside dome is the following quote: "I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the minds of man." On one panel you will see a famous passage from the Declaration of Independence: "That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator...". On another panel you will see an excerpt from a bill establishing religious freedom. "All attempts to influence it (freedom of religion) by temporal punishments or burdens...are a departure from the plan of the Holy Author of our religion". And on still another panel are the words from Jefferson's 1785 notes on the State of Virginia: "God who gave us life gave us liberty".
Now let's move on to the Lincoln memorial. On one side of the statue of Lincoln, inscribed into the wall, is the Gettysburg address. "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 on the right side of Lincoln's statue is inscribed this second inaugural address where he mentions God fourteen times and refers to the Bible four times.
Let's walk on over now and visit the Supreme Court Building. The Supreme Court has been increasingly hostile on public displays of religion. Yet inside the supreme court there is a religious image of Moses holding the Ten Commandments which affirms the Judeo-Christian roots of our legal system. In fact, Moses can be found in several places: in the center of the East Pediment, on the southwest corner of the building, inside the Upper Great Hall and inside the actual courtroom.
What about the actual Capital Building itself? Let's take a walk over there and have a look. The U.S. Capital building is filled with religious imagery and inscriptions. Various inscriptions around the Capital demonstrate the reliance of our country on God and Faith. In the Cox Corridor there is a line from "America the Beautiful" carved into the wall: "America! God shed His grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea! Also in the house chamber is the inscription "In God We Trust." At the east entrance to the Senate chamber are the words Annuit Coeptis which is Latin for "God has favored our undertakings". The words "In God We Trust" are inscribed outside of the old Supreme Court Chamber in the Capital. Also, there is a stained glass window depicting George Washington in prayer, under the inscription "This Nation Under God. Furthermore, a prayer is also inscribed in the window. It says, "Preserve me, God, for in Thee do I put my trust."
I could keep going with more evidence that this nation was founded and is still one nation under God, but time and space do not permit. But I think I have made my point. So the next time someone tries to tell you that America is not a nation under God, you now have some ammunition to shoot back with. Yes, without a doubt, America is ONE NATION UNDER GOD!
Sunday, July 29, 2012
June 2012 Message
The following article was written by one of the members of the church, Gary Brufach. I apologize to Gary for having to cut some of his article out because of space.
The word "but" is defined in the dictionary as "a word used to introduce something contrasting with what has already been mentioned". So in a nutshell, you are nullifying the very concept or idea you just proposed!
We as Christians need to see how this affects our Christian lifestyle. The world belongs to the enemy, and the enemy has used the word "but" to its advantage since the fall of man. Here are some examples of "buts" pertaining to our Christianity.
"I don't go to church, BUT I am a good person."
"I want to study God's work, BUT I don't have time.
"I would love to volunteer, BUT you have enough people already."
The list goes on and on, and human nature can apply that word to contradict anything that has been taught or preached. Some synonyms for the word "BUT" include: except, however, yet and besides. Add these words to your vocabulary and the enemy has too much ammunition to distort the truth. We must be conscious of the enemy's attempt to lead us to believe that God's word can be distorted with words like "but", "except" and "however."
Since God is the almighty One with power and knowledge and we believe His word to be absolute, let us explore the absurdness of the use of the word "but, "except" or "however" using the ten commandments.
1. Thou shall have no other Gods before me, EXCEPT when you really want to have your palm read or the tarot card readings at the carnival.
2. Thou shall not make for yourself an idol of anything and you shall not bow down to them or worship them EXCEPT for the new car or new toy you just bought because that's "the norm".
3. Thou shall not take the Lord's name in vain, BUT it's OK in "R" rated action movies and if you hit your thumb with a hammer.
4. Remember the Sabbath, keep it holy, BUT it's a championship game. You can miss worship today.
5. Honor thy mother and father, HOWEVER, some parents just have no clue and you know better than them.
6. Thou shall not commit murder, EXCEPT when the other guy deserves it.
7. Thou shall not commit adultery, BUT if the other person was coming on to you, you can't help that.
8. Thou shall not steal, EXCEPT when you want something and can't afford it.
9. Thou shall not give false testimony against your neighbor, BUT it's OK if your neighbor is mean to you.
10. Thou shall not covet your neighbor's wife, your neighbors house, or anything that belongs to your neighbor, EXCEPT, when your neighbor doesn't appreciate those things.
As you can see, these things are absurd, which proves adding a "but" to God's Word just does not work. God gave us His Word through the scriptures just as it should be...NO BUTS ABOUT IT!
The word "but" is defined in the dictionary as "a word used to introduce something contrasting with what has already been mentioned". So in a nutshell, you are nullifying the very concept or idea you just proposed!
We as Christians need to see how this affects our Christian lifestyle. The world belongs to the enemy, and the enemy has used the word "but" to its advantage since the fall of man. Here are some examples of "buts" pertaining to our Christianity.
"I don't go to church, BUT I am a good person."
"I want to study God's work, BUT I don't have time.
"I would love to volunteer, BUT you have enough people already."
The list goes on and on, and human nature can apply that word to contradict anything that has been taught or preached. Some synonyms for the word "BUT" include: except, however, yet and besides. Add these words to your vocabulary and the enemy has too much ammunition to distort the truth. We must be conscious of the enemy's attempt to lead us to believe that God's word can be distorted with words like "but", "except" and "however."
Since God is the almighty One with power and knowledge and we believe His word to be absolute, let us explore the absurdness of the use of the word "but, "except" or "however" using the ten commandments.
1. Thou shall have no other Gods before me, EXCEPT when you really want to have your palm read or the tarot card readings at the carnival.
2. Thou shall not make for yourself an idol of anything and you shall not bow down to them or worship them EXCEPT for the new car or new toy you just bought because that's "the norm".
3. Thou shall not take the Lord's name in vain, BUT it's OK in "R" rated action movies and if you hit your thumb with a hammer.
4. Remember the Sabbath, keep it holy, BUT it's a championship game. You can miss worship today.
5. Honor thy mother and father, HOWEVER, some parents just have no clue and you know better than them.
6. Thou shall not commit murder, EXCEPT when the other guy deserves it.
7. Thou shall not commit adultery, BUT if the other person was coming on to you, you can't help that.
8. Thou shall not steal, EXCEPT when you want something and can't afford it.
9. Thou shall not give false testimony against your neighbor, BUT it's OK if your neighbor is mean to you.
10. Thou shall not covet your neighbor's wife, your neighbors house, or anything that belongs to your neighbor, EXCEPT, when your neighbor doesn't appreciate those things.
As you can see, these things are absurd, which proves adding a "but" to God's Word just does not work. God gave us His Word through the scriptures just as it should be...NO BUTS ABOUT IT!
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