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Culture Watch:On National Heritage
by Lee Warren (Lee's bio)
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"History is to the nation . . . as memory is to the individual. An individual deprived of memory becomes disoriented and lost, not knowing where he has been or where he is going, so a nation denied a conception of its past will be disabled in dealing with its present and future." -Arthur M. Schlesinger
Look no further than America to find out what happens to a nation when its heritage is no longer taught or remembered. In the name of political correctness, many of our public school text books no longer contain references to our Christian heritage. Many of our politicians, journalists/columnists and think-tanks make claims that our nation was never expressly Christian. And now, in the name of Christianity, organizations exist to make sure that the church doesn't tiptoe over an invisible line that supposedly exists between church and state.
How did this happen? Is it possible that while the church retreated from culture, every other group of people (largely represented by those on the left) with an agenda charged forward and by default, took the gates of America? Is it possible that we as a nation have been duped into believing that a chasm exists between the sacred and secular? Is it possible that God would rebuke us, just as he did Judah in Isaiah 1:4 because we are a sinful nation? I think so—on all three counts.
Why do I think that? Because I've read what our founders and many of those after them have written. Below are nine quotes from our nation's history—many of which come directly from founding documents. They are great weapons to have on hand the next time you hear someone proclaim that our nation was never Christian. Treat it like a quiz if you like. See if you can identify the sources.
1. Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia; do by these presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid;
2. Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise; and in this sense and to this extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian.
3. The governor shall be chosen [annually]; and no person shall be eligible to this office, unless at the time of his election, he shall have been an inhabitant of this commonwealth for seven years next preceding; [and unless he shall at the same time, be seised in his own right, of a freehold within the commonwealth of the value of one thousand pounds; and unless he shall declare himself to be of the Christian religion.]
4. That no person, who shall deny the being of God or the truth of the Protestant religion, or the divine authority either of the Old or New Testaments, or who shall hold religious principles incompatible with the freedom and safety of the State, shall be capable of holding any office or place of trust or profit in the civil department within this State.
5. That all persons and religious societies who acknowledge that there is one God, and a future state of rewards and punishments, and that God is publicly to be worshipped, shall be freely tolerated. The Christian Protestant religion shall be deemed, and is hereby constituted and declared to be, the established religion of this State.
6. Every person who shall be chosen a member of either house, or appointed to any office or place of trust, before taking his seat, or entering upon the execution of his office, shall take the following oath, or affirmation, if conscientiously scrupulous of taking an oath, to wit:… " I, A B. do profess faith in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ His only Son, and in the Holy Ghost, one God, blessed for evermore; and I do acknowledge the holy scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by divine inspiration."
7. 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.
8. This is a Christian nation, first in name, and secondly because of the many and mighty elements of a pure Christianity which have given it character and shaped its destiny from the beginning.
9. America was born a Christian nation. America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scripture.
So many quotes like these exist from our nation's history, that I can't begin to list even a good portion of them here. Use this as a starting block to investigate for yourself whether or not we ever really were a Christian nation.
If you are like me, the more you information you find, the more upset you'll get. My guess is, you'll come to the same conclusion that I have: we've been far too passive in preserving, studying and remembering our nation's heritage.
- The Mayflower Compact, written in 1620.
- Justice Josiah Brewer, speaking for the U.S. Supreme Court on February 29, 1892 in the case of Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States.
- Constitution of the State of Massachusetts, 1780 (Part 2, Chapter 2, Section 1, Article 2).
- Constitution of the State of North Carolina, 1776 (Article XXXII).
- Constitution of the State of South Carolina, 1778 (Article XXXVIII).
- Constitution of the State of Delaware, 1776 (Article 22).
- John Jay, October 12, 1816. Former Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and member of the First and Second Continental Congress.
- Benjamin Franklin Morris, 1864, American historian and author.
- Candidate (and soon to be President) Woodrow Wilson, at a 1911 rally in Denver, Colorado.
Copyright 2002, Lee Warren. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
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About Lee Warren: Lee Warren is a freelance writer from Omaha, Nebraska. He has written for various publications and is currently working on a novel. If you are interested in reading more of his work or in receiving his column via e-mail, please go to his website: www.leewarrenjr.com or drop him an e-mail: LeeWJunior@cox.net.
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