Founding Fathers

Author of Liberty or Not?

LIBERTY LETTERS WITH STEVE FARRELL

Is God the author of liberty, or not?

A valid, and need I say, vital question.

But in this age of secularism, humanism, and socialism, just try mixing God and government in the same breath and get ready for the snickers, sneers, hisses, and guffaws for daring to exercise one’s free speech as regards this off-limits, dangerous, homophobic subject.

Yet the right to free speech and freedom of religion is ours, and the question a must for all to at least consider.

A number of years ago, the dean of a Social Science Department scolded me in BIG RED LETTERS, highlighted by a BIG WITH EMOTION lecture, for infusing God and morality (via quoting the Founders) into a paper (and my portion of a group discussion) that focused on the historical foundation of ethics in American government.

The report was “very well written,” he condescendingly noted, “but inappropriate! No American university would accept your approach as valid!” The grade, a GPA destroying D minus.

I had no doubt about his assessment of America’s universities. (1) Admittedly, I half expected the unfair grade from this ‘ethical’ liberal who put political prejudice ahead of academic honesty. I was, after all, outspoken in class, hard-hitting in my school newspaper columns, and decidedly Christian and conservative. Here was his big chance to make an example of me, to frighten others into submission. He took it.

And it hurt, and he won, or so he thought.

But what of it? Early on, I decided that when it came to ‘getting ahead,’ my religion and morality would come first, and so I would be honest, come hell or high water or D minuses.

Pooh! on his humanistic ethics! “Thou shalt not bear false witness,” is an uncompromising command from the Deity—not something to be abandoned to appease such professors, politicians in my case, nor to settle scores and teach Christian conservatives a lesson about ‘how things are” in academia, like it or not, as he chose to do.

With ethics, however, you can do far worse and not think twice about it. Because when it comes to ethics, the ends justify the means; utilitarianism outbids God-given rights; morality (if the word hasn’t been outlawed) mutates into relativism; and so we have the kind of religion the mass murdering French and communist revolutionaries practiced — and in full fellowship, the secular religion of the American courts, where without conscience men and women abandon their oath of office to promote perversity and socialism, the very things at odds with our way of life – well, because ‘it’s ethical.’

And so it is.

That’s why we need something more solid to steady the arc of liberty than ethics; something that can stand the test of time against the unremitting onslaughts of crisis, propaganda, social change, and wars; something that will not give in, nor give up; something that feels no necessity to succumb and adapt and support the loudest voice, the strongest arm, or the golden calf opportunity.

George Washington knew what it was, and so do you.

Providence has connected the permanent felicity of a nation with its virtue. (2)

Virtue, that is, to Higher Laws. Thus, “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.” (3)

He knew it. He saw and felt God’s miraculous hand aiding the colonists throughout the revolution and guiding her in the establishment of the best constitution the world had ever known.

In his First Inaugural Address, he noted:

No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency; and in the important revolution just accomplished in the system of their united government the tranquil deliberations and voluntary consent of so many distinct communities from which the event has resulted can not be compared with the means by which most governments have been established without some return of pious gratitude, along with an humble anticipation of the future blessings which the past seem to presage. (4)

With that in mind, he understood that

it would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States … and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success the functions allotted to his charge. (5)

He was turning over the watch care of the nation to the Being whose right it is to preside, who was “the Great Author of every public and private good.” (6)

And why did he say this?

These reflections, arising out of the present crisis, have forced themselves too strongly on my mind to be suppressed. (7)

He believed it. He believed it with every fiber of his being. And why should you or I or any haughty and wicked instructor or government official or supposed patriotic legal organization take it upon themselves to suppress the truth about America from the very mouths of the men who founded this nation?

“In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness — these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens”, (8) concluded Washington in his Farewell Address.

That is the truth about the issue. No greater enemy of the state is there than those who labor to hide from man a view of whence cometh freedom, or who likewise labor to subvert the moral codes and Higher Laws that the very Author of our Liberty has laid down to keep us free.

Until we come to grips with this, and do and say more then we do and say presently – as is our right and duty, regardless of personal cost – one wonders how much we deserve to be called “citizen,” “child of God,” “honest, and moral man.”

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Get your copy of Steve Farrell’s inspirational novel, Dark Rose.

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Steve Farrell is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of The Moral Liberal, one of the original pundits with NewsMax.com (1999-2007), and the author of the inspirational novel Dark Rose. Steve also served as Press Agent for Defend Marriage, Managing Editor of Right Magazine, and is currently also serving as the Editor-In-Chief of the Center for Applied Philosophy’s, “Radical Academy,” a restoration project of The Moral Liberal. Steve’s projects at the Moral Liberal include Liberty Letters, Called Unto Liberty, They Were Believers, Founders Corner Library, the Americanist.

Our father’s God, to Thee, Author of Liberty…

American Minute with Bill Federer

“My country, ’tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims’ pride,
From every mountainside,
Let freedom ring!”

This hymn was written by Samuel Francis Smith, who died NOVEMBER 16, 1895.

A Harvard classmate of poet Oliver Wendell Holmes, Smith went to Andover Theological Seminary and became a Baptist minister.

While a student in 1832, Samuel Francis Smith admired a tune while translating a German Hymnal – the same tune was used for British, Canadian, Russian, Danish, Swedish and Swiss National anthems.

Smith stated:

“I instantly felt the impulse to write a patriotic hymn of my own, adapted to the tune.

Picking up a scrap of waste paper which lay near me, I wrote at once.”

In proclaiming “Let Freedom Ring Day,” July 3, 1986, President Ronald Reagan recalled the hymn’s 4th stanza, stating:

“As the golden glow of the Statue of Liberty’s rekindled torch calls forth…throughout our land, let every American take it as a summons to rededication, recalling those words we sang as children:

‘Our father’s God, to Thee,
Author of Liberty,
To Thee we sing,
Long may our land be bright
With Freedom’s Holy Light.
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God, Our King.’”

If you are interested in quotes on
“My Country” see below:
“If it be the pleasure of Heaven that my country shall require the poor offering of my life, the victim shall be ready, at the appointed hour of sacrifice…But while I do live, let me have a country, and that a free country!” – John Adams

“While my country calls for the exertion of that little share of abilities, which it has pleased God to bestow on me, I hold it my indispensable duty to give myself to her.” – Gouverneur Morris

“I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” – Nathan Hale

“I shall anticipate…the place to be assigned me in the history of my country, and die contented with the belief that I have contributed… to…prolong the duration of American liberty.” – Andrew Jackson

“I implore the Spirit from whom every good and perfect gift descends to enable me to render essential service to my country.” – John Quincy Adams

“The ends I aim at shall be my country’s, my God’s, and Truth’s. I was born an American; I will live an American; I shall die an American.” – Daniel Webster

“I will never forget that I am an American fighting man, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.” – President Eisenhower, Code of Conduct for Military

“No, this is a service for my country, and it doesn’t matter whether I do it as an officer or as a plainsman. The big thing is to do it.” – Kit Carson

“No personal consideration shall induce me to abandon the righteous cause of my country. Tell Governor Gage it is the advise of Samuel Adams to him no longer to insult the feelings of an exasperated people.” – Samuel Adams

“Our national policy will be laid in the pure and immutable principles of private morality…I dwell on this prospect with every satisfaction which an ardent love for my country can inspire.” – George Washington

“I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever.” – Thomas Jefferson

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The Moral Liberal contributing editor, William J. Federer, is the bestselling author of “Backfired: A Nation Born for Religious Tolerance no Longer Tolerates Religion,” and numerous other books. A frequent radio and television guest, his daily American Minute is broadcast nationally via radio, television, and Internet. Check out all of Bill’s books here.

Charles Thomson

1729-1824

August 16th marks the 190th anniversary of the death of Charles Thomson. Charles Thomson, Secretary of the Continental Congress and a strong Christian, was one of only two people who signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th (John Hancock was the other; the rest signed weeks later).

Thomson is also responsible for the Great Seal of the United States, which he prepared — and Congress approved — in 1782.

 

Thomson served fifteen years in the Continental Congress, and his political career came to a close when he notified George Washington that he had been unanimously selected the President of the United States.

But Thomson was not only a great patriot and supporter of the American cause, he was also a great supporter of the Word of God. In fact, his name is associated with some of America’s greatest Biblical works.

For example, his name, as Secretary of Congress, is found in the introduction to theAitken Bible, also known as “The Bible of the Revolution,” which was the first Bible printed in English in America. That Bible was printed by Robert Aitken, the official printer of the Continental Congress (Aitken described that Bible as “a neat edition of the Holy Scriptures for the use of schools”), and was reviewed and approved by a committee of the Continental Congress, with an official congressional endorsement published in the front of that Bible. (All of the original books pictured below that are associated with Charles Thomson are from our library at WallBuilders.)

Thomson was also responsible for the first American translation of the Greek Septuagint (the full Greek Bible) into English in 1808 – a task that consumed nearly two decades of his life.  Called Thomson’s Bible, it is a four volume-set that is considered one of the most scholarly of American Bible translations, and that translation is still available today.

Thomson also had an 8 volume set  in which every other page was blank, thus allowing scholars a place to write notes on Scriptures as they studied them.

In 1815, Thomson published his famous Synopsis of the Four Evangelists, in which he took all the passages from the four Gospels and arranged them chronologically, thus producing something like one super long Gospel, with all Jesus’ words and acts arranged sequentially. Today, we call such a work a synoptic Gospel.

                                                            

Sadly today, Charles Thomson has become a forgotten Founding Father, but his contributions, both politically and spiritually, permanently shaped the course of America and blessed American life.

Birth of the Republican Party July 6, 1854

American Minute with Bill Federer

A decade prior to the Civil War there were two major political parties in the United States:

Democrats, who favored freedom of choice to own slaves;

and Whigs, who tried to be a big tent party to stem the loss of members to the Know-Nothing Party.

In Ripon, Wisconsin, anti-slavery activists met for the first time on February 28, 1854, then held their first State Convention in Jackson, Michigan, JULY 6, 1854.

This new political party stood against slavery, taking a moral stand for the value of human life.

Also, because of a movement in Utah to redefine marriage, this new party stood for marriage being between one man and one woman.

They named their party “Republican,” with the chief plank being “to prohibit…those twin relics of barbarism: POLYGAMY AND SLAVERY.”

Those attempting to redefine marriage were denounced by Republican President Ulysses S. Grant, December 4, 1871:

“In Utah there still remains a remnant of barbarism, repugnant to civilization, to decency, and to the laws of the United States…

Neither polygamy nor any other violation of existing statutes will be permitted…

They will not be permitted to violate the laws under the cloak of religion.”

On December 7, 1875, President Grant stated:

“In nearly every annual message…I have called attention to the…scandalous condition of affairs existing in the Territory of Utah, and have asked for definite legislation to correct it.

That polygamy should exist in a free, enlightened, and Christian country, without the power to punish so flagrant a crime against decency and morality, seems preposterous…

As an institution polygamy should be banished from the land…

I deem of vital importance to….drive out licensed immorality, such as polygamy and the importation of women for illegitimate purposes.”

Republican President Rutherford B. Hayes stated, December 1, 1879:

“Polygamy is condemned as a crime by the laws of all civilized communities throughout the world.”

President Hayes stated December 6, 1880:

“The sanctity of marriage and the family relation are the corner stone of our American society and civilization.”

Republican President Chester Arthur stated, December 6, 1881:

“For many years the Executive…has urged the necessity of stringent legislation for the suppression of polygamy…this odious crime, so revolting to the moral and religious sense of Christendom.”

Supreme Court Chief Justice Morrison Waite, appointed by Republican Ulysses S. Grant, rendered the Murphy v. Ramsey, 1885, decision:

“Every person who has a husband or wife living…and marries another…is guilty of polygamy, and shall be punished…

No legislation can be supposed more wholesome and necessary in the founding of a free, self-governing commonwealth…than that which seeks to establish it on the basis of the idea of the family,

as consisting in and springing from the union for life of ONE MAN and ONE WOMAN in the holy estate of matrimony; the sure foundation of all that is stable and noble in our civilization;

the best guaranty of that reverent morality which is the source of all beneficent progress in social and political improvement.”

In the comprehensive annotated John Quincy Adams-A Bibliography, compiled by Lynn H. Parsons (Westport, CT, 1993, p. 41, entry#194), former President John Quincy Adams wrote in Essay on Turks, 1827:

“Mohammed poisoned the sources of human felicity at the fountain, by degrading the condition of the female sex, and the allowance of polygamy.”

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Field, appointed by Republican President Abraham Lincoln, rendered the Davis v. Beason, 1890, decision:

“Bigamy and polygamy are crimes by the laws of all civilized and Christian countries…

They…destroy the purity of the marriage relation…degrade woman and debase man…

There have been sects which denied…there should be any marriage tie, and advocated promiscuous intercourse of the sexes as prompted by the passions of its members…

Should a sect of either of these kinds ever find its way into this country, swift punishment would follow.”

Justice Stephen Field concluded:

“The constitutions of several States, in providing for religious freedom, have declared expressly that such freedom SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED TO EXCUSE ACTS OF LICENTIOUSNESS.”

Republican President Theodore Roosevelt stated to Congress, January 30, 1905:

“The institution of marriage is, of course, at the very foundation of our social organization, and all influences that affect that institution are of vital concern to the people of the whole country.”
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For an in depth comparison of Political Parties-Past & Present, visit: http://www.wnd.com/2012/06/obamacare-decision-todays-dred-scott

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The Moral Liberal contributing editor, William J. Federer, is the bestselling author of “Backfired: A Nation Born for Religious Tolerance no Longer Tolerates Religion,” and numerous other books. A frequent radio and television guest, his daily American Minute is broadcast nationally via radio, television, and Internet. Check out all of Bill’s bookshere.

331 – Nov. 27 – This Day in Baptist History Past

 

He was also a patriot

 

1762 – Martin Ross, who was born in Martin County, North Carolina, was greatly used of the Lord in spreading the gospel, guiding the churches in the proper order, and exhorting them to support their ministers and worldwide missions. He was also a patriot who had answered the call of his country as a soldier in the continental army. He received Jesus Christ as Savior in 1782 and was baptized by Elder John Page. He was licensed to preach in 1784 and was ordained pastor of the Skewarkey Baptist Church in 1787. He was an outstanding church planter and able leader in the Kehukee Association of Baptists even though he ministered in an area of rude and often fierce people. He fell into disfavor with many of his brethren when he wrote a circular letter in 1790 on the subject of “The Maintenance of the Ministry.” There had been such a reaction against the state clergy, who had received their salary from taxation of the people and had become corrupt, that for many years Baptist preachers had preached against receiving anything for preaching the gospel. However, Ross believed that there should be a balanced position based on the scriptures, such as not muzzling the ox. (I Cr. 9:9). The division also involved the missionary and anti-missionary movement among Baptists. Ross of course led the fight for the cause of missions. The Baptist Philanthropic Society began as the first organized missionary work among North Carolina Baptists and expanded under his leadership and continued for twenty-five years, when it became the Baptist State Convention of N.C. What a great debt of gratitude we owe to men like Martin Ross. [This Day in Baptist History II: Cummins and Thompson, BJU Press: Greenville, S.C. 2000 A.D. pp. 649-50. George Washington Paschal, History of North Carolina Baptists (Raleigh, N.C.: Edwards and Broughton Co., 1930), 1:509.] Prepared by Dr. Greg J. Dixon

 

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