Much debate has been
exercised, verbally and written, concerning whether or not America was founded
as a Christian nation. Tons of evidence has been provided by others that
clearly delineate the facts. Therefore, I am not going to quote all the many
sources that are available in answering this question.
Straight to the point … The
United States of America was originally founded by those who feared, loved and
worshiped the God of the Holy Bible; i.e. the Jewish God, the Christian God,
who are the same. The Bible was the first textbook in the schools, and the
Constitution rings forth the principles of God’s Word.
Yes, we were originally a
Christian nation … not perfect … with faults, but a Christian nation who feared
the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The same God who gave His life upon a
Roman cross to save all who would come to Him … the same God who three days
later left an empty grave … the same God who formed His Church and will soon
return for her in an event commonly known as the Rapture.
Was everyone at the time of
our country’s beginning a Christian? Well, of course not. But the facts cannot
be denied that our nation was set up by those who feared God and incorporated
His Word in our country’s foundation. Christianity had a very strong influence
in the lives of the people, whether they were personally a Christian or not.
Even those who did not claim Christianity as their own, respected what it stood
for.
Are we a Christian nation
now? In my opinion, we are, with respect to what our founding fathers set up;
i.e. the Constitution and Bill of Rights. However, these two documents are
quickly eroding under the socialistic maneuvering of Satan’s followers.
I ask again. Are we a
Christian nation now? In practice, we are not, but we are very religious, and
religion is destroying us. But you say, aren’t they the same? I’m glad you
asked.
Christianity, simply put, is
a relationship with the one and only true God, the God of the Bible, which has
been made possible by God’s grace.
Religion is the exact
opposite. It is the rejection of God’s work in favor of the acceptance of one’s
own work.
In Christianity God provides all
the works, mankind provides none. Man’s only hope is to accept what God has so
freely provided by His Son, Jesus Christ.
In religion mankind is always
at work, either thinking himself “good enough” or “working to gain God’s favor
or a god’s favor.”
Christianity and religion are
like oil and water. They do not mix, and are therefore totally incompatible.
A dilemma has arisen in this
country concerning Christianity. We were at one time a Christian nation. For us
to remain a Christian nation, the religion of those coming into our country as
new citizens, aliens, or illegal aliens would have to be rejected. However,
that would violate the First Amendment of our Constitution. No good American,
Christian or otherwise, would choose that path. We must allow all who reside in
our country the right to choose their own spiritual state.
There are now many, many
different religions in this country. Many of those same religions claim to be
Christian, but are not. (Wearing a mink coat doesn’t make you a mink, and
wearing alligator shoes won’t make you an alligator.)
One of the factors that has
hurt Christianity in this country is the influx of false gods from religions
that have been introduced from other countries. The question arises, how could
this have been resolved in the past to keep true Christianity at the forefront
today?
In some countries, if your
beliefs do not coincide with those of that country, you could easily face
persecution of the cruelest means. However, does not India, for example, have a
right to enjoy their Hindu religion? Do not the Arab nations, for example, have
the right to retain their belief in Islam? Yes to both, but they have no right,
by Almighty God, to persecute those who do not accept their religion. Unfortunately,
it happens, every day, and God will judge them.
But what about us? Some of
the other countries retain their state religion by force. I realize we lost
this fight so long ago it is now a mute point, but is there anything that could
have been done for us to keep this country a predominately Christian nation? I
think there is.
If greed had not invaded the
godless leaders we have had over the years, and leaders of the same stature of
those who founded this country were leading us, laws could have been enacted to
protect the sanctity of our Christian heritage of the past.
Without squelching the rights
of false religions that outsiders have brought into this country, many could
have been turned to God by Christian evangelism.
If religions such as Islam,
threatened or harmed any US citizen for leaving Islam for Christianity, those
who are guilty could be held legally responsible and at the least, put on a
boat and returned to wherever they came from.
If Christianity or a false
religion wanted to proselytize they would be free to do so, peacefully, and
here is where I think Christianity would win. It has already been demonstrated
in countries that persecute, that many will come to Christ if given the
opportunity, even if there be persecution by their own people.
If we had stayed the course
with our forefathers, those who hate Christianity and would seek to remove any
hint of God could be told “We love you, but if you’re unhappy, you’re welcome
to leave and go haunt some other country. This is a Christian country, and a
Christian country it will remain.”
Unfortunately, the “leaders”
of this great country have no desire to retain the Christian heritage we were
given by our forefathers. More and more, our hands are being tied behind our
backs as Christians. God is kicked out of this and kicked out of that, while
His true followers are being labeled hate mongers.
Even though we have missed a
great opportunity, the God of our fathers is offering us a new opportunity.
Jesus said, “19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching
them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you
always, to the end of the age."
(Matthew 28:19-20 ESV)
This country has sent out
thousands of missionaries over the years to other countries telling others
about Jesus Christ. Not all of us can be foreign missionaries, or can we? The
Lord is now allowing millions of people to come to this land who do not know
Him. Even though Satan is trying to shut us down, we have an opportunity to
tell others who come from many different countries about Jesus Christ.
If our “leaders” had
protected the sanctity of Christianity as mentioned above, our job would be
easy. In addition to our own government,
another quirk that has made our witnessing to foreign peoples in this land even
more difficult are the religions in America that call themselves Christian, yet
they’re no more Christian than my fishing rod. If that isn’t enough, we also
have those who are Christian, but are so Biblically ignorant it’s shameful and
disgraceful.
My wife reminded me of a
saying, “If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas,” which reminds me of
another, “One rotten apple spoils the barrel.” These idioms are very
descriptive of our spiritual slide into religiosity. We have allowed ourselves over
the years to entertain other gods and move away from the one true God. Now we
are so steeped in religion, we have no room for God.
For those who are followers
of Jesus Christ and recognize this, the window of opportunity is closing. The
apostate church reigns alongside pagan religions in this once Christian
country. Regardless of where we put the blame, we are no longer a Christian
nation. To the contrary, we are now a heathen nation due to our becoming so
religious. Even though the tide of heathenism is swelling, there are still many
who claim the name of Jesus Christ, many who are truly Christian. This is the
group Jesus is speaking to. This is the group He is expecting to tell others
about Him. Are we listening?
Grant Phillips
My articles are posted at
“Pre-Rapture Commentary” http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
and many are also posted at “Rapture Ready” http://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html.
Even though I am very limited
on time, I will respond to any who email me and request a reply, unless I sense
they just want to argue.
