It's another damp and dreary day, and AccuHunch opines that we'll have steady rain this afternoon. In fact, Anchorage set a new record for rainfall, yesterday, at 1.07". For Anchorage, that's a lot. The mountains - just a couple of miles away - are shrouded in low, dark grey clouds.
The local news is still obsessed with the Presidential race ... but I need a breather. Politics is not my preferred medium, for all that I seem to harp on that subject. And in fact, I haven't written nearly as a often about politics, this time 'round. It's just that I see so much that looks/smells/IS wrong, and I want so much for it to be set aright. And frankly, it just leaves me weary.
Others may disagree, but that's okay. It takes all kinds to make America strong, and decent folk can disagree without coming to blows or worse. Those who want to dismantle all that has made us strong, to dismember and erase our history ... our values ... our core principles and beliefs ... can take a hike. There are plenty of nanny-state governments all 'round the world, and they're welcome to visit any of them, and stay there.
My wife has a sign in her office which reads: "You can disagree with me, or you can be right." It's amusing, but more in line with office politics than national values. Just the same, America has traditionally stood for the good in the working family, its belief in hard work, God and country. This country IS exceptional - regardless of what the blowhards on the East
Coast think - and there's a reason for that.
Our Founding Fathers believed that we could achieve greatness, given the chance to be free ... to strive for something better ... to improve ourselves and our situations through hard work, courage, and faith in God and ourselves.
While not all of them were Christians, and even those who were had sincere differences, they all recognized that without faith in a divine, omnipotent power, we would have a much-diminished future. They talked about "divine Providence" and even wrote that they recognized, at the end of the extremely trying debate over the language of the Constitution, that the document which
was produced was better than any of them expected. James Madison said, "It is impossible for the man of pious reflection not to perceive in it [the Constitution] a finger of that Almighty hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in the critical stages of the revolution."
John Adams wrote, "We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." [emphasis added]
Many have called for the nation to return to God. I believe they're right. Please note that neither they nor I specify which religion, or what shape that "return" should take.
Those of a certain age will remember that Billy Graham used to have a syndicated newspaper column. He answered readers' questions; one was, "Why are there so many denominations?" He replied it's because there are so many different kinds of people. Exactly.
The point is, it won't hurt this nation if a majority of its people decide to be better, moral, and essentially good. It just might help, and I wouldn't mind seeing a degree of small-town civility introduced in larger, more urban settings. Just saying.
I know that politics never sleep, and I'm sure the coming election will intrude even more on our attention ere long. Just the same, it's nice to talk about something else, isn't it?
John 12:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit."
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
09 August 2016
22 September 2010
Mid-week Rumination
In the course of discussions about the Founders' era, which Jenny and I have arbitrarily defined as 1755 - 1826 - I've been asked by a couple of others about the apparent conflict between the obvious references to God/Providence/Creator/Nature's God and the so-called separation of church and state.
Let's start with the painfully obvious. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says:
Then I was asked, aren't all the references to God in the Declaration and the Constitution in conflict with that statement?
Of course not (and I realize that, in many cases, I'm preaching to the choir). The Founders made it very clear that they recognized the hand* of God in the course of establishing the new Republic.
But but but ... what about John Adams' statement:
That's even easier. Moral people, it says; not "Christians". Please notice that the Constitution forces no religion on any person. There is no clause that says "Believe as I do (or as the .gov does) or we'll kill or punish you."
A gentleman who probably heard about this from the cradle on up, said the following -
Principles and natural laws. A code of conduct. Not some particular religious belief.
They believed that if one conducted his/her affairs in accord with the code of Biblical behavior, that one would have no problem supporting the laws of the United States or its Constitution. (Of course, they also believed that the new federal government would make primarily just and moral laws, but that's another story.)
Not a theocracy, ladies and gentlemen, but a Constitutional Republic with citizens who conduct themselves civilly by means of moral precepts described in the Bible.
It's so simple, only a theologian** could screw it up.
*Or finger, as G. Washington put it. Take your pick.
**Or a historian. Just sayin'.
Let's start with the painfully obvious. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...It's a prohibition against the Federal .gov establishing a State-sponsored church. It's freedom of religion, not freedom from religion.
Then I was asked, aren't all the references to God in the Declaration and the Constitution in conflict with that statement?
Of course not (and I realize that, in many cases, I'm preaching to the choir). The Founders made it very clear that they recognized the hand* of God in the course of establishing the new Republic.
But but but ... what about John Adams' statement:
Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.
That's even easier. Moral people, it says; not "Christians". Please notice that the Constitution forces no religion on any person. There is no clause that says "Believe as I do (or as the .gov does) or we'll kill or punish you."
A gentleman who probably heard about this from the cradle on up, said the following -
The highest glory of the American Revolution was this; it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.
From the day of the Declaration ... they (the American people) were bound by the laws of God, which they all, and by the laws of The Gospel, which they nearly all, acknowledge as the rules of their conduct.
~ John Quincy Adams
Principles and natural laws. A code of conduct. Not some particular religious belief.
They believed that if one conducted his/her affairs in accord with the code of Biblical behavior, that one would have no problem supporting the laws of the United States or its Constitution. (Of course, they also believed that the new federal government would make primarily just and moral laws, but that's another story.)
Not a theocracy, ladies and gentlemen, but a Constitutional Republic with citizens who conduct themselves civilly by means of moral precepts described in the Bible.
It's so simple, only a theologian** could screw it up.
*Or finger, as G. Washington put it. Take your pick.
**Or a historian. Just sayin'.
01 September 2010
Thoughts on a Sunny Afternoon
It's hump day and the sun is shining on Anchorage proper. It was 61 degrees at my building as I left, although the thermometer at home reads a few degrees cooler. The mountains - just a couple of miles away - are shrouded in low, dark grey clouds. But any time I need sunglasses for the afternoon drive, I'm a happy camper.
The local news is still obsessed with the Joe Miller victory ... but I need a breather. Politics is not my preferred medium, for all that I seem to harp on that subject. It's just that I see so much that looks/smells/IS wrong, and I want so much for it to be set aright.
Others may disagree, but that's okay. It takes all kinds to make America strong, and decent folk can disagree without coming to blows or worse. Those who want to dismantle all that has made us strong, to dismember and erase our history ... our values ... our core principles and beliefs ... can take a hike. There are plenty of nanny-state governments all 'round the world, and they're welcome to visit any of them ... and stay there.
My wife has a sign in her office which reads: "You can disagree with me - or you can be right." It's amusing, but more in line with office politics than national values. Just the same, America has traditionally stood for the good in the working family, its belief in hard work, God and country. This country IS exceptional - regardless of what the blowhards on the East Coast think - and there's a reason for that.
Our Founding Fathers believed that we could achieve greatness, given the chance to be free ... to strive for something better ... to improve ourselves and our situations through hard work, courage, and faith in God and ourselves.
While not all of them were Christians, and even those who were had sincere differences, they all recognized that without faith in a divine, omnipotent power, we would have a much-diminished future. They talked about "divine Providence" and even wrote that they recognized, at the end of the extremely trying debate over the language of the Constitution, that the document which was produced was better than any of them expected. James Madison said, "It is impossible for the man of pious reflection not to perceive in it [the Constitution] a finger of that Almighty hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in the critical stages of the revolution."
John Adams wrote, "We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." [emphasis added]
Glenn Beck has called for the nation to return to God. While he's not everyone's flavor, I believe he's right, at least on this point. Please note that neither he nor I specify which God, or what shape that "return" should take.
Those of a certain age will remember that Billy Graham used to have a syndicated newspaper column. He answered readers' questions; one was, "Why are there so many denominations?" He replied it's because there are so many different kinds of people. Exactly.
The point is, it won't hurt this nation if a majority of its people decide to be better, moral, essentially good. It just might help, and I wouldn't mind seeing a degree of small-town civility introduced in larger, more urban settings. Just saying.
I know that politics never sleep, and I'm sure the coming election will intrude on our attention ere long. Just the same, it's nice to talk about something else, isn't it?
The local news is still obsessed with the Joe Miller victory ... but I need a breather. Politics is not my preferred medium, for all that I seem to harp on that subject. It's just that I see so much that looks/smells/IS wrong, and I want so much for it to be set aright.
Others may disagree, but that's okay. It takes all kinds to make America strong, and decent folk can disagree without coming to blows or worse. Those who want to dismantle all that has made us strong, to dismember and erase our history ... our values ... our core principles and beliefs ... can take a hike. There are plenty of nanny-state governments all 'round the world, and they're welcome to visit any of them ... and stay there.
My wife has a sign in her office which reads: "You can disagree with me - or you can be right." It's amusing, but more in line with office politics than national values. Just the same, America has traditionally stood for the good in the working family, its belief in hard work, God and country. This country IS exceptional - regardless of what the blowhards on the East Coast think - and there's a reason for that.
Our Founding Fathers believed that we could achieve greatness, given the chance to be free ... to strive for something better ... to improve ourselves and our situations through hard work, courage, and faith in God and ourselves.
While not all of them were Christians, and even those who were had sincere differences, they all recognized that without faith in a divine, omnipotent power, we would have a much-diminished future. They talked about "divine Providence" and even wrote that they recognized, at the end of the extremely trying debate over the language of the Constitution, that the document which was produced was better than any of them expected. James Madison said, "It is impossible for the man of pious reflection not to perceive in it [the Constitution] a finger of that Almighty hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in the critical stages of the revolution."
John Adams wrote, "We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." [emphasis added]
Glenn Beck has called for the nation to return to God. While he's not everyone's flavor, I believe he's right, at least on this point. Please note that neither he nor I specify which God, or what shape that "return" should take.
Those of a certain age will remember that Billy Graham used to have a syndicated newspaper column. He answered readers' questions; one was, "Why are there so many denominations?" He replied it's because there are so many different kinds of people. Exactly.
The point is, it won't hurt this nation if a majority of its people decide to be better, moral, essentially good. It just might help, and I wouldn't mind seeing a degree of small-town civility introduced in larger, more urban settings. Just saying.
I know that politics never sleep, and I'm sure the coming election will intrude on our attention ere long. Just the same, it's nice to talk about something else, isn't it?
08 February 2009
Sunday Soliloquy
I don't know that it will be anything of the sort; I just wanted to alliterate.
It's 11 degrees at the ol' homestead, with a wind chill of around zero. It has been sunny until a few minutes ago, and now seems to be clouding up. I was going to try to write a bit about how the sun was glistening on the icy crystals in the snow - how it looked like someone scattered tiny diamonds across the yard. I wanted to mention the hoar frost on the car windows, and how they resemble tiny paintings of snowflakes, as if done by elves in the night.
But alas! I must say that it is turning grey, and the sun which we so mightily crave has gone away. And now it's snowing lightly, which is perfect proof of my comments about AccuHunch Weather ... which forecast "partly sunny" for today.
We've had four consecutive cool, wet summers - and 2008 was among the coldest "summers" ever recorded here. We had rain almost daily, and as a result many long-time Alaskans were suddenly, seriously, discussing the possibility of moving away.
Our rich payment for surviving the long, dark winters is the long hours of daylight in the all-too-brief summer months. A day consisting of nearly 22 hours of sunlight must be experienced, I believe, by everyone - a truly glorious thing.
Last summer, unfortunately, we had nearly continuous grey and rain - and as a result, left us all a bit crazed and longing for the sun. When the sun comes back out, we raise all the blinds just to catch what we can of the light; no matter that it's still quite cold. We'll turn up the furnace if we must, but we crave the sun.
Without the sun, all is merely grey and cold. Still, the mountains glowing a brilliant white in the sunlight are breath-taking, and the frost-covered trees - when the sun is shining - have an ethereal beauty all their own.
So cry, Excelsior! and keep the blinds open, for the sun may come back, and we don't want to miss a minute of it.
If you have a sunny day, praise God for it - and if you haven't, praise God anyway, for He made the sun to give us light, and it's but a pale reflection of His own.
In His light, then, be blessed and happy, and enjoy the day.
It's 11 degrees at the ol' homestead, with a wind chill of around zero. It has been sunny until a few minutes ago, and now seems to be clouding up. I was going to try to write a bit about how the sun was glistening on the icy crystals in the snow - how it looked like someone scattered tiny diamonds across the yard. I wanted to mention the hoar frost on the car windows, and how they resemble tiny paintings of snowflakes, as if done by elves in the night.
But alas! I must say that it is turning grey, and the sun which we so mightily crave has gone away. And now it's snowing lightly, which is perfect proof of my comments about AccuHunch Weather ... which forecast "partly sunny" for today.
We've had four consecutive cool, wet summers - and 2008 was among the coldest "summers" ever recorded here. We had rain almost daily, and as a result many long-time Alaskans were suddenly, seriously, discussing the possibility of moving away.
Our rich payment for surviving the long, dark winters is the long hours of daylight in the all-too-brief summer months. A day consisting of nearly 22 hours of sunlight must be experienced, I believe, by everyone - a truly glorious thing.
Last summer, unfortunately, we had nearly continuous grey and rain - and as a result, left us all a bit crazed and longing for the sun. When the sun comes back out, we raise all the blinds just to catch what we can of the light; no matter that it's still quite cold. We'll turn up the furnace if we must, but we crave the sun.
Without the sun, all is merely grey and cold. Still, the mountains glowing a brilliant white in the sunlight are breath-taking, and the frost-covered trees - when the sun is shining - have an ethereal beauty all their own.
So cry, Excelsior! and keep the blinds open, for the sun may come back, and we don't want to miss a minute of it.
If you have a sunny day, praise God for it - and if you haven't, praise God anyway, for He made the sun to give us light, and it's but a pale reflection of His own.
In His light, then, be blessed and happy, and enjoy the day.
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