Changing History to Deny Prayer, Part 1
Last year in a frivolous litigation, a small group of atheists tried to prevent the Kentucky legislature from passing a Homeland Security Act that acknowledges our dependence upon Almighty God. Even the most elementary history lesson would prove Kentucky’s office of Homeland Security to be simply affirming the Preamble to our State Constitution and America’s birth Certificate, the Declaration of Independence.
We the People are part of a proud Kentucky historic tradition to acknowledge the Providence of Almighty God in the affairs of our nation, an act that has been carried out by every president in every inaugural address since the founding of America. The core issue being attacked by these atheist groups is whether official American history, which reveals why America has always been “One Nation Under God.” America’s official National Motto is “In God We Trust,” and if it continues to be censored could be eventually eliminated because of the references to God, Divine Providence, prayer, or our dependence on God’s favor. Exactly what is it that these atheist groups are attacking?
America’s official documents of American Civil government include:
- The Declaration of Independence,
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness;
- America’s National Motto “In God We Trust” adopted by Congress on July 20th, 1956, which has been unsuccessfully challenged by the ACLU on similar grounds at least five times;
- The Preamble to the Constitution of Kentucky,
We, the people of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties we enjoy, and invoking the continuance of these blessings, do ordain and establish this Constitution;
The Mayflower Compact establishing the first “civil body politic” on November 11, 1620which states,
“In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord, King James, by the Grace of God, of England, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, e&. 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…”
- Acknowledging our dependence upon Divine Providence for the protection of our citizens is an official act of American Statesmen, and has nothing to do with creating or supporting a religion.
By the device used here – converting the foundations of American law and civil government into church or religious documents – atheist groups claimed these official American documents somehow became “religious,” and thus violated the “establishment clause” of the First Amendment, thus the entire legislative body of elected officials by the people of the Commonwealth of Kentucky should be silenced due to the alleged mental anguish of one citizen who does not like America’s National Motto nor want to accept the protection of God over the Commonwealth.
U.S. Senator Jim Bunning issued a warning in The Kentucky Post on July 29, 2000. “Beware America,” he said;
…we just finished celebrating our nation’s 224th birthday on July 4th, Kentuckians in three counties have been ordered by the federal judiciary to regard the Declaration of Independence, The Congressional Record, and other sensitive parts of our history as offensive to the constitution.
Based on subterfuge, the founding history of law and civil government have been declared “religion” and therefore, must be separated from the state. Forces denying that America is “One Nation under God” have succeeded for 60 years in reinterpreting the Constitution in the courts and in censoring our history of government’s relationship to the “Creator.” Recently, the justices have claimed that it is their right to change the Constitution’s meaning to fit a changing society. In order for these revolutionaries to redefine America, they must rid America of her inconvenient history, beginning with our Declaration of Independence, which declares a “firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence,” and the words of every President’s inaugural address which acknowledges God’s Divine Providence in American history.
Wash all hatred from my soul.
Dear God, I pray that I shall never falter fighting for our way of living, for my ideals. And, O Lord, when the battle is over, I beseech Thee give me strength to heal all scars and wash all hatred from my soul. Bring, dear God, understanding and peace of mind to me and my recent enemy which shall mean peace and contentment for all the world. Amen.
– Joe E. Brown (July 28, 1891- July 6, 1973)
Leader-led Prayer: The Example of Major General Francis H. Smith
On the campus of Virginia Military Institute stands a statue of Major General Francis H. Smith, first Superintendent of VMI, which was unveiled on June 10, 1931. Thomas W. Davis writing at the VMI Sesquicentennial in 1988 describes the statue of the General:
He is shown in the act of giving a diploma, which is partially unrolled in his right hand; he holds a Bible in his left hand, symbolic of the one he gave to each graduate with a personal inscription. A graduate of General Smith’s last class, WWI hero, Samuel D. Rockenbach gave a history of Smith’s life…He said that in World War I amidst high casualties in his unit, he remembered that General Smith had written on the flyleaf of his Bible: ‘I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.’ He said it never left his mind that Old Specs was praying for him.[1]
Every officer in training for the American armed forces is encouraged to maintain the highest standard in moral leadership and exemplary character. Acknowledgement of Divine Providence through unit prayer serves as a strong example to those led, because soldiers are not led into war by strategists, technologists, or academics, but by the “long gray line” of exemplary leaders who have shaped a courageous and moral military ethic. Military prayers to the Almighty have served to preserve many more soldiers in fox holes than lawyers and judges on benches.
All military training is carried out in preparation for combat. Soldiers in the remote areas of Afghanistan, or WWII soldiers on submarine duty, 25% of whom never returned from their final mission, did not have a chaplain to lead them in prayer. Officers trained by the military’s first principles of virtue, honor and patriotism led by example in giving moral support through prayer and example.
It is unfortunate that the hearing to decide on the fate of unit-led prayer could not be heard in an Iraqi foxhole rather than a paneled courtroom that claims to do justice. It is difficult to comprehend in our present hour of peril the consequences of handing soldiers guns and orders without including the force of virtue. We are reading the headlines describing the suicide crisis in the military that claims more lives than combat. General George C. Marshall was right when he said of his troops,
…I look upon the spiritual life of the soldier as even more important than his physical equipment…the soldier’s heart, the soldier’s spirit, the soldier’s soul are everything. Unless the soldier’s soul sustains him, he cannot be relied upon and will fail himself and his commander and his country in the end. It’s morale, and I mean morale, which wins the victory in the ultimate, and that type of morale can only come out of the religious fervor in his soul. I count heavily on that type of man and that kind of Army.[2]
For further history of the military necessity of prayer in our American Military, we recommend: “Endowed By Their Creator”: A Collection of Historic American Military Prayers: 1774-Present.
[1] Thomas W. Davis, Ed. A Crowd of Honorable Youths: Historical Essays On The First 150 Years of the Virginia Military Institute. (Lexington: VMI Sesquicentennial Committee, 1988) pp. 140-141.
[2] Joint Pub 1-05. Religious Ministry Support for Joint Operations. Joint Chiefs of Staff. 26 August 1996, p. II-3. Cited in Endowed By Their Creator, First Principles Press, p. 4
Grant that We May…
O God, who knowest the duties that be ahead of us, and the weaknesses that easily beset us, prepare us for the unknown immediately before us…
General Mark W. Clark was an American general during World War II and the Korean War, and was the youngest lieutenant general in the Army.
…We do not pray for immunity from risks; we pray for courage to face risks. We do not ask to be spared from danger; we ask for strength to face danger resolutely…
General Clark was the son of a career Infantry officer, who was stationed at Fort Sheridan. He was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant of Infantry when he graduated from high school in 1917. From there, he rose rapidly through the ranks until May August 5th of that same year, when he was promoted to Captain. He became General during World War II.
The General died on April 17, 1984, at the age of 87. Today, his grave can be visited at the Citadel.
…Grant that we may be able to finish that which Thou hast granted us the wish to begin; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
May Thy Truth Make Us Free
Thou hast taught us to love truth and beauty and goodness. In all our relationships as citizens of the Republic, this sweet land of liberty, may Thy truth make us free- free from littleness, pride, and prejudice, and from all the ugly sins of disposition which so easily do beset us. May our patriotism be pure and undefiled. In all our aspirations and attitudes lift us, we pray Thee, above the mud and scum of mere things to the holiness of Thy beauty. Thus may the common tasks and the trivial rounds be edged with crimson and gold.
Lead us in the paths of righteousness for Thy Name’s sake. Enrich us with those durable satisfactions of life, so that the multiplying years may not find us bankrupt in those things that matter most, the golden currency of faith and hope and love.
In these desperate and dangerous days in our national life, when the precious things we hold nearest our hearts are threatened by the sinister forces without pity or conscience, help us to give the best that is in us against the wrong that needs resistance, and for the right that needs assistance and for the future in the distance, and the good that we may do.
In this solemn hour of the supreme test of America’s faith, may we bear our full part in freedom’s daughters who will live in the light of the new day: “I saw the powers of darkness put to flight. I saw the morning break!”
We ask it in the dear Redeemer’s name. Amen.
Rev. Frederick Brown Harris (1883 – 1970) – The Armed Forces Prayer Book
Rev. Harris was a Methodist Clergyman and has the longest service record as Chaplain of the Senate – 24 years.
For more info on historic American military prayers visit: http://firstprinciplespress.org/newsite/military-prayer-collection/
All That I Can Do
My God, I offer to Thee this day
All that I can think, or do, or say;
Uniting it with what was done
On earth by Jesus Christ, Thy son.
Amen.
– General Clifton B. Cates (1893-1970)
General Cates was the 19th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps (served January 1, 1948 – December 31, 1951) . He was honored for his heroism during World War I at Belleau Wood and in World War II for inspired combat leadership at Iwo Jima.