Little Rock, Arkansas
Arkansas Supreme Court (1905)
This system of religion (Christianity) is recognized as constituting a part and parcel of the common law.
Shaver v. The State, 10 Ark. 259, 263
To read the introduction to this series, CLICK HERE.
Category Archives: America
The Magnificent Fifty: Foundation of Faith (Arkansas)
Filed under America, Apologetics, Christianity, Faith, politics
The Magnificent Fifty: Foundation of Faith (Arizona)
Pheonix, Arizona (Artist: Susan Cassidy Wilhoit)
Constitution Preamble (1911)
We, the people of the State of Arizona, grateful to Almighty God for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution.
48th State: Feb 14, 1912 Built: 1901
To read the introduction to this series, CLICK HERE.
Filed under America, Apologetics, Faith
The Magnificent Fifty: Foundation of Faith (Alaska)
Juneau, Alaska (Artist: Susan Cassidy Wilhoit)
Constitution Preamble (1956)
We, the people of Alaska, grateful to God and to those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land.
49th State: Jan 3, 1959 Style: Art Deco Built: 1931
To read the introduction to this series, CLICK HERE.
Filed under America, Apologetics, community, Culture Wars, God, politics
The Magnificent Fifty: Foundation of Faith (Alabama)
Montgomery, Alabama (Artist: Susan Cassidy Wilhoit)
State Creed (1953)
I believe in Alabama, a state dedicated to a faith in God and the enlightenment of mankind.
Click HERE to read the introduction to this series.
The Magnificent Fifty: Foundation of Faith (Introduction)
Reason for Series of Posts
Since 1978 the Freedom From Religion Foundation (Madison, WI) has fought to completely secularize every aspect of American public life. Part of the Atheist Alliance International and the Secular Coalition for America, FFRF pushes not only a secularist agenda but promotes atheism (“nontheism”) every chance it gets.
Despite the evidence suggesting our founding fathers were far more religious than not, and despite the fact that our Declaration of Independence starts off with the once-common assertion that our “unalienable Rights” are given by God, FFRF claims the very Constitution meant to protect those rights “was very purposely written as a godless document…” Therefore they claim God, faith, and any expression of religion – even cross-shaped memorials for the dead and prayer before local city council meetings – should be eradicated from the public square.
So, in response to their regular attacks on anything religious, and especially in response to what is nothing short of propaganda-like attempts to rewrite history, I felt compelled to respond with series of posts depicting actual history.
Contrary to what many people believe, our nation has a strong foundation of faith, and I want to prove it with some art.
The Magnificent Fifty
As some of you may know, two of my daughters attend Bryan College in Dayton, TN. Therefore, I have had more than a few opportunities to roam the corridors.
The first two floors of the main building at Bryan (Mercer Hall) house a permanent art exhibit featuring the work of Susan Cassidy Wilhoit. On display are paintings she made of every state capital building, along with a brass placard below.
The art collection is called “The Magnificent Fifty: Foundation of Faith“ because the placard below each painting includes words demonstrating “the foundational belief in and acknowledgment of God’s providence and blessing within each state’s heritage.”
Therefore, tomorrow I am going to begin a series of posts featuring photos I’ve taken of the state capital building paintings (in alphabetical order), along with the words engraved on the placards below them.
The following posts will not attempt to argue that America is a Christian nation, but that our nation’s founding documents were anything but “godless.”
Contrary to what the Freedom From Religion Foundation says, our nation has a foundation of faith.
Tomorrow: Alabama
If You Don’t Want My Opinion, Don’t Read This Post – You Might Be Offended
My Opinions
My opinions are my opinions, and I don’t want you to feel like I’m forcing you to accept them.
Wait…If you feel like I’m forcing you to accept my opinions, what kind of mental midget are you? Good grief! I’m so tired of worrying about the fragile feelings of infantile adults who cry quicker than a baby who’s lost her pacifier. If you can be forced to accept my opinions, then you’re too weak to argue for your own and should just go back to kindergarten or take a nap in your cradle.
MY opinions are just that…mine. If you don’t like them, move on. Believe me, if I don’t like your opinions, I’m certainly not going to feel obligated to affirm their validity; I’ll just say “next” and move on.
So, what I am going to share in this post is not necessarily the views and opinions of other people with whom I associate. Take them for what they are worth, but you don’t have to approve.
Guns
I know I have friends in the UK, Australia, and other places where guns of all kinds are either forbidden or tightly restricted. It is not my intention to offend any of you guys, so stop reading right here if the subject content is apt to “trigger” you (pun intended).
But here’s a fact: Guns are not evil.
Guns are no more evil than alcohol, drugs, or automobiles. In the same way alcohol doesn’t pour itself down our throats and drugs don’t crawl into needles and attack us, guns don’t kill people without a human being getting involved. Automobiles? Well, who knows what self-driving cars will do?
Therefore, calling for the ban of certain weapons – or any weapon, for that matter – after a tragedy like a school or church shooting, does NOTHING to address the evil that does exist in the heart of the one who kills innocents.
Take away guns and you’ll still have murderers. You had them before guns were invented, didn’t you? Did Cain kill Able with a .45 cal.? No. Are we going to ban rocks?
Guns In America
Folks, I live in the United States of America. Like it or not, guns have been a part of our DNA since before the Second Amendment was penned with a quill. Guns will always be a part of our culture, no matter how many times Europeans try to chastise and shame us into getting rid of them. Remember, we would still be paying taxes to England if we’d not had them.
Face it, folks…even if you tried to outlaw guns in America, you’d never get rid of them all. Never. Besides the fact that there would be so many immediately hidden, you’d have to go door-to-door to confiscate the majority of them – and there are tens of millions of them – and a lot of folk wouldn’t take too kindly to that.
If, by some stretch of the imagination, you were able to outlaw guns of every shape, size, and caliber…and if all law-abiding, patriotic, God-fearing citizens decided to comply with the insanity and surrender their weapons…who do you think would still have access to millions of pistols, rifles, shotguns, and those dreaded AR-15s? Those who already refuse to submit to or abide by the law! The criminals!!
If criminals and murderers already don’t care about the law, what’s a new law going to do to stop them?
As I have written previously…
You could take away all the guns, but you’ll still have a disease that’s going to find a way to steal, kill, and destroy. No law, no matter how strict, is going to turn a lawbreaker into a law-abiding citizen.
Until you address the heart and soul issues, your only solution will end up being totalitarian control. When the law of God is written on the hearts of men, there’s no need for external restraints; the constraints are internal. But when the only law written on the heart is the law of Self, there’s no restraint sufficient to make a man love his neighbor.
So, ban all the guns you want, but in the context of this country, combined with the facts of human nature, you will never stop gun violence, only encourage the violent lawbreakers to prey on the law-keepers.
Protecting Our Students at School
Folks, I’m about sick of the way the media is controlling the conversation. They don’t want real answers; they want gun control, pure and simple. If it wasn’t about gun control and the opportunity to take advantage of a tragedy to achieve it, then why don’t they encourage protests and walk-outs over a thousand other things?
How much money is spent on sports? How much money is spent developing new ways to teach diversity? How many billions of tax dollars do we spend each year to produce inferior graduates? Where does all the money go? How much money is spent on actual safety upgrades?
As for arming teachers, YES!! Absolutely!
I recently heard an idiot on CNN claim that President Trump wants to put guns in the hands of every teacher. The lying, misleading, fact-twisting, Trump-hating propagandist then began to call it “insanity!” No, what’s insane was his clinically deranged hatred being allowed to suggest that a properly-trained, devoted, life-sacrificing teacher wouldn’t be effective in saving the lives of children when a killer’s on the loose. Insanity is thinking that throwing erasers at a shooter is no less effective than a courageous teacher with a concealed 9mm.
No one with any common sense is suggesting that ALL teachers in schools should be given weapons. What IS being suggested is that willing and qualified teachers should be allowed to carry a concealed weapon for the purpose of defense and deterrence. There is nothing crazy about that.
A Prediction
Before I go – and I must – let me make a prediction. Actually, I’ve made this prediction several times in the past, but no one will listen to me.
Before you ever make any progress on getting rid of guns, one day there will be a shooting with a gun carried into the school inside a band instrument case. Some kid is going to bring in a stash of weapons hidden inside his trumpet or tuba case, and no one is going to see it coming. He or she is going to walk right through all of the safety measures and bring loaded firearms into the school and right into the classrooms.
Why? Because it’s illegal in most schools to do random searches of lockers and personal items. Therefore, some kid is going to figure this out (I’m sure they already have) and someone is going to die. All because we are too scared to hurt a child’s feelings, or appear to be profiling.
Those are my opinions for the day. I hope we’re still friends.
Filed under America, community, current events
If Children Ruled the World
Listen to the Children
Believe it or not, there are many who swear that true wisdom can be found in the words of young children. Especially in the aftermath of the last school shooting in Florida, political activists are jumping on the opportunity to drag them to state capitals and the White House.
Forget the need for a lifetime of experience…forget that the ones to whom some of these teens are mouthing off to have more security clearances than the Avengers…forget the idea of listing to one’s elders…listen to the wisdom of those who just learned to wear pull-ups and cut their own meat.
If we did what they wanted us to do – listen to the children – what would the world, or at least our country be like?
* No one would ever work … except those who need to work so that others would not have to work.
* Every day would be Christmas, Halloween, and summer vacation … as long as someone else buys the gifts, provides the candy, and drives them to the beach.
* There would be peace on earth and no more wars … except when someone disrespects you or takes your candy.
* Everything should be available for the asking whenever it is wanted … as long as we don’t have to be the ones providing it for someone else.
* There would be no need for multiple television channels … only Disney, Nickelodeon, MTV, VH1, or Netflix (when not watching internet porn on smartphones, or sexting each other before hooking up).
* Everyone would have everything they always wanted, whether they needed it, or not … and still act like brats that never get anything they want and are always mistreated.
* No one would ever eat at home, only restaurants … then complain about their weight.
* Education, if desired, would be determined by what the child thought was important … like “Queer Translation (UC Berkeley 250)” and “The Sociology of Miley Cyrus: Race, Class, Gender, and Media (Skidmore College).” Don’t believe me? Just Google it.
* Teachers, Doctors, Policemen, School Teachers, and Ministers would be disrespected and maligned … while movie stars, rap and rock stars, and vulgar athletes would be deified.
* Animals would be considered equal with humans … except when it came to leather clothing and Happy Meals.
* Hate would be outlawed … unless you’re a policeman, a member of the NRA, a conservative Christian, or if you dare disagree with a crumb-crunching skull full of impressionable Silly Putty.
Wait! Maybe the children are already in charge!
Source: Unknown
Filed under America, Culture Wars, current events, General Observations
In Response to Another School Shooting
Our hearts break when we think of the students and parents and staff, but now that the dust is settling, and the political forces have already spoken out, I’d like to say something about the most recent school shooting.
It’s not a gun problem; it’s a heart problem.
I’ve heard all the gun control arguments, but regardless the Constitution or the right to defend oneself, the root of the problem is what should be addressed. The question should be “why?”, not “how?”
Why did this teenager want to kill his fellow students? Why did the other murderers, maniacs, and monsters want to kill people? We’ve had guns in this country long before Columbine. Heck, we used to have shooting clubs in the schools! But what changed in society? What changed in the heart of our culture?
You can take away all the guns, but you’ll still have a disease that’s going to find a way to steal, kill, and destroy. No law, no matter how strict, is going to turn a lawbreaker into a law-abiding citizen.
Until you address the heart and soul issues, your only solution will end up being totalitarian control.
When the law of God is written on the hearts of men, there’s no need for external restraints; the constraints are internal. But when the only law written on the heart is the law of Self, there’s no restraint sufficient to make a man love his neighbor.
Filed under America, community, current events, General Observations, legalism, Life/Death, politics, Struggles and Trials
“They are killing us”
This morning, as we go to church to worship our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and thank Him for entering this world as a child, born of a virgin, only to one day die for us that we might receive the gift of eternal life through faith in Him, think on the following message I received this morning from a pastor friend in Pakistan…
“Brother we are dying here
they are killing us
please pray for us”
That was it…just three lines of text on Facebook Messenger.
Inside Bethel Memorial Methodist Church, Quetta, Pakistan
Earlier today a Methodist Church was attacked by two suicide bombers while the congregants were inside celebrating the birth of Christ. The attack was meant to be a message, one that was meant to strike fear. For some, I’m sure it worked. Thankfully, neither bomber was able to get inside the building, and only one was able to blow himself up at the entrance, so only around 10 people (including children) died, as opposed to the 400 who were in attendance.
But how does this affect my day? How would it affect yours? Are you even planning on attending a worship service? While there are Christians who are attending corporate worship services in places where their spiritual enemies are literally trying to kill them, do we take advantage of the complete freedom in America to congregate, or do we shun it? “Forsake” it?
How does the above message from my brother in Pakistan affect my preaching? My worship? Do I go about my day as usual? Or, do I recommit myself to the seriousness of the call to “take up your cross and follow me”?
“Brother we are dying here.” How long before we start dying HERE? With Islam on the rise, and with very few who are willing to challenge its destructive works-based theology for fear of being labeled “islamophobic,” how long before suicide bombings become more common-place than shootings?
“Please pray for us.” How long before we realize ALL of us stand in need of prayer? How long before we repent of our Laodicean lukewarmness? How long before we take seriously the calls from our brothers and sisters enduring persecution and pray for them? In reality, we should be asking them to pray FOR US!
Our churches will be relatively empty, today. Our post-modern, social-justice-minded, hedonistic society will go about this morning without a thought of God, while those who call themselves “Christian” will blend in with them. The relatively few who do attend worship services will hardly consider the rare privilege of worshipping in peace without the fear of being blown to bits while singing “Silent Night.”
Yet, somewhere in another land, there will be followers of Jesus Christ who will not be intimidated or deterred, bravely walking into proverbial lions’ dens. As the Hebrew children who refused to bow before Nebuchadnezzar’s statue, there will be some who will pray for deliverance from the furnace, but continue to worship Jesus and not bow down to Allah, even if the fire is inevitable (Daniel 3:18).
There are many who are dying. How are you living?
I’m going to church, now.
Filed under America, Christianity, Christmas, Church, worship
ANTIFA: The American Terrorists
It’s all over the internet…just Google it…ANTIFA (no irony here) has been planning anarchy, riots, violence, and whatever means necessary to forcibly remove a duly-elected American presidential administration.
So this morning (Sunday) one of ANTIFA’s cowardly children (yes, I’m making the connection) decided to exact revenge while seeking an outlet for his hatred of Christianity and attempted to murder a whole congregation of my fellow Southern Baptists in Texas.
There is no doubt in my mind that the animal who killed nearly half of the congregation of First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, TX, was acting in accordance with the overall messages of ANTIFA. It’s just that this hate-filled, mentally deranged (doesn’t Romans chapter 1 talk about this?) monster decided to lay aside all pretenses and go straight to the source of his bitterness.
Have any of you ever stopped to really consider what it was that made so many on the left upset that Hillary Clinton was defeated? (By the way, when is Hillary Clinton going to be held responsible – along with Barak Obama – for fueling the ANTIFA movement?) The ANTIFA left were livid over issues relating to morals, ethics, dogma, and religious institutions – specifically that many of their anti-god-like plans might be hindered or temporarily derailed by a “conservative” president. The socialist and communist systems of government they continue to praise and call for (no irony there, either) is, in my opinion, only a means to an end: eradicate any vestige of Judeo/Christian influence, especially the highly offensive (to the rebellious) “thus sayeth the Lord.”
So, I am calling for our government, along with every citizen still willing to remain free, to call ANTIFA and all that wave their ISIS-like flags exactly what they are: TERRORISTS.
The slaughter of innocents in Sutherland Springs, TX, was nothing less than domestic terrorism. The act was meant to strike fear in the hearts of all who stand in the way of a godless agenda, no less than any other terrorist attack around the world is meant to force compliance.
We are a nation of laws. ANTIFA is a group that cares nothing for our laws or our system of government. And, since our system of government was specifically a creation “of the people, by the people, and for the people,” ANTIFA is an anti-American terror group intent on undermining the very systems that are meant to maintain peace and order. ANTIFA is not for the people of America; it’s against us.
ANTIFA is an enemy of America and the American people, especially those with traditional, conservative, or Christian worldviews.
But let it be known, what happened today at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs will NOT stop the teaching, preaching, and proclaiming of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And, even though some will choose run and hide, the rest of us will not back down; we will not cower; we will not be silent.
Furthermore, not all states prohibit the carrying of firearms into houses of worship. So, should ANTIFA try to enter a church in my town with the intent to kill, they might discover the painful truth that “sheepdogs” protect our flocks, and a rain of holy lead may extinguish their angry fire. If you can stomach it, here’s a good article at PulpitandPen.org which candy-coats nothing and gets straight to the point of this paragraph (and it was written in 2014 – I’m sure it will be updated, soon).
So, to recap, ANTIFA is not simply a bunch of liberal crybabies who skip classes their parents paid for in order to attend hip protests where they may possibly procure some sense of relevance, No, ANTIFA is the equivalent of an infant ISIS, and the media had better quit feeding it.
ANTIFA is to blame for the murder of at least 27 people in Sutherland Springs, TX, and they should be held accountable.
Oh, just one more thing before I close this post for the night and try to go to sleep. I was just scrolling through some comments to a news story detailing the shooting in Texas. As you can imagine, the vitriol is being spewed from both sides. However, one comment stood out – a comment not that uncommon – and it was, “Since Trump America has been filled with so much hate.” Seriously, stop and ask yourself why. Is it not for reasons I mentioned above? Is it only because Donald Trump said or did some inappropriate things? Get real, folks. The liberal left could care less about Trump’s morals, but he came down on the side of moral absolutes – if ever so slightly – and that is what is unacceptable to them. Hillary was going to usher in a brave new world, and Trump ruined it for them.
So, blame it on those self-righteous, racist, bigoted, hateful, misogynistic, homo-trans-fluid-panamori-phobic, conservative, Bible-thumping, Sunday-church-going Christians, if you like. But that’s what ANTIFA does.
TERRORISTS.
Filed under America, current events
The Recovering Legalist 