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Thoughts on Independence Day
The history of Independence Day probably doesn’t need recounting. On July 4th, 1776, fifty-six patriots signed the declaration that proclaimed our independence from England. What followed was an eight year endeavor that would, by the grace of God, see a rag-tag band of “farmers with pitchforks” defeat the greatest army in the world at the time.
The signers of the Declaration of Independence make up only a portion of the men considered to be our Founding Fathers. There are 204 individuals who either signed the Declaration, signed the Articles of Confederation, attended the Constitutional Convention, signed the Constitution or served in the First Federal Congress. All of these are considered Founding Fathers. Recently, there has been debate over the religious convictions of the Founding Fathers and whether or not this country exist “Under God” as the Pledge of Allegiance says.
After researching several sources for information (I’m not suggesting I’ve researched a lot) almost all sources say that almost all the Founding Fathers believed in God. A couple of sources suggested that there were some, if not many that did not believe in God but those sources fail to mention who. I clearly understand that the Founding Fathers did not want a state sponsored church of which citizens were required to join but I’ve found nothing that indicates that these men wanted God taken out of life for the colonist. As a matter fact, most of what I’ve found indicates that the Founding Fathers believed God to be a very important part of life and that the success of the Revolution was dependent upon Him. As for the suggestion that this country is not built on Christian principles, well, with all the Biblical emblems inscribed on so many of our national landmarks, I’d say this country was literally build on Christian principles.
But the crucial point is this…throughout history, countries, nations, even cities that turn their back on God and His will have a habit of disappearing. Sodom, Gomorrah, Ancient Rome, WWII Germany, the USSR, and Iraq are just a few of the many, many examples. For Christians, if we truly believe God played a role in bringing these oppressive or anti-God cultures to an end, we have to stand up for God and promote the concept that the God of Abraham is the God of the United States for fear that otherwise, He will bring the same fate to us.
So as we celebrate our Independence this Fourth of July, let’s celebrate our heritage including our Christian foundation. And in the hope and prayer that God will bless our nation, let’s remain “one nation under God.”
