Letters
They've got it backwards
EDITOR:Next time someone tells you that God doesn't belong in the public square, take a walking tour through Washington, D.C. where the monuments, memorial and buildings are a testimony to our Founding Fathers' Faith in God, and a clear refute to the radical secularists who want to outlaw nativity scenes and the Ten Commandments, remove "Under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance and strip "In God We Trust" from all U.S. currency.
For the last 50 years, ACLU lawyers and left-wing judges have been outlawing God in our culture. They insist that "separation of church and state" means that all references to God be erased from our money, our pledge and from our American history textbooks.
This is what the ACLU and radical judges have done and continue to do. Public prayer is no longer allowed at public school graduations.
The Ten Commandments can't be displayed in a public school. These are radical secularists who don't want our children to know that the founding fathers built this nation on a faith in God. Worst of all, they've just about convinced an entire generations of Americans that even mentioning God in public is against the law.
But they've got it backwards. The U.S. Constitution guarantees our right to worship God at home, at work, and even at school. In fact, Benjamin Franklin proposed that the Constitutional Convention of 1787 begin each day with a prayer.
George Washington hoped that all nations would "Acknowledge the providence of Almighty God and obey His will."
Thomas Jefferson warned the new U.S. to never forget that their "liberties are the gift of God."
Did you know that when the Capitol Building was built, its designers were well aware of the dependence of the members of Congress upon God and prayer. The 83rd Congress designated a small room in the Capitol, near the rotunda, that is always open for the private prayer and meditation of members of Congress.
This room is open whenever Congress is in session and stands as a witness to the need for prayer by our nation's leaders. The focal point of the room is an intricate stained glass window that depicts George Washington kneeling in prayer with the words from Psalm 16: "Preserve me, 0 God, for in Thee do I put my trust."
In the Rotunda of our Capitol there is an oil painting that portrays the landing of Columbus in 1492. His eyes are cast toward heaven in thanks and praise as others around him kneel in gratitude to God. Also in the Rotunda are four paintings, two of a pray meeting, one of a Bible study and another of a baptism.
Then we have Moses and the 10 Commandments in the rotunda of the Library of Congress, Moses on the facade of the U.S. Supreme Court, the 10 Commandments inside the Supreme Court court room, a Cross and Star of David on the Korean Vets Memorial.
An inscription on a wall of the Jefferson Memorial states, "God who gave us life, gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of peoples that these liberties are a gift from God?"
The Washington Monument stands as a lofty and inspiring tribute to our first president, George Washington. Engraved on the metal cap towering 555 feet above the ground are the words, "Praise be to God."
In addition, several tribute blocks line the staircase and are inscribed with Bible verses., Luke 18:16, John 5:39, Acts 17:11 and many, many more.
An image of the 10 Commandments is engraved in bronze on the floor of the National Archives, where the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution are displayed.
All of this is true, but the ACLU and liberal judges don't want you to know, they don't want Americans to see just how much evidence of God's role is in our history and written in stone in the buildings of our nation's Capitol.
Eighty six percent of Americans say they believe in God and yet the 14 percent who do not are running our country. People like atheist Michael Newdow and his few followers and our liberal judges are outlawing God in our nation, and we are allowing this to happen.
Our founding fathers intended for God to be the backbone of our nation. If you can not go to Washington D.C. to see and read the inscription on the memorials, you can do so by going on the Internet and searching "Scripture in Washington D.C. Monuments."
The word of God is evident of our past American leaders whom we hold high in respect, those who laid the American foundation.
Why does American now separate these words from the men who were driven by these words? Because we are not standing up for what we believe - and we are letting the ACLU, liberal judges and 14 percent of the American people run this country.
If you or I go to another country with a different religious heritage I may not agree with it but it is their faith and I will not try to change it but keep my own beliefs.
It's their right. If you don't care to believe in God in this country, that is also your right, but don't interfere with the 86 percent who do and do not try to change the heritage and history of the U.S.A.
God has been a guiding light in this nation since day one and no matter how hard the ACLU and liberals want to change that, it's all right there in our Capital, written in stone. So let's get back on track and put God back in the public square where he belongs, that's the consensus of 86 percent of the people in the U.S.A.
God bless America, land that I love, stand beside her and guide her, through the night with the light from above.
Janet Lee Dean
Felch
And don't blame me
EDITOR:The America I grew up in was as hard as a rock. As the West African proverb said, "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."
We as a nation have gotten fat, just like a big porcupine and our under belly is showing making us vulnerable to being attacked.
We have lost our way nationally by not adhering to and remaining loyal to our constitution of the United States of America and the Declaration of Independence.
Once the under belly is showing the attack is on, our old and founding values have completely disappeared and they cease to be.
Our morals are just about gone. Why has all this happened and in a short time? Is it because we as a country are infatuated with sex, drugs, sports, food and gasoline.
We are in the fast lane and going faster and it looks like there's no way to get off.
Can any thinking American "in the right now" believe that something is wrong?
Have we lost our senses to fix things? We have ethical scandals spreading in our corporations, government and even some churches.
For example, our elected politicians seem powerless to fix Social Security, health care crisis, and to resolve the illegal immigration flood of people from all over the world.
Pessimism is spreading, our silent majority believes we are headed the wrong way. Any nation that throws God out, kills it unborn, and refuses to except the guidelines of the 10 God-given commandments needs help. And don't blame me.
Joe Massie
Quinnesec
Decent and honest
EDITOR:A gentleman found the coin purse that I lost and returned it to the service desk at Wal-Mart.
The coin purse was very precious to me and the fact that it was returned with money intact reinforced my belief that there are truly decent and honest people among us.
Cheri Hamilton
Iron Mountain
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nlmk83
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08-30-08 1:47 AM
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Yet another shining example of how ****** up religion is.
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davepete
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08-29-08 9:22 AM
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News Headline "Child killed for not saying Amen". Google it.
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RandallRKniess
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08-28-08 11:14 PM
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At least my intelligence is dizzying. I'm still waiting to see any from the three blind mice and poop dog!
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Nonamiss
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08-28-08 10:52 PM
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She's not really using her civil rights anyway - she won't miss them.
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Yoopdogs
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08-28-08 1:12 PM
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Janet -- I would pray to your god that you never need the assistance of the ACLU to protect your constitutional rights--one of which is to FREELY worship BUT NOT force anyone else to do the same. Wouldn't that be irony at its finest?
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Nonamiss
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08-28-08 9:40 AM
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And the day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme being as his father in the womb of a virgin will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerve in the brain of Jupiter. But may we hope that the dawn of reason and freedom of thought in these United States will do away with this artificial scaffolding, and restore to us the primitive and genuine doctrines of this most venerated reformer of human errors. -Thomas Jefferson, Letter to John Adams, April 11, 1823
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Nonamiss
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08-28-08 9:39 AM
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In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot, abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own. -Thomas Jefferson, letter to Horatio G. Spafford, March 17, 1814
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Nonamiss
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08-28-08 9:38 AM
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Christianity neither is, nor ever was a part of the common law. -Thomas Jefferson, letter to Dr. Thomas Cooper, February 10, 1814
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Nonamiss
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08-28-08 9:38 AM
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History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. This marks the lowest grade of ignorance of which their civil as well as religious leaders will always avail themselves for their own purposes. -Thomas Jefferson to Alexander von Humboldt, Dec. 6, 1813.
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Nonamiss
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08-28-08 9:37 AM
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They [the clergy] believe that any portion of power confided to me, will be exerted in opposition to their schemes. And they believe rightly; for I have sworn upon the altar of god, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man. But this is all they have to fear from me: and enough, too, in their opinion. -Thomas Jefferson to Dr. Benjamin Rush, Sept. 23, 1800
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Nonamiss
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08-28-08 9:37 AM
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I concur with you strictly in your opinion of the comparative merits of atheism and demonism, and really see nothing but the latter in the being worshipped by many who think themselves Christians. -Thomas Jefferson, letter to Richard Price, Jan. 8, 1789 (Richard Price had written to TJ on Oct. 26. about the harm done by religion and wrote "Would not Society be better without Such religions? Is Atheism less pernicious than Demonism?")
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Nonamiss
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08-28-08 9:36 AM
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Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because if there be one he must approve of the homage of reason more than that of blindfolded fear. -Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Peter Carr, August 10, 1787
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Nonamiss
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08-28-08 9:35 AM
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But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg. -Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia, 1782
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Nonamiss
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08-28-08 9:35 AM
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Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined and imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch towards uniformity. -Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia, 1782
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nlmk83
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08-28-08 12:08 AM
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Ahh such a compelling arguement 'RandallRKneiss' a childs rhyme! Your intelligence is dizzying.
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RandallRKniess
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08-27-08 11:35 PM
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3 blind mice, 3 blind mice, see how they run!
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Nonamiss
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08-27-08 9:34 PM
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Blah blah blah Jesus - again. Jesus and then Jesus and then God and God and Jesus. There - are we done now?
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nlmk83
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08-27-08 6:56 PM
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"The United States of America should have a foundation free from the influence of clergy" ~George Washington "I have recently been examining all the known superstitions of the world , and do not find in our particular superstition (christianity) one redeeming feature. They are all alike, founded upon fables and mythologies" ~Thomas Jefferson "The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason." ~Benjamin Franklin "Twenty times in the course of my late reading, have I been upon the point of breaking out: This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it!" ~John Adams
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lacountc
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08-27-08 6:39 PM
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Bravo!
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nlmk83
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08-27-08 6:23 PM
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In 1797, the Treaty of Tripoli was passed unanimously by the U.S. Senate and signed by the President. Article eleven of the Treaty states that "The Government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion". This seems to differ quite a bit with many people saying today that the United States is founded on Judeo-Christian principles. Is it possible that time has eroded the original intent of our country's founders when it comes to the relationship of religion and government?
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