Chuck Norris, "God bless the atheists!"

[Tigermike 3,055]

God bless the atheists!

Chuck Norris

Posted: May 26, 2008

1:00 am Eastern

© 2008

While California homosexuals overturned a ban on gay marriage this past week, Colorado atheists were busy trying to ban prayer from city council meetings.

Apparently 13 members of the Western Colorado Atheists asked the Grand Junction city council to eliminate prayer from the beginning of their meetings. Why? You know their reasoning. It's the same old song and dance: It's a violation of the First Amendment and the separation of church and state.

But these atheists make the same classic blunder about the First Amendment that the ACLU and others have been making for years. They reinterpret it in ways it was never intended to be understood. They actually use the very amendment that is intended to protect our religious and speech rights and liberties and turn it on its head and make it a law of prohibition against prayer. And in so doing, they bastardize America's founding documents and founders.

America needs retraining in constitutional education! The First Amendment wasn't written to exclude religion from public places but to prohibit government from restricting our rights to exercise freely our religious convictions and speech – including the combination of both in prayer! As Thomas Jefferson explained, "A Bill of Rights is what the people are entitled to against every government, and what no just government should refuse, or rest on inference." Religious and speech paralysis was not the founders' intent. Could it be any clearer in the First Amendment?

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Notice the wording does not even include the phrase, "the separation of Church and State." Those words came much later in 1802 from Thomas Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptists, to whom he asserted that no particular Christian denomination was going to have a monopoly in government. Even then his words, "a wall of separation between Church and State," were not written to remove all religious practice from government or civic settings, but to prohibit the domination and even legislation of religious sectarianism, as it reigned back in England.

Proof that Jefferson was not trying to rid government of religious (even Christian) influence comes from the fact that he once proposed biblical imagery for the U.S. seal, endorsed using government buildings for church meetings, signed treaties as president for federal monies to be used to support priests, missionaries and build churches on the western frontier, and likely even approved the Bible being taught in public school districts when he was president of the Washington, D.C., school board.

Some might be completely surprised to discover that just two days after Jefferson wrote his famous letter citing the "wall of separation between Church and State," he attended church in the place where he always had as president: the U.S. capitol. The very seat of our nation's government was used for sacred purposes. As the Library of Congress website notes, "It is no exaggeration to say that on Sundays in Washington during the administrations of Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809) and of James Madison (1809-1817) the state became the church."

It is no coincidence that the Declaration of Independence begins with an emphasis on the Creator:

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume, among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them. … that they are endowed by their Creator …

For the founders, God and government were intricately linked. As Thomas Paine echoed one year earlier in 1775, "Spiritual freedom is the root of political freedom. … As the union between spiritual freedom and political liberty seems nearly inseparable, it is our duty to defend both."

What atheists need to know is that atheism was virtually non-existent in the early days of America. As Ben Franklin's 1787 pamphlet for those in Europe thinking of relocating to America highlighted:

To this may be truly added, that serious religion, under its various denominations, is not only tolerated, but respected and practiced. Atheism is unknown there; Infidelity rare and secret; so that persons may live to a great age in that country without having their piety shocked by meeting with either an Atheist or an Infidel. And the Divine Being seems to have manifested his approbation of the mutual forbearance and kindness with which the different sects treat each other; by the remarkable prosperity with which he has been pleased to favor the whole country.

The founders believed and relied upon God's power to help them. That is why Ben Franklin fought for prayer in the constitutional Congress and even testified about its former influence in the struggle for America's independence:

In the beginning of the contest with Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayers in this room for the divine protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard; and they were graciously answered. All of us, who were engaged in the struggle, must have observed frequent instances of a superintending Providence in our favor. To that kind Providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need its assistance? I have lived, Sir, a long time; and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, That God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?

Let us also not forget even today that our sessions of Congress still begin with prayer, as it has ever since it convened in 1789. And the U.S. Supreme Court still begins with the words, "God save the United States and this Honorable court!"

Did I mention that there are 13 atheists in Colorado who want the Grand Junction City Council to eliminate the invocations from their civic meetings?

The fact is these atheists have every right to voice their grievance – that is their First Amendment right to freedom of speech. But their request to restrict others' religious freedom is unconstitutional. And it is on that basis of the council members' First Amendment rights that they (and any other requests like this one across our land) ought to be forthright denied as unconstitutional. It is the constitutional right of all civic leaders and groups to include prayer as a constituent of their meetings.

I was proud to hear the patriotic defense of one of the Grand Junction City Council members. This country needs more governing officials like Councilman Doug Thomason, who individually responded to this atheistic request to remove prayer with this patriotic reply:

I'm no religious fanatic, but this country was founded on Christian principles, and we've gone so far away from that that it's mind-boggling. If they choose not to observe the invocation, that's their prerogative. But they're not going to infringe upon my rights to hear that invocation.

This Wednesday the Grand Junction City Council plans to meet privately and settle this spiritual matter. I pray that God would give them a constitutional courage to stand up for their rights and not be bullied to pacify anyone who would usurp them. God bless those council members and all who stand for freedom today! And God bless those who fight and those who've died to secure those rights for us. I even pray that God would bless those 13 atheists, no matter in which foxholes they lie.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/?pageId=65282

[bojack34 2]

God bless the atheists!

Chuck Norris

Posted: May 26, 2008

1:00 am Eastern

© 2008

While California homosexuals overturned a ban on gay marriage this past week, Colorado atheists were busy trying to ban prayer from city council meetings.

Apparently 13 members of the Western Colorado Atheists asked the Grand Junction city council to eliminate prayer from the beginning of their meetings. Why? You know their reasoning. It's the same old song and dance: It's a violation of the First Amendment and the separation of church and state.

But these atheists make the same classic blunder about the First Amendment that the ACLU and others have been making for years. They reinterpret it in ways it was never intended to be understood. They actually use the very amendment that is intended to protect our religious and speech rights and liberties and turn it on its head and make it a law of prohibition against prayer. And in so doing, they bastardize America's founding documents and founders.

America needs retraining in constitutional education! The First Amendment wasn't written to exclude religion from public places but to prohibit government from restricting our rights to exercise freely our religious convictions and speech – including the combination of both in prayer! As Thomas Jefferson explained, "A Bill of Rights is what the people are entitled to against every government, and what no just government should refuse, or rest on inference." Religious and speech paralysis was not the founders' intent. Could it be any clearer in the First Amendment?

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Notice the wording does not even include the phrase, "the separation of Church and State." Those words came much later in 1802 from Thomas Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptists, to whom he asserted that no particular Christian denomination was going to have a monopoly in government. Even then his words, "a wall of separation between Church and State," were not written to remove all religious practice from government or civic settings, but to prohibit the domination and even legislation of religious sectarianism, as it reigned back in England.

Proof that Jefferson was not trying to rid government of religious (even Christian) influence comes from the fact that he once proposed biblical imagery for the U.S. seal, endorsed using government buildings for church meetings, signed treaties as president for federal monies to be used to support priests, missionaries and build churches on the western frontier, and likely even approved the Bible being taught in public school districts when he was president of the Washington, D.C., school board.

Some might be completely surprised to discover that just two days after Jefferson wrote his famous letter citing the "wall of separation between Church and State," he attended church in the place where he always had as president: the U.S. capitol. The very seat of our nation's government was used for sacred purposes. As the Library of Congress website notes, "It is no exaggeration to say that on Sundays in Washington during the administrations of Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809) and of James Madison (1809-1817) the state became the church."

It is no coincidence that the Declaration of Independence begins with an emphasis on the Creator:

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume, among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them. … that they are endowed by their Creator …

For the founders, God and government were intricately linked. As Thomas Paine echoed one year earlier in 1775, "Spiritual freedom is the root of political freedom. … As the union between spiritual freedom and political liberty seems nearly inseparable, it is our duty to defend both."

What atheists need to know is that atheism was virtually non-existent in the early days of America. As Ben Franklin's 1787 pamphlet for those in Europe thinking of relocating to America highlighted:

To this may be truly added, that serious religion, under its various denominations, is not only tolerated, but respected and practiced. Atheism is unknown there; Infidelity rare and secret; so that persons may live to a great age in that country without having their piety shocked by meeting with either an Atheist or an Infidel. And the Divine Being seems to have manifested his approbation of the mutual forbearance and kindness with which the different sects treat each other; by the remarkable prosperity with which he has been pleased to favor the whole country.

The founders believed and relied upon God's power to help them. That is why Ben Franklin fought for prayer in the constitutional Congress and even testified about its former influence in the struggle for America's independence:

In the beginning of the contest with Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayers in this room for the divine protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard; and they were graciously answered. All of us, who were engaged in the struggle, must have observed frequent instances of a superintending Providence in our favor. To that kind Providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need its assistance? I have lived, Sir, a long time; and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, That God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?

Let us also not forget even today that our sessions of Congress still begin with prayer, as it has ever since it convened in 1789. And the U.S. Supreme Court still begins with the words, "God save the United States and this Honorable court!"

Did I mention that there are 13 atheists in Colorado who want the Grand Junction City Council to eliminate the invocations from their civic meetings?

The fact is these atheists have every right to voice their grievance – that is their First Amendment right to freedom of speech. But their request to restrict others' religious freedom is unconstitutional. And it is on that basis of the council members' First Amendment rights that they (and any other requests like this one across our land) ought to be forthright denied as unconstitutional. It is the constitutional right of all civic leaders and groups to include prayer as a constituent of their meetings.

I was proud to hear the patriotic defense of one of the Grand Junction City Council members. This country needs more governing officials like Councilman Doug Thomason, who individually responded to this atheistic request to remove prayer with this patriotic reply:

I'm no religious fanatic, but this country was founded on Christian principles, and we've gone so far away from that that it's mind-boggling. If they choose not to observe the invocation, that's their prerogative. But they're not going to infringe upon my rights to hear that invocation.

This Wednesday the Grand Junction City Council plans to meet privately and settle this spiritual matter. I pray that God would give them a constitutional courage to stand up for their rights and not be bullied to pacify anyone who would usurp them. God bless those council members and all who stand for freedom today! And God bless those who fight and those who've died to secure those rights for us. I even pray that God would bless those 13 atheists, no matter in which foxholes they lie.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/?pageId=65282

I can't understand why the far left and the ACLU can't get this through their thick skulls. It is common knowledge by anyone who knows anything about the history and birth of our nation that our founding fathers believed this nation could not prosper without God. If people would do some research they would easily find that the makeup of our government was formed on principle values.