By Bob Burdick ——Bio and Archives--June 5, 2013
American Politics, News | CFP Comments | Reader Friendly | Subscribe | Email Us
"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."The Declaration of Independence is one of America's greatest documents, and our Founding Fathers chose to acknowledge God in the first sentence. Is this separation of church and state? No. Now move forward to November 19, 1863, and consider a few words spoken that day: "… that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." The Gettysburg Address is recognized as one of the most moving expressions of democratic spirit ever uttered, but it gives no quarter to separation of church and state. Had President Lincoln lived to see the Pledge of Allegiance penned, would he have objected to the inclusion of "One Nation under God?" The obvious answer is, "No." John Jay, one of the framers of the Constitution, was appointed by George Washington in 1789 to be the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. In a letter to clergyman Jedidiah Morse, John Lay wrote: "Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers." In a practice that began in 1789, and still continues today, each session of Congress has opened with prayer. And it takes only a glance to see this Nation's acknowledgement of God on our coin and currency. Indeed, In God We Trust. Our Founding Fathers did not include the words "separation of church and state" in the Constitution or its First Amendment. Furthermore, their actions testify to their intent that no such separation should exist.
View Comments
Bob Burdick is the author of The Margaret Ellen, Tread Not on Me, and Stories Along The Way, a short-story collection that won the Royal Palm Book Award.