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Shining city on a hill
Fruit of the Spirit
I think we sometimes forget (conveniently), that we are ALL sinners, always have been, and always will be.
It is a fact, that man is indeed sinful and has committed atrocities since the beginning of time. And YES, many of which was done, “in the name of God”, who has declared themselves as Christians. But, I say that these atrocities were not perpetrated by God, but by evil human beings. Jesus himself said that "many" people who think they are His followers will be rejected by Him when they attempt to claim that they are His disciples. Not all who claim the name of Jesus are actually His disciples.
I also firmly believe that it was Christians,(followers of Christ) and Godly men and women, that built this Country into a Great Nation formed over 230 years ago. They were the ones who practiced the fruit of the Spirits; that being love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, knowing that against such things there is no law. I would even argue that it has been the atheists that have committed far more atrocities than all Christian groups combined.
Atrocities
Joseph Stalin lead over 60 million people to their deaths. Karl Marx, Benito Mussolini, Mao Tse-Tung, all, right up there with him.....all were atheist. Even though some people say that Hitler was a Christian, I'm am quite certain, he was not practicing the “fruits of the spirit” when he murdered hundreds of thousand people.
It really seems to me, that many in this country have forgotten all the great things this nation has done, with “God” as our foundation. Starting with the hundreds of thousands of men and women, who died during WWI & WWII, to assure our freedoms and to stop such dictators who had a much different approach to “nation building”. Not to mention all of the benevolent giving to the “least of these” by those who did so in the “name of God”, not just for the people in this country but all people over the world.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD
The Bible tells us, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.” Psalm 33:12 and those words were taken to heart by many of our forefathers.
When James Madison said, "We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind of self-government; upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God." And when he went on to say…. "The future and success of America is not in this Constitution, but in the laws of God upon which this Constitution is founded.”
Daniel Webster also once stated that: "If we and our posterity...live always in the fear of God and shall respect His Commandments...we may have the highest hopes of the future fortunes of our country.... But if we...neglect religious instruction and authority; violate the rules of eternal justice, trifle with the injunctions of morality, and recklessly destroy the constitution which holds us together, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity."
Without God, there could be no American form of Government
On February 20, 1955, Eisenhower stated: "Without God, there could be no American form of Government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first - the most basic - expression of Americanism."
Even JFK believed our greatness was “in the name of God”. On his inaugural speech he said the following: "The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it—and the glow from that fire can truly light the world. And so, my fellow Americans—ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country...Let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own”
Even Albert Einstein, said that, "Being a lover of freedom, when the (Nazi) revolution came, I looked to the universities to defend it, knowing that they had always boasted of their devotion to the cause of truth; but no, the universities were immediately silenced. Then I looked to the great editors of the newspapers, whose flaming editorials in days gone by had proclaimed their love of freedom; but they, like the universities, were silenced in a few short weeks...Only the Church stood squarely across the path of Hitler's campaign for suppressing truth. I never had any special interest in the Church before, but now I feel a great affection and admiration for it because the Church alone has had the courage and persistence to stand for intellectual and moral freedom. I am forced to confess that what I once despised I now praise unreservedly.”
Sermon on the mount
What I would like to stress is, just how important it is, that the true Christians of this country, does not buckle during these trying times. That now! is the time for all of us, to put God first and foremost in everything we do. Ronald Reagan often reminded us of his vision of America as a "shining city upon a hill." He knew exactly that this referred to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, where he tells us "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:14).
Those words hold true to this day. But it is up to each Christian to stay true to the teachings laid out to us by God himself. We have a responsibility as American citizens to strive do good works, while glorifying our heavenly Father. To not buckle under being politically correct or being tolerant of what we know is evil. Not to be complacent or lethargic with our daily walk, but be as our forefathers were, and merely do what we know is right.
This may seem corny, but it is indeed how I feel. I am the eternal optimist and fully believe that we can still be a blessed nation.
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Comments
"On February 20, 1955, Eisenhower stated: "Without God, there could be no American form of Government, nor an American way of life. "
Boy, I never heard that quote in school and I know why, it doesn't fit in with the secular, political correct indoctrination that the public school system fosters.
This is a great quote from JFK, the liberal icon and hero :
""The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God"
As far as I know, the liberals today would fight this notion tooth and nail. According to them our rights come from what most people believe to be common sense.
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I feel the need to post this once again, to whom may need to hear it.
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Just felt the need to bring this one back up at this time.
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Thanks Sunnie, I think it is SO very important we stress the signigicance of our Heritage...and keeping God first and foremost.
Great hub Chris,
Slowly we are becoming the minority as believers ..it is a sad day for sure..all we can do is to continue to hold on and continue to stand and nurture our beliefs..We have lost the passion and without passion I am afraid we are like a dead tree..it will not grow as the roots are decayed and dead..we have to remember our roots and nurture them..
Thanks Chris,
Sunnie
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Ms Dee,
Our American Heritage is under attack by, sadly enough by many, many Americans. It is so vital that now more than ever, we stand strong and firm.
I have a passion for this subject, our American Heritage, I enjoyed putting this one together.
I very much appreciate you stopping by to read and comment.
Awesome hub! I am so enjoying the American Heritage Series that I've borrowed from my pastor. I did a search for it on HubPages and that's how I found this awesome hub of yours about the truth of our nation's founding. It is God and a constitution based on the Bible that has made our nation exceptional. I'm aching with you that we stand strong and regain this heritage.
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swb, thanks for stopping by to read my hub, I really appreciate it, also for the kind words.
Great read , you point out some very real truths, great job C,thanks, Scott
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Thank you noturningback for your remarks and comments. I appreciate you reading my hub!
:)
I will check out your link.
Benjamin Franklin scientist, philospher and founder of this country wrote his discoveries of the truth as intended to help one another devoid of religion; it still clearly shows whom we should follow and God and Christ are the prevailing Truth here is a link for Ben's 13 virtues.
http://www.flamebright.com/PTPages/Benjamin.asp
Thank you CMerritt for continuing to build on the Foundation which is Truth itself.
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FriendofTruth, Thank you for reading my hub and commenting. I have heard of David Barton, and I have intended on getting his DVD on The American Heritage. It really seems very interesting. I pray also, for our country, and that our heritage does not get lost.
Great hub CMerritt! there is a great dvd series called The American Heritage Series by David Barton that clearly defines American's foundation as a Christian and God-fearing and Bible loving one. It dispells all of those arguments that our forefathers were not Christian etc., while only the minority were not Christian. Evidence given is quite clear and overwhelming. I too hope that one day our country will go back to its roots and be as wonderful as it was in the beginning. I am grateful to be here now, even in the state that our country is in, but I know it could be so much more. I hope that all Christians, not just few, will stand up and shine their light for Him so that our country will be an even brighter city on a hill.
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I have no arguments with you Mick, as I appreciate your comments. My main point is that "God is needed" if we want to ever, remotely think about it regaining the "great" status that we once held...If Madison didn't "Mean" what he said, I will never know, but his words carry a strong and signifant message that we should strongly consider. Even Reagan's words have had a strong impact on me personally, and his intent is well taken....
I really do appreciate you stopping by to read and comment...
:)
The leaders we have today and many in our past have most definitely NOT believed in God. The leaders of the WTO parties do not believe in God. The leaders of the US are largely Lawyers. They have not run a court system honestly in 200 years. They refuse to do so now. Our courts are rife with corruption and prove only to be an ATM machine for law grads. Lawyers will make no attempt to right our courts. They run our Congress. They are wooed and courted by the despicable lobbyists. Our forefathers owned slaves. James Madison had beautiful words. Thomas Jefferson had them as well. But what comes out of a person's moth is not necessarily the way they live. Thank you for the this well written hub. I'm in disagreement with our history and our present. All of America is owned by the few. God bless CMerritt.
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Ms Dee, I really think that so many have simply become apathetic to what is really happening to our country. I fear that you are correct that things may very well have to get worse, before the apathetic crowd wakes up and realizes what is happening.
I really appreciate you commenting and reading my hubs. I have just recently found you and have become a huge fan.
Beautiful, CMerritt! I'm wondering these days if many followers of the Truth are resigned to the way the country is going to The Left. Or, maybe it has to get even worse before many more make their outrage known, even before the 2012 elections.
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Amen Fred, very well said, and boy do I agree with you. Thanks for your comments.
If there is no God, then there is no such thing as sin. The fact that there are moral absolutes is evidence for God. We are all born with a sense of right and wrong. Even the atheist who posts on your hubs cannot deny he knows right from wrong though his conscience may be seared. Another fantastic hub! God and adherence to His principals are what made this nation great. It is the removal of God and His principals that have weakened this nation. Moral relativism is creating havoc.
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Thanks James, I have a strong democrat and a strong scientist, who share the value of God's significance to this country. I appreciate the pat on the back, and you stopping by to read my hub.
Awesome Hub! I love the quotes you put together, especially the one from James Madison. The Einstein quote surprised me. You did an excellent job pulling this together. Well done!
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Composer2005, I have never claimed I had "evidence" regarding the factual content of the Bible, nor was it the point to this Hub. I have my personal reasons for believing the Holy Bible and it's content. I really have no intentions of arguing and disputing the Bible on this Hub, if you would like to start a hub and invite me, I may give you a more detail of how and why I have chose to beleive. With all of that said, I thank you for stopping by to read.
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To prasetio30:
Thanks for your comments and taking the time to read my hub.
Just as I prophesied CMerrit, you have NO legitimate evidence outside of your man made bible story book. Thanks for confirming that!
Now I can also confirm the self contradicting nature of your story book and I'll start with pointing out another of the many story book blunders -
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23) KJV story book
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (Romans 5:12) KJV story book
Thus according to these story book quotes, ALL have sinned and death passed on to ALL men and that includes this story book character jesus (the sinner)
Thanks for your comments!
Very inspiring and beautiful hub. I hope the world more peaceful. Thanks for share with us. ~prasetio
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Composer, I meant to exclude you...my bad.
but thanks for reading and commenting...
:)
Apart from your man made story book, what actual legitimate evidence do you think you have that I have ' sinned ? '
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My point is not so much about wars, but the fact that we (as citizens and Christians) must put God, first and foremost, and recognize His importance to the well-being of this Nation. I agree that our Government has lost its way on WHO they represent, more so the reason why we need to stand up for our convictions, and hold these men accountable.
Thanks Bro Dave for reading and commenting.
CMerrit: We hear of wars and rumors of wars all the time. We here of earthquakes and tornadoes, hurricanes,typhoons,tidal waves, and violent volcanic eruptions. We hear of famine and diseases killing the people.
In the US of A a constitution was created to protect the people from tyrany, yet the American Government today no longer represents the people instead it represents big business and the wealthy 1% .
Brother Dave.
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Thanks Pam for reading and your comments.
I think your article is the absolute truth. I hope we have not become a country of continuous wars and terrorism.
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Thanks Elderyoungman, I'm sure greed as always, is/will be the downfall of this Nation. That was an interesting thought you had about the 1933 World Fair, there could be a lot to that.
I appreciate you reading my hub.
:)
You get it! It's rough having these debates with some of the writers and there is no spiritual basis to reference. My belief is that our greatness as a country began to dim as soon as we allowed the profit motive to trump our ingenuity. The theme of the 1933 Worlds Fair was: “Science discovers, genius invents, industry applies, and man adapts himself to, or is molded by, new things..."..Now industry controls all 4 areas. All struggles and ugliness aside, our anointing under God was to lead this world. We were supposed to be bigger than creating oil addiction and war profiteering. Great Hub! It's good to see the real truth out here!
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Thanks Dusty for your comments. I hope not!
C, excellent write, holding the sore truth. A nation that lives by the sword will die by the sword. Have we become a nation of unjust wars?, Peace 50
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