We hear so much talk from certain quarters about separation of church and state, and the Constitution. Certainly it was the founding fathers’ desires to prevent any particular religion from using the power of government to foster their own religious convictions.

However, it was never the intent of our founders to cause a separation of God and state.

They recognized that the authority they possessed came from almighty God, and their first responsibility was to acknowledge his sovereignty over mankind, over them and this great nation. They did so in our Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, by “appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World for the rectitude of our intentions.”

America’s real wealth has been the God-given faith of its people. Have we become impoverished spiritually? Have we squandered this treasure? Are the many signs of disorder, material poverty, homelessness, broken families, rampant lawlessness, abortion and euthanasia examples of a decline caused by a spiritual malignancy within America?

We yearn for peace and it alludes us. Why? Mother Theresa said that peace would not come unless we stopped killing the innocents.

Scripture notes God’s prescription for dealing with corruption: Acknowledge our guilt, collectively as a nation. Atone for our misdeeds and trust in God to guide us along a path of his choosing and do this “with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence” (Declaration of Independence).

I’m reminded of an article written by George Weigel of the Ethics Public Policy Center in Washington in the early 1990s. He noted two basic facts of life, the first personal: “Our happiness is not a function of our wealth, our possessions, or our social status. No, what makes us happy are faith, families, friends, what gives us the greatest human satisfaction are obligations fulfilled, kindness performed, wounds healed, insight gained.”

The second fact is public: Democracy requires a virtuous citizenry if it is to survive. Democracy is not just a matter of procedures, elections, legislatures, courts, a free press, etc.

Rather democracy is an experiment, an ongoing test of people’s capacity for self-governance. The question Lincoln asked at Gettysburg, whether a nation “so conceived and so dedicated can long endure” is a question for each generation of Americans. The answer to that question indicates what kind of people we are and whether we are a people fit to govern ourselves.

Our freedom and personal liberty are now in danger. There are those in our midst who are restricting our freedom of speech, contaminating the purity of our children and robbing them of innocence.

During the last Great War, England experienced some dark hours. Their freedom and ours hung in the balance. Times and circumstances have changed and so have the actors, but the sinister forces opposing us remain constant, and our choices are no different now than they’ve always been.
Life or death, good or evil. To quote Alexander Solzhenitsyn, “The line between good and evil runs through each and every human heart.”

The choice is ours. What will it be? Which side of the line will we step over? Have we stepped over? Who will we listen to? God or man?

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