Promoted from the diaries by AE.
I was disturbed to discover that President Obama requested the religious symbols in Gaston Hall, most notably the inscription “IHS” that symbolizes the name Jesus, at Georgetown University be covered during his economic address earlier this week. This follows his comments in 2007 that America is “no longer a Christian nation.” While the President continues to quote the scripture and reference his faith, it seems the White House is subtly attempting to remove God from our every day lives.
Georgetown University is a Catholic institution, founded by the Jesuits. Their heritage, much like ours, is based in religion and on religious doctrine. We are, after all, a nation founded on the principle that we are one nation, under God. And I, for one, am proud of that. Georgetown University should not be forced to hide their religious beliefs in order to appease the President, just as the people of this country should not force hide their religious beliefs in order to appease liberal interest groups determined to impose their anti-religion stance on the entire country.
The Founding Fathers had no intention of removing religion from our lives. In fact, many religious tenants are the backbone of our Constitution. Instead they wanted to ensure that we were all able to worship God as we pleased. How dismayed they would be to learn that our nation’s leader has taken to covering the name Jesus Christ at a Jesuit university.
Whether the President agrees with me or not, I still believe that we are a Christian nation- one nation, under God.
Frank Lucas represents Oklahoma’s Third Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. For more Frankly Speakings, please visit Rep. Lucas’ Blog at http://www.house.gov/lucas/frankly-speaking/index.shtml.
Daniel Horowitz
Neil Stevens
Steve Maley
Jake Walker
I believe we're still a Christian nation, too, but
Steph C (Diary) Friday, April 17th at 1:26PM EST (link)when there is much poll worshipping, the people in charge of the polls have their own agenda and we’re now all right wing extremists because of believing in God and country, how do you fight against this takeover by those who would kill Christianity?
This has been happening for a long time and one only hopes that the enemies of Christianity have overplayed their hands because they are moving much faster with their assaults on God than ever before in our history.
“[I]f the public are bound to yield obedience to laws to which they cannot give their approbation, they are slaves to those who make such laws and enforce them.” –Candidus in the Boston Gazette, 1772
Hillbilly Politics
What a Day!
papalee Friday, April 17th at 1:37PM EST (link)First my senators take on Homeland Insecurity over the rightwing extremist bit and now my representative hits the BoyPresident over his request to hide the symbol of our Lord’s name. I could not be more proud.
But one thing does bother me. I don’t understand why Notre Dame would invite Obama to speak or Georgetown would allow him the use of one of their buildings. Given his own words against classical Christianity and its core doctrines, I am ashamed to see both institutions pandering to him. One wonders if Benedict XVI will discipline either or both universities. If he does not, my respect for the Roman See will fall, perhaps even totally disappear.
Yes, I find it particularly hypocritical of our new President.
Chemical Sam (Diary) Friday, April 17th at 1:49PM EST (link)This country’s institutions and ethos are derived directly, and inexorably, from a variety of sources, essentially Christian (Protestant much moreso than Catholic as I understand it), with some important Deist contributions (like thoses incorporated by Thomas Jefferson and George Washington in various writings).
I fail to understand why those connections are constantly attacked, except for the purposes of undermining and corrupting the principled American will. They are absolute facts and should be universally acknowledged as such, not subject to vain attempts at erasure.
It’s like saying we are in the year 2009, while refusing to acknowledge that attendant with an otherwise arbitrary number must come the initials words, which have meaning:
2009 A.D., or AD 2009, or
2009 anno Domini (in the year of our Lord 2009
It’s bad enough that B.C. (before Christ), has been replaced in certain circles by B.C.E (before common era)
2009 loses its meaning. It might as well be the year 1430. That would be 1430 AH (anno Hegirae (in the year of the Hijra), the current Muslim year), or 5769 (if you’re Jewish.
Imagine trying to convince everyone in America to embrace another calendar system that doesn’t directly reference the birth of Jesus Christ. The Milennium celebration was after all, whether one likes it or not, the celebration of 2000 years of Christianity
All this is patently offensive, disrepectful, and insidious. It’s deliberately designed to detach Americans from understanding the basis of justice and inalienable rights in their own history.
I find it particularly telltale that the Obama Administration engages, perpetuates and fosters this behavior by covering religious symbols (in Georgetown University of all places!) wherever it goes. Why bother going to a religious setting if you can’t acknowledge the religion that helped create it?
Dude, if you don’t like to be associated with religion, don’t stand in front of their symbols when making a speech, and don’t quote Scripture.
Criterion Chemical was in the black for FY2010!
Not bad considering the forces arrayed against small business these days.
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www.criterionchemical.com
One of my favorite TA's at the University of Oklahoma
papalee Monday, April 20th at 12:59AM EST (link)went on to write a history of the religious views of every member of the Constitutional Convention. It was a very enlightening book, especially in light of the claim of so many liberals that the founders of this country and the framers of the Constitution were Deists. It turns out that such was not the case. There were actually two deists at the Constitutional Convention; one pretty open while the other was nominally an Anglican. But the majority of the members of that convention were members of the state church, i.e., The Church of England that was to be come the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States. Their number included George Washington who took communion at St. Paul’s Chapel in New York City at the time of his inauguration as the first president of the United States under the Constitution. He also asked the framers of the first American Book of Common Prayer to include prayers for the president and Congress in that book.
What I am fairly sure that most of you don’t know is that the form of government was historically derived through the English parliament from that of the Convocations of York and Canterbury in the eighth century which governed the English Church at that time and consisted of a house of bishops and a house of clergy.
Mr. Jefferson’s contribution to the American founding have been over estimated. True he wrote the Declaration of Independence, but the ideas there were largely those of George Mason. And while the Constitution was being written, he was in France as our ambassador. He is touted as the founder of the Democrat Party, something which should give us all pause because he ended up bankrupt and living on the kindness of friends. They seem to want this country to follow his example.
Does Georgetown still believe that "JESUS CHRIST IS LORD"?
Crowe (Diary) Friday, April 17th at 2:21PM EST (link)Georgetown ought to be ashamed of itself for complying with the request to cover anything, especially the IHS–”the Name which is above every other name.” Georgetown, one would hope, still believes that Jesus Christ is the King of kings and Lord of lords. There are plenty of places where Obama could have given the speech if Georgetown had refused to cover up and the WH considered that a non-negotiable. It’s as though they’re trying to one-up Notre Dame.
At Paul’s time, “Jesus Christ is Lord!” was a provocative political statement. It appears we may be heading back in that direction.
“We sleep soundly in our beds only because
rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence upon those who would do us harmDear Leader Obama gives us leave to do so.”I have to disagree
BlueLandRed (Diary) Friday, April 17th at 2:57PM EST (link)The nation was found on the principle of “We the People”. It gets top billing , in big letters, so it kinda hard to miss.
BluelandRed...
Aaron Gardner (Diary) Friday, April 17th at 3:06PM EST (link)Look up how many times the DoI mentions “providence”…also “We the People” at that time represented a high percentage of Christians of some sort.
Read the words of Adams…re-read Jefferson’s letter to the Danbury Baptists.
And lastly read the Old Testament and the different governmental authorities which were presented…you will see a lot of overlap.
Bottom line is that the Founders did use the Jude-Christian principles to guide them in the process of creating a govt that maximized freedom and liberty while maintaining order and Rule of Law.
As far as top billing goes…every paragraph starts with a sentence…but that sentence is often less important than what follows in the rest of the paragraph.
conform and celebrate diversity….or else!!!
“We’d be much better off if We The People had desired small government enough to keep it.” acat
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Ok, let's examine the paragraph
BlueLandRed (Diary) Friday, April 17th at 3:09PM EST (link)that religion was
Ok, let's examine the paragraph
BlueLandRed (Diary) Friday, April 17th at 3:12PM EST (link)I’m thinking We the People is the most important part… and I’m not seeing any reference to God or Jesus or religion. In fact, you have to read to at Amendment One to find any mention of that and it kinda prohibits the government from meddling with religion.
PS. sorry about the double post
Really BlueLandRed...
Aaron Gardner (Diary) Friday, April 17th at 3:19PM EST (link)So our founding docs are limited to the Constitution now?
All other writings by the Founders don’t count?
As far as the 1st Amendment goes…yeah the Founders decided that the Govt couldn’t dictate the religion of the citizens…this was done because the Crown had established a church of the State and thus was limiting the freedom of the Christians in the Colonies.
Seriously…to not see the influence that God had on the founding of this nation, both in it’s people, represented by the words “We the People”, and it’s Government, is to be willfully ignorant.
conform and celebrate diversity….or else!!!
“We’d be much better off if We The People had desired small government enough to keep it.” acat
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Well, as far as founding documents go
BlueLandRed (Diary) Friday, April 17th at 4:05PM EST (link)Constitution is kinda special. It’s not even first among equals, because it has no equals.
And I’m not saying religion didn’t provide an influence, but the omission of God from the Constitution speaks volumes at what the Founding Fathers were attempting to do.
as does the last part of the DoI BlueLandRed...
Aaron Gardner (Diary) Friday, April 17th at 4:13PM EST (link)Also I agree the Constitution is special…it is the framework which we work within in order to secure the Blessings of Liberty as stated in the DoI.
To look upon the Constitution and not read it within the context of the DoI is to render it almost meaningless. What is the purpose of the Constitution if not to secure what was declared in the DoI?
Oh and why would honor be considered sacred? Doesn’t the very word sacred have roots in the idea of God?
Look…I am not asking you to convert…you can live your life how you please…but that doesn’t mean you get to rewrite the historical context of how this nation was founded.
Clear?
conform and celebrate diversity….or else!!!
“We’d be much better off if We The People had desired small government enough to keep it.” acat
Follow @Aaron_RS
Again
BlueLandRed (Diary) Friday, April 17th at 5:03PM EST (link)What I was specifically objecting to was the statement
and pointing out that the principle on which this nation is founded in the first paragraph of the Constitution. You can drag in all the context you want from other documents and whatever but that doesn’t change the facts that our “mission statement” and the entire primary founding document fails to mention religion. But it does states “We the People”. QED.
I’m really not asking for anything other than just a literal reading starting from the top.
And Again to you as well Blue...
Aaron Gardner (Diary) Friday, April 17th at 5:09PM EST (link)If you don’t consider the context than the Constitution is meaningless.
Take the 2nd Amendment…in context it is clearly an individual right…but you won’t find that stated in the Constitution…so are you now saying that the 2nd Amendment only applies to well regulated militias?
Oh and you totally misunderstood the mission statement thing…the DoI is the mission statement…the Constitution is the construct in which we accomplish the goals of the mission statement.
The Constitution is our governing document and is only part of the Founding Documents…which also include the Articles of Confederation.
Without context you do the Constitution a disservice.
conform and celebrate diversity….or else!!!
“We’d be much better off if We The People had desired small government enough to keep it.” acat
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Another thing, Mr. BlueRed
Steven Willis (Diary) Friday, April 17th at 5:09PM EST (link)The Declaration of Independence is First. The Constitution is Second.
Yes, We the People created the Constitution.
But, as noted by the Declaration, Almighty God created us and gave us the right to create the Constitution as well as the right to change that Constitution or Government.
Those words ring true today, just as they did 233 years ago:
“That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
The Ninth and Tenth Amendments to that Constitution you place first retain basic rights in the People and in the States. The Declaration, which I place First, lists those rights – which include the right to pursue Safety and Happiness – and it properly attributes them as from God and not from man.
“Let it be said, I fought the good fight, I finished the race, I kept the faith.”
Paul, Second Timothy 4:7, The New Covenant.
Steve Willis
Professor of Law
University of Florida College of Law
Mr. Blue Land Red
Steven Willis (Diary) Friday, April 17th at 4:16PM EST (link)Mr. Blue Land Red:
The First Amendment, as the post above indicates, protects (inter alia) States from Congressionally imposed religion. It also protects the right of states to establish religion if they so choose. Fourteenth Amendment judicial gloss unfortunately confuses states’ rights; however, that says nothing about our Founding Documents.
Similarly, the Declaration of Independence clearly refers to our Creator. Your not including that as a Founding Document is strange.
On the general subject, I do not understand why a religious institution would cover its religious symbols for a secular purpose. As I am not Catholic, I will refrain from further criticism of Georgetown. As an aside, however, I recall one instance in which a Methodist Church to which I belonged covered its symbols. That involved the temporary sharing of our facilities with a congregation whose synagogue had burned. Out of respect, we covered our crosses. I supported those actions. I guess I do not have that much respect for Pres. Obama.
On a broader note, I find Obama’s use of the Sermon on the Mount both cynical and disturbing. He likened his policies to The Rock, which represents Christ and His Church. While not quite profane, that appropriation of Holy Scripture is most unsettling. It continues a pattern I find to be increasingly alarming.
“Let it be said, I fought the good fight, I finished the race, I kept the faith.”
Paul, Second Timothy 4:7, The New Covenant.
Steve Willis
Professor of Law
University of Florida College of Law
Well said Steven Willis...nt
Aaron Gardner (Diary) Friday, April 17th at 4:20PM EST (link)conform and celebrate diversity….or else!!!
“We’d be much better off if We The People had desired small government enough to keep it.” acat
Follow @Aaron_RS
Reminded of the old saying
Deep_Thinker Friday, April 17th at 3:23PM EST (link)Where God is moved out , the Devil moves in.
Thank You Congressman
Joe Cor (Diary) Friday, April 17th at 4:28PM EST (link)Could you read this into the Congressional Record? While CSPAN is on so some of the voters of this country could become more well informed?
Most troubling....
Praying (Diary) Friday, April 17th at 10:58PM EST (link)“While the President continues to quote the scripture and reference his faith, it seems the White House is subtly attempting to remove God from our every day lives.”
Don’t forget: Satan had a very good knowledge of scripture and quoted it when he was tempting Jesus in the wilderness. Just sayin’…
No!!!11!1!!1!1! The Bilderbergers are coming
As a Jesuit alum
devCharles Saturday, April 18th at 3:59PM EST (link)I have to say this is pretty ridiculous. I’m not a religious guy, but I did go to a Jesuit high school. I’ve since gone back to the school to give a speech to the kids about what they should do to prepare themselves for entering the world outside of high school. I talked in front of a huge cross. Do I believe in it? Not really important. It’s part of the school, and if I’m at the school, it’s out of respect that I honor their traditions. Centuries old traditions. Yes, Obama is the president, so a question of “Who are you to change this?” is not really relevant, but it seems like another one of those thing Obama is choosing to do that seems to have no positive aspect, but can be potentially offensive. Similar to how Obama gave the English the bust of Winston Churchill given after 9/11 back to them.
Honestly guys, Obama’s only ability to remove God from your life, is an ability you grant him. I ignore pretty much all of what Obama tells me to do already. I assume you guys probably do as well. It’s really not that hard.
“If you analyze it I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism.” – Ronald Regan