"Prayer at Valley Forge" is one of Sir Laughsalot's favorite stories in his Children's Book Of Heroes.....and I love that he will know about this great man in our history and the great faith he had. Even though there is some debate about whether Washington was actually seen in this exact spot by the farmer, Issac Potts, it is known that Washington did pray often, usually in quiet solitude. There is something so moving and humbling to me about the story and painting... seeing this great man, kneeling before his Maker, submitting to His will and plan.
This article , interviewing author Peter A. Lillback, was in an insert that comes in our town's paper each week. He spent 15 years researching Washington and his writings and speaks of Washington's Christian faith and what kind of leader he would be in modern times. And he speaks of how some historians have tried to downplay Washington's faith.
I find it sad...this movement to de-spiritualize America..making everything "politically correct", so as not to offend anyone...even re-writing history in a lot of ways. This mindset eats away at our roots and culture. I feel the Founding Father's intentions have been warped and highly misconstrued...now making it "Freedom from Religion" instead of "Freedom of Religion." Every culture and country is permeated with its roots- spiritual, cultural, and political..and it shows up in symbolism everywhere. In most other countries, it is something to be respected and preserved, but not in America...there is a Huge underlying movement to remove anything that speaks of our spiritual past...which is Christianity.
Some historians with certain political agendas are trying to de-spiritualize our founding fathers, also. If you do the research yourself...both reading original documents and their correspondences, God was a big factor in their decisions... and their spirituality diffused their lives and their decisions and helped shape their view of government and its role and responsibility. And I think it's not historically accurate to leave that out or downplay it.
Here is an excerpt from another Great American president's proclamations..encouraging a day of fasting and prayer:
"It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, and to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon, and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in Holy Scripture, and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord. And, insomuch (sic) as we know that by His divine law nations, like individuals, are subjected to punishments and chastisement in this world, may we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be but a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people? We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which has preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us. It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the offended power, to confess our national sins and to pray for clemency and forgiveness." -Abraham Lincoln [March 30, 1863]
Can you imagine if one of our Presidents made a speech like that today? He'd be run out of office. I, for one, am proud of this great faith of our forefathers and believe it is one of the reasons these men were such great leaders and helped our country attain the freedoms we have now. Because of this faith, they believed in "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" and that "all men are created equal under God". No, our country isn't perfect, neither were the men who founded it. Every culture and country has sordid events in their history... a lot, much worse than America. And things like Slavery, that our country battled so fiercely over, is still going on in many parts of the world (that could be a whole other post, in itself). I think we have unparalleled freedoms and opportunities and I, for one, don't take that lightly or take it for granted.
So in closing... God Bless America!!! :)
Here are some other good links and reads regarding our Forefather's faith and out country's spiritual roots.....
1. American Destiny : http://www.americandestiny.com/index.htm
2. Stand to Reason: The Faith of our Father's :http://www.str.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5243
19 comments:
LOVE the Anne of Green gables movies! :)
Hi :) Thanks for stopping by :) Who is your sister? It's not Kimiko, is it?
Enjoyed your post. Sadly, I think we're nothing short of needing another civil war for things to ever go back to the way they were "in the beginning" in the U.S. Not to say that God couldn't bring about a great revival...hmmm...that would be awesome. :)
Some other sites I enjoy are www.townhall.com and www.patriotpost.com. :) There's also www.constitutionparty.com. :)
Have a great day!
Thanks for the thoughtful post. I too, am saddened as I see how far our country has come from it's God-fearing roots. And, I am encouraged all the more to pray for the Lord to raise up Godly men to reclaim the nation for him.
Amen! :o)
Did you eat all your bread already?
Here's a little something to ponder over. A country’s currency is probably the most fundamental service that it provides to its citizens. So when everyone starts down-playing the role of God in the lives of the founding fathers all they have to do is look at the greenbacks in your wallet/pocketbook. You don’t see, “In Gods We Trust” or “In Allah We Trust”, or even “In some great being beyond the scope of our conceptual existence….. We Trust”. Nope you see "In God We Trust". It’s plain and simple. The people who built this country felt compelled to place this reference to the one and only God on the most widespread of their official government documents, their treasury notes.
Also since it pertains to money could this be a reference to Christ’s "Give Caesar what is Caesar’s and God what is God's” comment that he made when POLITICALLY corrupted clerics sought to entrap him? I don’t know. What I do know is that you’re right, correspondences of the day were filled with references to God and prayer. So the up-tight “politically correctness police” can call these people simpletons and write them off. But they cannot ever call into question their faith.
Good job sweetie. Well written.
-Dan
eurorebs- thanks for the other links...i'll have to check them out!
kendra- great prayer to be praying!
bbm- not yet! but getting close to the crumbs.....
Thank you for the spiritual side to Washingtons birthday. I think 90% of the US public know nothing about this man or what our country was founded upon. Its so sad how everything is whitewashed and so "politically correct"
It reminds me of the scripture:
If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
my dear hubby- ahh...that good common sense and sarcasm- why i love you so much! :) thanks for the kudos!
Thanks for the links. The children's book looks great! Great post, too.
photowannabe- a great scripture!
jenny- always good to hear from you, my fellow mountainmama! :)
You know what...........I posted a comment earlier which you indicated didn't get to you. It wasn't negative or anything, it was just blah, blah, blah blah, blah as I am so prone to do. I've come back but...............all I want to say is, now that I've shut up I've noticed, I mean really noticed, the painting of Washington, alone (that's how we're told we should do it) with his God. For me, the picture says it all now that I ponder it.........it just says it all.
that's how i feel about the painting, dad. it is very evocative and really doesn't need a description. i thought it was a great picture to go along with what i wanted to write about. there are many scriptures about praying alone, but also about corporate prayer... "where two or three gather in My name, I am there also." and i have felt the power and seen the effects when people unite in corporate prayer. but there IS something about this solitary figure kneeling alone in the wintry woods....and knowing what his troops were facing at the time...that says so much.
This is wonderful. I am going to share it with my boys when we start school next week. What a great reminder of America....I miss home.
Mary Ellen's sister!! That's so cool!! I know Jeremy more than Mary Ellen - but what a fabulous couple!! I'm also good friends with John Houmes, who lived with them last year :) And I grew up with Matt Irvine. "It's a small world afterall..."
Again, great entry! Have you ever read "The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History"??
www.regnery.com/pig.html Check it out. I think you guys will appreciate it, if you don't know about them already :)
rebs- it IS indeed a small world! they just got back to London after being in the states for 2 months. i know matt, but never met John. thanks for the book suggestion...i'll have to check it out!
Case in point here: As you know, my hub and I have been involved in promoting the new film Amazing Grace. The story -- both the real-life one it depicts and the actual film -- have a solid Christian undergirding. So I was looking forward to seeing how the critics responded. I checked out Rotten Tomatoes yesterday to get a hodge-podge look at the reviews and was pleasantly surprised to find it is, on the whole, getting favorable reception. However, one person chose to show the absolute ugliness of his soul by stating the following: "What makes William Wilberforce a great man is also what makes him a bore: He's possessed of such intractable single-mindedness and confidence in the rightness of his ideals that we can't help but wish he would lay aside saving the world for a while."
Wow. Did this person realize how utterly despicable the converse is? That the black, uncaring ugliness of his own soul was on display for all to see? Because he's basically saying that Wilber's campaign against slavery is some kind of personal ideal that shouldn't be forced on other people. What?! Can you just be human for a minute? And what's so wrong about having "intractable singlemindedness"? It makes me think of Laura Barkat's own campaign for smallness of scale. Can't we do more -- and do it better -- if we each focus on some "one thing"?
Sorry to rant, but your post about religion in America seemed related.
christianne- frustrating, isn't it? very good things in our society are totally dismissed just b/c they are coming from a christian or a christian organization. i also think of bush's campaign to allow faith-based charities to receive public funds. the majority of the charities "in the trenches", so to speak..helping the poor, feeding the hungry, providing shelter to homeless people are faith-based...but can't get funding for that reason alone. and studies have shown over and over that these charities do a much better job than state-run programs b/c the people working there have a passion and calling for it. i know from experience, working at a private, christian children's home...there is absolutely NO comparison btwn it and state-run homes i've been to. even though Salem takes in society's kids, it has to rely on private funding solely b/c it is a christian based program. and, don't worry...i don't mind long comments- thanks for adding another dynamic to the conversation.
i somehow can't hear Bush give that kind of rhetoric can you?
Josiah Bartlett maybe.....
I would love to stand beneath that great statue in DC and be humbled, the times as Mr Dylan so aptly sang not so much are but have a-changed
harbour of ourselves- no, i can't see president bush give that type of rhetoric. i believe he's a sincere man of faith, but not nearly so eloquent! in fact, i think his speeches would be quite the opposite of eloquent! :) and, yes, bob dylan was quite right.
It's a beautiful speech. Reminds me of one that Jimmy Carter tried to give about our spiritual crisis and it was hated and said to be depressing. I think our founding fathers were spiritual men. Although I am leery of religion in politics only because it is usually bent towards the Christian type and I beleive that separation of church and state is what preserves relgious freedom and the freedom not to be.
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