Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Church and State

A nation without God's guidance is a nation without order. Happy are those who keep God's law! Proverbs 29:18 (Today's English Version)
Separation of church and state...

Such powerful words that were born out of a specific need and over time have warped into something entirely contradictory to their original intent.

It is probably one of the most widespread misconceptions that the concept of "separation of church and state" is a written law and in fact part of our constitution. In reality, this couldn't be further from the truth.

The belief that this concept is constitutional stems from the First Amendment to the United States Constitution which states:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
This amendment clearly states that the United States government is not to infringe upon an individual's right to worship as they choose, nor their rights to peacefully assemble, speak, print news and petition the government.

Our Constitution was created to protect religion and the free practice of it, among other issues, not to do away with it.

The phrase "separation of church and state", and all the weight that it carries, was actually introduced through the writings of various political leaders from our history including a letter from President Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association as well as in a speech by James Madison, given in 1789.

Over time, what was once spoken of with the intent of protecting and preserving the faith of this nation's citizens has been given new life in the form of effectively eliminating the presence, and ultimately the protection and provision, of the very God, and his ways, who allowed this nation to be formed and blessed in the first place.

And therein lies the root, the very crux of the predicament we now find ourselves in as a nation. We are becoming a nation without God. And without God, we cannot hope to ever be blessed as we once were. We cannot shun the biblical truths which this nation was founded upon and still hope to earn God's favor. We cannot have one without the other. It just doesn't work that way.

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So what do we do about it?

This dilemma we face is becoming increasingly obvious to those who are paying attention. I have mentioned before two authors who are speaking to this exact issue very boldly at the moment, and just this past weekend, I was introduced to yet a third source, a new documentary that is out and proclaiming the same message as well.

I strongly encourage you to explore these resources:

The Harbinger by Rabbi Jonathan Cahn: The book is a quick and entertaining read, written in a fictional story-like form, but containing massive amounts of mind-boggling FACT about both recent and ancient history as it pertains to the work God is doing right now in this country. If you're not up for reading the book, or just want to get a taste of what it has to offer, you can watch a video clip of the Rabbi talking about the nine harbingers here. Trust me when I say, your jaw will be on the floor by the time you get done with it. You do not want to miss this one!

Implosion by Joel Rosenberg: This Non-Fiction book by Joel Rosenberg is coming out in a couple months and speaks to these same issues: Where does our nation stand right now, and what will inevitably happen if we do not immediately turn back to God? I cannot wait to read this one, and I strongly recommend that you take a look as well.

Monumental: I just saw this new documentary by Kirk Cameron this past weekend, and it was well worth the trip! It reveals to us the TRUE history of our nation, a national treasure that I was completely unaware even existed, and the key to maintaining the kind of rich blessing and favor no other nation in the world has ever known like we have. Here's a trailer:


These are just a few resources that I have found particularly insightful, challenging, and edifying! Take the time to check them out!

Coming up in the following weeks: I plan to spend some time talking about what we specifically can do as individuals and families who desire to see this nation blessed as it once was. Join me as we explore America's real history and work together to seek a better future.

5 comments:

  1. Tarrah, this is so right! As a homeschooler in the 90's-2007 I was always hearing "separation of church and state" in the wrong context! I really get discouraged when I hear politicians use it wrongly, also.

    Good job!

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    1. Thanks Jan! I know, this really frustrates me as well. I'll be getting more into this and other misconceptions in the next posts.

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  2. I wish everyone understood the "separation of church and state" as you explained so well. Thank you for the resources. I follow Joel Rosenberg. I didn't know about the book by Rabbi Cahn-sounds good. We missed Monumental twice. Hope to view it soon! Good job, Tarrah!

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  3. Found you through Kathie's blog. Soo interesting. I'm gunna look for those books.

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    1. Awesome! Welcome. Hope you enjoy them as much as I have. This is such an important topic for our generation.

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