This July 4th, remember the impact Christianity had in the founding of our nation

Tuesday is Independence Day — the 241st anniversary of the signing of a document declaring our independence from Great Britain, listing the causes and abuses suffered, leading the founders to dissolve the political bands that connected us to form a new, separate and equal nation.

For many this is nothing more than a day of parades, picnics and fireworks. Little thought is given to the significance of this date in history, the great sacrifices made by those courageous men and women who pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor that we might be free to have those parades, picnics and fireworks and so many other freedoms and privileges we take for granted.

The men who gathered to sign the Declaration of Independence readily acknowledged the God of the Bible as the one who granted “certain inalienable rights,” appealing to the “Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions.” A study of these men clearly reveals the God of the Bible as the one they appealed to publicly and corporately and humbly submitted to in their personal lives. Revisionist historians are relentless in their attempt to erase God from the pages of our nation’s history, and the ignorance of the people has enabled them to do so.

Those who take time to read our founding documents such as the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence and other writings and documents from that era will clearly see the biblical influence in the minds and hearts of our founders. Benjamin Franklin, before the Continental Congress, when agreement seemed unattainable, made an impassioned appeal for daily prayer with biblical references: “We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings that ‘except the Lord build the House they labour in vain that build it.’ I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better, than the Builders of Babel ...”

The Supreme Court building has the Ten Commandments depicted in numerous places, including the facade at the east entrance. There, Moses is in the center, at the peak, with other various lawgivers on either side. He is seated holding two tablets. The tour guide will tell you they are the Bill of Rights. That is ridiculous, since Moses was dead nearly 4,000 years before the Bill of Rights was written. When pressed, he will admit that is what he is told to say. A Washington Post article, “Great figures of legal history gaze upon the Supreme Court bench,” states, “Moses, the great Hebrew prophet delivered his people from slavery and received the Ten Commandments. His figure on the frieze is meant to suggest existence of a higher authority, beyond human control. The Ten Commandments are a recurring theme at the Supreme Court building, appearing in the brass doors to the courtroom. Some of the ancient commandments have descendants in modern law, such as penalties against murder and theft.”

I do not believe America is a Christian nation. I do not believe other faiths should be prohibited in our nation. But it is wrong to ignore and seek to change and erase the impact that biblical Christianity had in the founding of our nation and the principles of the Bible that were the basis for many of our laws.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

This story was originally published June 29, 2017 at 8:47 AM with the headline "This July 4th, remember the impact Christianity had in the founding of our nation."