| It is fashionable these days to forget the truth and | | | | that a group of people who believed God should be |
| even downright ignore it when it cannot be | | | | stricken from American life would do. |
| forgotten. And what about when the truth cannot be | | | | In fact the first amendment is nothing more than a |
| ignored? Well, in that case we are far too accepting | | | | means of preventing a mandate by government as |
| of any attempt to distort it. | | | | to how the people would be allowed to worship |
| These days in America we have a subculture of | | | | Almighty God. |
| poorly educated Americans who erroneously believe | | | | In the years that followed the birth of America, our |
| that somehow, somewhere in the Constitution there | | | | founders publicly implored Americans to give thanks |
| exists a "separation of Church and State" which | | | | to God in no subtle terms and furthering this belief |
| precludes government from recognizing Almighty God | | | | that religion was important to the public lives of |
| and the faith of those that founded this nation. | | | | Americans. George Washington, John Adams and |
| Our first amendment provides only two simple and | | | | even James Madison all proclaimed days of |
| powerful restrictions on the government with regards | | | | thanksgiving often with the blessing of Congress |
| to how it handles the religious beliefs of the people. | | | | where they pleaded that Americans remember the |
| First, it prevents the Congress from making laws | | | | blessings of God and show humility before Him. |
| "respecting an establishment of religion". Second it | | | | They however never ordered the people to |
| prevents the Congress from making laws that | | | | participate not did they dictate the manner in which |
| prohibit the "the free exercise" of religion by all | | | | those that participated worshipped. That would have |
| citizens even if they are elected officials. That's it and | | | | been unconstitutional to its core by violating the right |
| nothing more. | | | | of all Americans to worship (or not worship) God as |
| James Madison, once remarked during the discussion | | | | they saw fit. |
| of the amendment that if the amendment were | | | | Since then, Thanksgiving has become a national |
| clarified by adding the word "national" before religion | | | | holiday no longer decreed by Presidents who implored |
| such confusion over what was meant would be easily | | | | the citizens to remember God. And while many |
| corrected. For you see, that is what the founding | | | | people who gather on Thanksgiving Day will certainly |
| fathers really and truly meant. | | | | give thanks to God, many more will not. Such is their |
| What they feared was what they and their | | | | right. |
| ancestors had escaped from; a national church | | | | To some Thanksgiving is simply about food and |
| headed by the government. In England you either | | | | family and not God. But no matter whether you |
| belonged to the Church of England or you life was | | | | chose to give thanks to God or not on Thanksgiving, |
| made miserable at the very best. | | | | remember that religion was important to both the |
| The founding fathers completely disagreed with | | | | public and private lives of those that came before us. |
| those today who would strip the vestiges of God | | | | So much so, that they made sure to write into our |
| from the public lives of the people. One need only | | | | federal Constitution that they firmly believed in the |
| look at the very Constitution itself where those that | | | | Almighty God who gave his only son for us. |
| affixed their names proudly proclaimed that their act | | | | That is powerful. And it needs to be remembered. |
| was "done in year of our Lord". Hardly something | | | | Laus Deo. |