Freedom Of Religion, Not From It
On the table at the back of my church, a wicker basket held buttons signifying the insanity of the season. I put one of the "You may wish me a Merry Christmas" pins on my coat so I could shop at stores that don't seem to understand exactly who's buying gifts at this time of year.
The tyranny of a small but vocal minority has completely warped this time of year into a season of litigation and constitutional confusion. Our own Department of Education, which bans Christian religious symbols in schools, needs to educate itself on exactly what the Constitution says about God and country.
A City Council member, Tony Avella, has introduced a resolution granting parity to Christians so that crèches will be permitted alongside menorahs and the star and crescent in city schools. At present, the education department will not allow it, though there is no constitutional bar to this nativity display. At a press conference at City Hall this week, Mr. Avella and other community activists demanded equal justice, but the mere fact that this is an issue demonstrates how little is understood about the First Amendment, which does allow the "free exercise of religion."
History was never my favorite subject in school, but it should be the most important. This was made clearer to me two weeks ago when I had the pleasure of screening "Rediscovering God in America," a documentary hosted by a former speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, and his wife, Calista, at the AMC Empire Theater on 42nd Street. Lest anyone think that the film is conspiratorial right-wing propaganda, let me assure you that this was an eye-opening tour of our capital and a review of how often God has been mentioned by the Founding Fathers and past and present leaders.
The film is completely nonpartisan, and I found the quotes by presidents Franklin Roosevelt, Truman, and Kennedy especially interesting. Different words were used at different times to express this creed, but whether it was providence, God, G–d, or the Creator, the framers certainly were not nihilists.
The film quotes from Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Adams, Madison, and others, and every student should be studying them in our public schools because they all mention the importance of God to this nation. For example: "Our Constitution was made for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other," Adams said.
Yet once again, a self-described atheist, Michael Newdow, has filed suit to remove the words "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance. A like-minded California judge has agreed that these words are unconstitutional, which shows how little he knows about American history.
Our most beleaguered president, Abraham Lincoln, who relied on divine providence to guide the nation through the Civil War, is quoted in the film. He wrote: "We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom."
Did you know that Roosevelt, who is considered by many to be the father of modern liberalism, was a very religious man? I certainly didn't, but this documentary showed a side of our president that would surprise many of today's Democrats.
In early June 1944, FDR called the nation to prayer with "Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity. Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into thy kingdom."
It is the height of absurdity when secularists use the court system to remove God from the public arena. The Supreme Court building has the 10 commandments themselves depicted in one of the friezes of Moses. Solomon, Confucius, and Muhammad are also depicted throughout the friezes and sculptures of the court. The justices need to step outside and look up to remind them where the rule of law came from.
When I asked Mr. Gingrich if the film could be shown in public schools, he answered emphatically, "Of course, it's history." Now all we need are courageous educators willing to defy the secularists who somehow have convinced the public that the Constitution declared freedom from religion. Once students view this documentary, available at www.rediscoveringgodinamericamovie.com, they'll realize that any effort to remove public displays of religion is simply un-American.
Merry Christmas.
acolon@nysun.com
