How did things go so wrong?

By Preston Scott, We the People Rally Organizer

It is a question that has an answer.  While there is no shortage of actions that elected politicians have taken that have created or contributed to many of today’s woes; the real answer can be found inside the chambers of the Supreme Court of The United States.

Here’s a sampling of rulings that I have singled out to show two different trends.

1811 – People vs. Ruggles

The Supreme Court Stated:

“Whatever strikes at the root of Christianity tends to manifestly to the dissolution of civil government.”

In this particular case, the person responsible for the suit in a written statement had committed blasphemy against Jesus Christ. In the eyes of the Court, they interpreted the blasphemy as an attack on the United States and thus rewarded the person a $500.00 fine plus 3 months in prison.

1844 – Vidal vs. Girard

In this case, a school in Philadelphia wanted to try and teach morality without religious principals.

The Supreme Court Stated:

“Why not the Bible, and especially the New Testament be read and taught as a divine revelation in the schools? Where can the purest principals of morality be learned so clearly or so perfectly as from the New Testament?”

In 1853 a group filed a suit that actually wanted “Separation of Church and State”. The Case never made it to the Supreme Court.

On March 27, 1854 The House Judiciary Committee Stated:

“Had the people during the revolution had any suspicion of any attempt to war against Christianity, the revolution would have been strangled in its cradle.”

The Committee Continued…

“At the time of the adoption of the constitution and the amendments, the universal sentiment was that Christianity should be encouraged, but not any one sect.”

Also, it stated…

“In this age, there can be no substitute for Christianity. That was the religion of the founders of the Republic and they expected it to remain the religion of their descendants.”

Furthermore… “The great vital and conservative element of our system is the belief of our people in the pure doctrines and the divine truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

1878 – Reynolds vs. United States

In this case the Supreme Court used a Thomas Jefferson letter in its entirety to ensure Christian principals were kept in government.

1892 – Church of the Holy Trinity vs. United States

The Supreme Court stated:

“Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the redeemer of mankind. It is impossible for it to be otherwise; in this sense and to the extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian.”

Let’s get to the second set beginning in 1962 – Engle vs. Vitale

This was the case that removed school prayer. The following was the prayer that was in question:

“Almighty God we acknowledge our dependence upon thee and we beg thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our country.”

You may find it interesting that this prayer mentions God only once while the Declaration of Independence itself mentions God 4 times. What is even more interesting is the fact that the court gave no historical precedents on which to base its ruling! (0 – Zero precedents) This was a complete change of policy that had served our country for nearly 200 years.

1963 – Abington vs. Schempp

This was the case that removed Bible reading. The Supreme Court gave the following statement to base its finding:

“If portions of the New Testament were read without explanation, they could be and had been psychologically harmful to the child”

The court made this statement despite the fact that under its own admission only 3% of the population of the United States professed no belief in God.

All of the noise of discontent in our country today can be traced to the simple idea that “It is NOT well with the soul of America”.

Our country’s remarkable fall can be traced to events in the early 1960’s where we legally, nationally turned our back on God.

Is it any wonder that more and more people today suggest that the Constitution is no longer relevant?

James Madison, considered one of the chief architects of the Constitution said, “We have staked the whole future of the American Civilization not on the power of Government, far from it. We have staked the future of all our political institutions upon the capacity of each and every one of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God”

My friends, fellow Floridians and Americans…Whether you are Democrat or Republican, liberal-minded or conservative; whether you allow your political allegiances to reside in a third party or no party at all…Our country’s current condition can be summarized by this singular statement spoken by John Adams…“There is no Government armed with the power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our Constitution was made for a moral and religious people, it is wholly inadequate to govern any other.”

Preston Scott is host of The Morning Show with Preston Scott on WFLA-FM in Tallahassee, Florida.  www.wflafm.com

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