Organization: Virginia Department of Health
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.christia
Date:         Sat, 2 Jan 1993 18:46:47 EST
From:         "Michael A. Kline" <MKLINE@VDH.BITNET>
Subject:      Christian Nation 2-3

                          Our Founding Fathers:
            Did they intend America to be a Christian Nation?
                          John Ankerberg Show.

    Part 2-03 ---------------------------------------------------------->

    John: Now think of the politicians that over the years you've heard
say, "Well people can be moral without being religious." Even our Supreme
Court has said that we must outlaw Christian morality and all religion
from the public schools and from government. They believe that religion
should be completely separated from the state.  But George Washington
thought that such thinking was dead wrong.

    David: Now in another warning, he specifically took aim at the French
Revolution. For the French Revolution was conducted under the French
Enlightenment philosophy that said "You can be perfectly moral without
religion. You don't need religion to be moral." And yet, under the French
Enlightenment definition of morality they had one of the biggest blood
baths that's ever occurred in the history of the world.

    He looked at the revolution, so completely different from the
American Revolution, and all the innocent life that was lost, and all the
blood that was shed, and he said "Don't ever let that view of morality
come to America." He said "Don't ever think that we can be moral apart
from religious principle." He warned, he said "Let us with caution
indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without
religion." He said "What ever may be conceded to the influence of refined
educational minds. What ever you think schools can do, what ever you
think they can teach, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that
national morality can prevail an exclusion of religious principle."

    Washington very clearly says, "You cannot be moral without religious
principle." But somehow we've rejected his view, the father of our
country, and in 1962 the Supreme Court said, "No, we don't need religion
in school, we'll be much better off without it." so out goes prayer.
1963, out goes the Bible. 1980, even the 10 commandments go out, because
the courts said "That is religious principle. We shouldn't have that in
school."

    And yet, what has it done to morality? Well since 1962, since we've
stopped teaching morality based on religious principles, TEENAGE
PREGNANCIES HAVE INCREASED 553% for girls 10 through 14 years old. The
United States IS NOW NUMBER 1 in the entire Western World in teenage
pregnancy. PREMARITAL SEXUAL ACTIVITY for 15 year old girls HAS GONE UP
1000% in the last 3 decades.

    Washington was right. Reason and experience, both forbid us to expect
that we can have national morality in exclusion of religious principle.
We have proved what he said right, and isn't it ironic that today,
Washington's view is really an unconstitutional view, that the court will
not even embrace the view that the Father of our Country gave us of
religious principles and public affairs.

    John: Well next you say, "Well, maybe George Washington and Benjamin
Franklin were super spiritual and they were the only ones who wanted to
make God and Christian principles a part of the government. But there
can't be too many other Founding Fathers who believed like them..."

    MAKS> Good point to break this. Though this is shorter, it has a lot
to say in such a few lines.

Maks.
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