The U.S. Government Has Become Patently Anti-Christian

Note: This commentary, by Dr.Chuck Baldwin is posted to this Blog in its entirety, without editorial comment. For more information on this or to read other commentaries by Dr. Baldwin go to www.chuckbaldwinlive.com. My apologies for the unusual length of this posting. (djb)


From the writings of Columbus to the Mayflower Compact, to the Declarationof Independence, America's founders clearly and articulately enshrinedbedrock Christian principles in the foundation of this country.

For example, in explaining the purpose of his journey that led to thediscovery of the new world, Christopher Columbus said, "It was the Lord whoput into my mind--I could feel His hand upon me--the fact that it would bepossible to sail from here to the Indies . . . All who heard of my projectrejected it with laughter, ridiculing me . . . There is no question that theinspiration was from the Holy Spirit, because he comforted me with rays ofmarvelous illumination from the Holy Scriptures . . . For the execution ofthe journey to the Indies I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics,or maps. It is simply the fulfillment of what Isaiah had prophesied . . . Noone should fear to undertake any task in the name of our Savior, if it isjust and if the intention is purely for His Holy service . . . the fact thatthe Gospel must still be preached to so many lands in such a shorttime--this is what convinces me." (Source: Columbus' Book of Prophecies)

Our pilgrim fathers wrote in the Mayflower Compact, "In the name of God,Amen. We whose names are underwritten . . . Having undertaken, for the gloryof God and the advancement of the Christian faith . . . a voyage to plantthe first colony in the Northern parts of Virginia."

In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson invokes our Creator-Godno less than four times. In fact, Jefferson predicates the Declaration on"the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" and concludes the Declaration withan appeal to the "Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of ourintentions" and with "a firm reliance on the protection of divineProvidence."

Attorney and author, John Whitehead, in his book, The Separation Illusion,rightly noted, "In 1892, the United States Supreme Court made an exhaustivestudy of the supposed connection between Christianity and the government ofthe United States. After reviewing hundreds of volumes of historicaldocuments, the Court asserted, 'These references . . . add a volume ofunofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is areligious people . . . a Christian nation.' Likewise, in 1931, Supreme CourtJustice George Sutherland reviewed the 1892 decision in reference to anothercase and reiterated that Americans are a 'Christian people.' And in 1952, Justice William O. Douglas affirmed that 'we are a religious people and ourinstitutions presuppose a Supreme Being.'"

Accordingly, our U. S. Constitution is dated: (1) from the birth of Christ,and (2) from the birth of our independence (Article. VII.). Secondly, theConstitution requires the President and Congress to respect "the ChristianSabbath" (Sunday) as a day "excepted" from governmental business (Article.I. Section. 7.). Thirdly, the First Amendment prohibits the U.S. Congressfrom making any law "respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibitingthe free exercise thereof." In other words, the federal government has noright to interfere with the free expression of religion (by individuals orStates) in any shape, manner, or form. Fourthly, Article. VI. of theConstitution prohibits any religious test as a qualification for public office.

The intent of the Constitution's framers was, therefore, in the matter ofreligion (especially the Christian religion, whose adherents birthedAmerica), that the federal government would maintain a healthy respect forit, and keep its hands off. For the last several years, however, instead ofrespecting religion--especially the Christian religion--the leaders of ourfederal government have increasingly demonstrated animosity, and evenhostility, toward both the Christian faith and Christian people.

While claiming to be "tolerant" and "pluralistic," our federal government,in practice, shows little tolerance or pluralism regarding Christianity.Time and again, Christian practices and people are singled out forhumiliation, persecution, or retribution. This situation follows an eerilysimilar pattern to that of the old Holy Roman Empire.

The Roman Empire loved to tout its tolerance for any and all faith systems.One common adage at the time was that "there are as many gods in Rome aspeople." So tolerant was Rome for myriad religious beliefs that it evenconstructed an altar to the "UNKNOWN GOD," for fear that it may haveneglected to honor someone's obscure god.

Why was it, then, that the Roman Empire took delight in publiclypersecuting, torturing, and executing Christians? What happened totolerance? What happened to pluralism? In direct contravention of its ownlaws and policies, Rome singled out Christianity for public repudiation. Andthat is exactly what the U.S. government is currently doing. I'll say itoutright: the U.S. government has become patently anti-Christian.

In spite of Constitutional requirements to keep its hands off religiousliberty, the U.S. government routinely singles out Christian practices forpublic repudiation. For years now, federal judges have demanded that localschools (under the jurisdiction of local and state governments) prohibitprayers or Bible reading.

Does anyone find it a little interesting that all over America, whileChristian students are denied the right to pray or read the Bible in publicschools, Muslim students are not only allowed to pray in public schools, butare also often provided special prayer rooms within the schools so thatthose students may leave their classrooms and pray? In fact, in some schooldistricts, if the Muslim prayer time interferes with a student's tests, thestudent is many times free to make up the test in order that he or she maybe faithful to the prayer meeting. Of course, the reading of the Koran isalso included in the Muslim's prayer time. All of this is done with the fullknowledge and blessing of the U.S. government (and the ACLU, by the way),including the myriad federal courts--courts that are always "fast on thedraw" to squash any and all attempts by Christians to pray or read theirBibles in public schools.

And it is not just the Muslim religion that meets with the approval of theU.S. government. Federal courts find no fault in public school studentsobserving Kwanzaa, celebrating the pagan holiday of Halloween, or engagingin various eastern religious practices such as Hindu meditation. At leastone school district in Utah has allowed Tibetan monks to conduct TantricBuddhist devotionals in its public schools. At least two schools inCalifornia have even introduced New Age curricula honoring Lucifer to their students. Basically, any and all religious beliefs are condoned andtolerated by the U.S. government--every belief system except Christianity,that is.

In addition, how many local or State courts have been ordered by federaljudges to remove any and all copies of the Ten Commandments or otherscriptural references from their buildings? How many local governments havebeen ordered by federal judges to remove any and all Nativity or Mangerscenes from their properties? How many chaplains have been ordered to removeBibles from soldiers, sailors, or Marines? How many Bibles have beendestroyed by orders from military commanders? How many prisoners ordetainees have been denied Bibles (even when requested) by order of militarybrass? How many military officers have been overlooked for promotion (andthus drubbed out of military service) for not being willing to surrendertheir Christian convictions to "sensitivity" or "diversity" training (aeuphemism for homosexual brainwashing)? How many times has the U.S.government quietly looked the other way when Christian people have beenslaughtered en masse? (Can anyone say, "Sudan"?) How many Christianchaplains in the armed forces have been ordered to not pray in Jesus' name?How many pro-life Christians have been targeted by federal police agenciesfor special scrutiny? How many sheriffs' offices (run and managed byChristian law enforcement officers) have been denied federal funds for notsubmitting to a variety of repulsive policies mandated by the federal government?

Then there is this AP story: "Iraq has lost more than half the Christianswho once called it home, mostly since the war began, and few who fled haveplans to return." The report continued, saying, "The number of ArabChristians has plummeted across the Mideast in recent years as increasingnumbers seek to move to the West, saying they feel increasingly unwelcome inthe Middle East and want a better life abroad.

"But the exodus has been particularly stark in Iraq--where sectarianviolence since the U.S.-led 2003 invasion has often targeted Christians.

"The AP found that hundreds of thousands of Christians have fled." (Source:The Associated Press, Thursday, May 14, 2009)

To highlight the AP report, in 1987, there were 1.4 million Christians inIraq. Now there are fewer than 400,000. For all of Saddam Hussein's sins,persecution of Christians was not one of them. Under Hussein's regime,Christians, for the most part, led a persecution-free existence--somethingextremely rare in Muslim countries. In fact, Saddam Hussein even hadChristians serving in his administrative cabinet.

Enter the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

Since removing Saddam Hussein, the U.S. government has installed an Islamic puppet government, which has resulted in the persecution of hundreds ofthousands of Iraqi Christians.

I hope all the evangelical Christians who continue to support George W. Bushand his unconstitutional, preemptive invasion of Iraq are paying attention.I hope all my Christian friends who kept trumpeting the unconstitutionalpolicies of President Bush, "because he is a Christian," are payingattention. I really wish that James Dobson and his ilk would have been asoutraged at the unconstitutional (not to mention unchristian) policies ofthe former Republican President as they are the current DemocraticPresident, because, for all intents and purposes, the federal government isfunctioning in exactly the same way under one as it did under the other.

Whether domestically or internationally, the U.S. government is obviouslycommitted to an anti-Christian agenda. Where the federal government oncerespected Christianity and vowed to not interfere with the faith andpractices of Christian people, it has now become an archenemy of religiousliberty. With virtually every constitutional safeguard being violated by themodern federal government, about all that is left is for the constitutionalprohibition of government business being conducted on Sundays to beexpunged. Don't be surprised, therefore, when federal courts begin mandatingthat public schools require students to attend class on the Lord's Day.

If we are to restore the principles of religious liberty, it will benecessary for State governments--and for Christian people in particular--tostand united against an ever-growing, ever-menacing federal leviathan thatis intent on destroying the safeguards and foundations of a once-proudconstitutional republic, which was, after all, rooted and founded uponChristian principles.