NBC is under fire for omitting the words "under God" from the pledge of allegiance during the U.S. Open. The network has apologized to anyone who may have been offended. You can judge for yourself if the omission was a mere oversight and if the apology is sincere. But I can understand why many Christians are skeptical of the claims it was simply an oversight. Many people in the media and liberal circles don't like using the "G" word in public discourse. Either way, this is a good time to be reminded that our founding fathers did believe that our nation was under the watchful care of God. July 4th is just around the corner. Our nation’s Independence Day celebration serves to remind us of our declaration of independence from Great Britain. It should also remind us of our declaration of dependence upon God. On July 4, 1776, the delegates to the Second Continental Congress gathered to hear and approve the reading of this historic document. The declaration began by acknowledging the laws of nature and Nature’s God. It then boldly stated, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness …” The Declaration of Independence concludes with these words, “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”
These men skillfully, bravely, and sacrificially declared more than our nation’s independence from Britain. They declared our nation’s dependence upon God. Each of these men knew that he was putting his life on the line by signing this document. He knew that he could be arrested, tried, and hung for treason. Yet, each knew that God was with them and that if they would cast themselves on Him, God would bless this nation. John Adams declared his intentions to the delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that day with these words:
“Before God, I believe the hour has come. My judgment approves this measure, and my whole heart is in it. All that I have, and all that I am, and all that I hope in this life, I am now ready here to stake upon it. And I leave off as I began, that live or die, survive or perish, I am for the Declaration. It is my living sentiment, and by the blessing of God it shall be my dying sentiment. Independence now, and Independence for ever!”
On March 19, 1981, in a Proclamation of a National Day of Prayer, President Ronald Reagan spoke of our national dependence upon God:
Our Nation’s motto—“In God We Trust”—was not chosen lightly. It reflects a basic recognition that there is a divine authority in the universe to which this nation owes homage.
Throughout our history, Americans have put their faith in God, and no one can doubt that we have been blessed for it. The earliest settlers of this land came in search of religious freedom. Landing on a desolate shoreline, they established a spiritual foundation that has served us ever since.
It was the hard work of our people, the freedom they enjoyed and their faith in God that built this country and made it the envy of the world. In all of our great cities and towns evidence of the faith of our people is found: Houses of worship of every denomination are among the oldest structures.
While never willing to bow to a tyrant, our forefathers were always willing to get to their knees before God. When catastrophe threatened, they turned to God for deliverance. When the harvest was bountiful, the first thought was thanksgiving to God.
Prayer is today as powerful a force in our nation as it has ever been. We as a nation should never forget this source of strength. And while recognizing that the freedom to choose a Godly path is the essence of liberty, as a nation we cannot but hope that more of our citizens would, through prayer, come into a closer relationship with their Maker…
Let us as a nation join together before God, fully aware of the trials that lie ahead and the need, yes, the necessity, for divine guidance. With unshakable faith in God and the liberty which is heritage, we as a free nation will surely survive and prosper.
---President Reagan
When we forget God we will give our rights away by electing people to office who want to play God in our lives. “In Government We Trust” is not the motto or philosophy that made America great! General Omar Bradley is said to have commented, “America is running on the momentum of a godly ancestry, and when that momentum runs down, God help America.”
It was for this reason, the danger of national forgetfulness, that the phrase, “one nation under God,” was added to our Pledge of Allegiance. The Pledge was adopted by the 79th Congress on December 28, 1945. The words “under God,” taken from Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, were added to the Pledge of Allegiance on June 14, 1954, by a Joint Resolution of Congress. President Dwight Eisenhower signed the pledge into law and stated:
“In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America’s heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country’s most powerful resource in peace and war.”
