flag. Will there come a time when all invocations at the opening sessions of Congress, and state legislatures, will be eliminated, as well as any prayer, asking for divine wisdom and guidance, at all public and semi-public gatherings, regardless o f size and signifi cance? Certainly this decision of our Supreme Court is a far cry from the intention o f our founding fathers when they gave us our Con stitution and decreed that always there should be separation of church and state. The early settlers had come from various European countries where religious ideologies had a stranglehold on the con sciences o f men. Neither private individuals nor government offi cials were free to worship God according to the dictates o f their hearts. They fled to this country in order to enjoy religious liberty and when the First Amendment to the Constitution was formulated, the one purpose in mind above all others was to protect the citizens from the tyranny over conscience which had existed in Europe so many centuries. But in doing so, there was no intention, either expressed or implied, to attempt to eliminate God from the thinking of the United States o f America. This has always been the inter pretation o f this Amendment by the federal government, state gov ernments, and legislative judicial bodies, including our Supreme Court. Always we have considered the Supreme Court the final word in interpretation o f our Constitution. W e have felt secure in its wisdom and dedication to the welfare of our land. For over one hundred and seventy-five years, the members of this august Court, regardless of their own personal convictions, have given us their interpretation of the First Amendment to coincide With what all o f our people believed to be the evident meaning of the framers o f the Constitution. N ow here is a generation o f justices who are arrogantly flaunting nearly two hundred years o f history and sacred custom by declaring that it is unconstitutional to mention God in public schools. Is then atheism to be declared constitutional and Christianity unconstitutional? T he Lord says, " . . . T hem that honour me I unll honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.” (I Sam. 2 : 30 ) However, I dare to suggest that not all of the blame for this shameful decision should be borne by the justices who rendered the majority report. Their action is but a symptom o f the dreadful spiritual decadence that characterizes these times. I f universally ministers o f the Gospel had been fearless in the proclamation of the Word o f God throughout this century; if there had thundered forth from our pulpits the^ phrase, " Thus saith the Lord” ; if the Bible had been regarded as the only infallible rule of faith and prac tice; if there had been a consistent call for this nation as a people to repent and turn to God; if the moral and spiritual disintegration in so many of our Frotestant churches as well as in governmental circles had not been allowed to attain such tragic proportions; if the righteousness of God, instead of a sentimental, watered-down concept, had been presented; if ministers as a whole had ceased (continued on page 37)
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SEPTEMBER, 1962
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