On the table at the back of my church, a wicker basket held
buttons signifying the insanity of the season. I put one of the
"You may wish me a Merry Christmas" pins on my coat so
I could shop at stores that don't seem to understand exactly
who's buying gifts at this time of year.
The tyranny of a small but vocal minority has completely warped
this time of year into a season of litigation and constitutional
confusion. Our own Department of Education, which bans Christian
religious symbols in schools, needs to educate itself on exactly
what the Constitution says about God and country.
A City Council member, Tony Avella, has introduced a resolution
granting parity to Christians so that creches will be permitted
alongside menorahs and the star and crescent in city schools. At
present, the education department will not allow it, though there
is no constitutional bar to this nativity display. At a press
conference at City Hall this week, Mr. Avella and other community
activists demanded equal justice, but the mere fact that this is
an issue demonstrates how little is understood about the First
Amendment, which does allow the "free exercise of
religion."
History was never my favorite subject in school, but it should be
the most important. This was made clearer to me two weeks ago
when I had the pleasure of screening "Rediscovering God in
America," a documentary hosted by a former speaker of the
House, Newt Gingrich, and his wife, Calista, at the AMC Empire
Theater on 42nd Street. Lest anyone think that the film is
conspiratorial right-wing propaganda, let me assure you that this
was an eye-opening tour of our capital and a review of how often
God has been mentioned by the Founding Fathers and past and
present leaders.
The film is completely nonpartisan, and I found the quotes by
presidents Franklin Roosevelt, Truman, and Kennedy especially
interesting. Different words were used at different times to
express this creed, but whether it was providence, God, G-d, or
the Creator, the framers certainly were not nihilists.
The film quotes from Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Adams,
Madison, and others, and every student should be studying them in
our public schools because they all mention the importance of God
to this nation. For example: "Our Constitution was made for
a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the
government of any other," Adams said.
Yet once again, a self-described atheist, Michael Newdow, has
filed suit to remove the words "under God" from the
Pledge of Allegiance. A like-minded California judge has agreed
that these words are unconstitutional, which shows how little he
knows about American history.
Our most beleaguered president, Abraham Lincoln, who relied on
divine providence to guide the nation through the Civil War, is
quoted in the film. He wrote: "We here highly resolve that
these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation, under
God, shall have a new birth of freedom."
Did you know that Roosevelt, who is considered by many to be the
father of modern liberalism, was a very religious man? I
certainly didn't, but this documentary showed a side of our
president that would surprise many of today's Democrats.
In early June 1944, FDR called the nation to prayer with
"Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have
set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our republic,
our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering
humanity. Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and
receive them, Thy heroic servants, into thy kingdom."
It is the height of absurdity when secularists use the court
system to remove God from the public arena. The Supreme Court
building has the 10 commandments themselves depicted in one of
the friezes of Moses. Solomon, Confucius, and Muhammad are also
depicted throughout the friezes and sculptures of the court. The
justices need to step outside and look up to remind them where
the rule of law came from.
When I asked Mr. Gingrich if the film could be shown in public
schools, he answered emphatically, "Of course, it's
history." Now all we need are courageous educators willing
to defy the secularists who somehow have convinced the public
that the Constitution declared freedom from religion. Once
students view this documentary, available at
www.rediscoveringgodinamericamovie.com, they'll realize that any
effort to remove public displays of religion is simply
un-American.