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Showing posts with the label United States Constitution

What “Separation of Church and State” Is Really About

 By John Stonestreet and Glenn Sunshine - Posted at Breakpoint : In response to the recent Dobbs decision and the Supreme Court’s clear, consistent support for religious liberty throughout this term, many progressives are warning of an imminent “Christian theocracy.” Among the loudest voices predicting our collective doom are mainstream media outlets. For example, a recent story in Reuters claimed, “ U.S. Supreme Court Takes Aim at Separation of Church and State .” What’s missing in virtually all of these pieces is a proper understanding of the “establishment clause.” The establishment clause is derived from the opening lines of the First Amendment which states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof …” There are two ways this statement is commonly misunderstood. First, it is often described as establishing a “wall of separation between church and state.” In fact, those words are found nowhere in the Constitutio

Roe, Dobbs & King Jesus

By Jeffrey A. Stivason - Posted at Gentle Reformation: Several years ago I read Russell Kirk’s The Roots of American Order. Kirk argued, “The the law is revealed to save man from self destruction.” [1] However, by “save” he meant “restrain.” For example, a paragraph later he wrote, “A conviction of man’s sinfulness, and of the need for laws to restrain every man’s will and appetite,influenced the legislators of the colonies and the Republic.” [2] Even Thomas Jefferson, the progressive at that time, was not willing to trust in man’s so-called innate goodness, but “bind him down with the chains of the Constitution.” [3] When I read statements like these they remind me that our country was founded to be a republic and not a democracy. Just think of the Pledge of Allegiance, which states that allegiance is pledged to the United States of America and “to the Republic for which it stands.” Though it is true that America is a republic it is also true to say that it is a democratic republic.

PARTISAN POLITICS AND THE LAWS WHICH SHAPED THE FIRST CONGRESS

 By Samuel T. Lair - Posted at Journal of the American Revolution: Every ten years the United States engages in the process of re-apportionment, wherein each state with more than one House seat redraws their Congressional districts. Simultaneously, every re-districting cycle partisans, activists, and pundits alike all bewail the harmful effects of gerrymandering on the process. Far from a modern phenomenon, partisan politics has always had a significant influence on the re-districting process. Indeed, the Framers of our Constitution designed our system of republican government with the understanding that “party spirit” would be a constant feature in its operation—particularly in redistricting. Nor would it take long for these effects to become a mainstay in the redistricting process. Even before the First Congress assembled in Philadelphia, the partisan quarrels between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists colored the debates over the first election laws and which form of Congressional

Sinful Human Nature, Government and the US Constitution

Image Source:  https://constitutioncenter.org/  By Slimjim - Posted at The Domain for Truth : Editor's Note : This was originally published June 30, 2021, but as it is Constitution Day in the United States , it is also a timely message for us today. - AW ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Purpose: Today we will see how a biblical view of human nature has implication of how government’s form looks like and also consideration of the US Constitution. The Bible teaches people can be sinful, so there is a danger with pure democracy The Bible teaches kings can be sinful, so there is a danger with pure monarchy The Bible teaches a powerful minority can be sinful, so there is a danger of an aristocracy The Rationale of the US Constitution for Divided Government and Checks and Balances Some words before we begin I am not trying to say America is right in everything Nor do I think America is wrong with everything In talking about the Constitution I don’t think it is on par with the B

What Is the Purpose of Government?

By Jake MacAulay - Posted at The American View : There is a God. Our rights come from Him. The purpose of civil government is to protect and secure God given rights. This is the American View of Law and Government. It is also the Christian View. It is set forth very concisely and precisely in our Declaration of Independence. Under this Christian, American view, civil government is charged with two principle functions. First, civil government is responsible for protecting the integrity of our borders. Secondly, civil government is duty bound to administer the justice system. However, in making and enforcing laws, civil government is required to follow God’s law as the ultimate standard to determine the validity of all earthly laws. This ultimate standard which limits what civil government can do is referred to in the Declaration of Independence as “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God”. Read more here.

Tyrant Sheriff Forces Prayer on his County

Description: Published on Jul 11, 2017 By Jake MacAulay - The American View My recent travels across America brought me to Ashe County, North Carolina. This sleepy little county tucked in the Appalachian Mountains along the Blue Ridge Parkway was the site of an Institute on the Constitution United States Constitution course graduation. I have developed a tradition of visiting the Patriots of Ashe County, led by Mary Desautles and Carol Phillips, every year for these graduations. This year we had the sheriff of Ashe County take part in the ceremony and you can imagine how pleased I was to hear of a godly sheriff who realized it was his duty to protect the good citizens who had voted to give him his job as a public servant. As I discussed the concepts of interposition and our sheriff’s course with Sheriff Terry Buchanan, I grew more and more encouraged that the work of Institute on the Constitution members was paying off and taking root in this county. Numerous graduates of pa

Is This Presidency the End of America? The Executive Branch Up Close

By Jake MacAulay - Posted at Institute on the Constitution: This has been an unforgettable and historical election where the first woman campaign manager in American history was able to bring a candidate to the oval office. Not to mention, this candidate is the first non-politician, non-military veteran to be elected to the high office. Regardless, certain demographics were literally in mourning for days after the election, including desperate crying fits and depression! For this reason, I have decided to outline why we can “exchange our mourning for gladness,” because our founders placed so much emphasis on limiting the Executive Branch of government in America. Understanding the nature and the limits of the authorities and powers granted to the Executive Branch of the federal government by the Constitution is very liberating unless you countenance tyranny. Our founders provided a way in which the different branches can impede each other, thereby slowing down the actions o

How Should a Christian Vote on 8 November 2016?

By Bob Williams - Posted at the Christian Observer: Bob Williams is the Managing Editor of the Christian Observer, and a minister and teaching elder in the Reformed Presbyterian Church – Hanover Presbytery In less than one month as this article is being written, if God wills (D.V.), the 2016 U.S. presidential election will be held. The two major parties have nominated in the case of the Democrats, a serial criminal, committer of treason, and enabler of her sexual predator husband and former U.S. president. The Republicans have nominated a boorish, arrogant, New York City thug businessman who is continually having to react to and defend pornographic, vulgar, bullying, and misogynistic utterances caught on videotape during his campaign and over at least the past decade. Facebook, Twitter, the blogosphere, and the Internet in general have various and vociferously-argued theories about how a Christian should vote on 8 November. It seems though, that the Word of God, appropriately-e

Our Christian Heritage: The 800th Anniversary of the Magna Carta

By Angela Wittman "A Chronicle of England - Page 226 - John Signs the Great Charter" by James William Edmund Doyle Source: Wikipedia Today marks the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta and as Christians, we would be remiss to not take a few minutes and reflect upon the significance of the document and what it has meant to America, the Founding Fathers and our foundation of liberty. So, please join me as I explore more of it's history. The Magna Carta was signed June 15, 1215 in England by King John and his barons. King John had a failed reign as it was one marked by tyranny. The website History.com tells us : Following a revolt by the English nobility against his rule, King John puts his royal seal on the Magna Carta, or “Great Charter.” The document, essentially a peace treaty between John and his barons, guaranteed that the king would respect feudal rights and privileges, uphold the freedom of the church, and maintain the nation’s laws... And the significance of this d