Why should God bless America?

Courier News (Central New Jersey) ^ | October 23, 2001 | Letter to Editor

[Incorrigible]

It is so inspirational and uplifting to see all the flags and the "God Bless America" signs across our country these days. The sense of unity that has emerged from the September 11 attacks is heartening, as our country moves into this unexpected and unpredictable war against worldwide terrorism. There is one critical question we must all stop and ask ourselves, though: Why should God bless America? Is America blessing God, or has it been cursing Him since the 1960's?

[Dr. Eckleburg]

America must return to God or be plowed under.

How could anyone who's lived through the past six weeks disagree with your statement?

To live a righteous life is to glorify God. To live otherwise is a foolish alternative too many choose. And a nation of fools is a nation at peril.

[Sir Gawain]

ping

[Don Myers]

"How could anyone who's lived through the past six weeks disagree with your statement?"

I don't know. But many do.

[Prodigal Daughter]

xzins: But the Afghans aren't Christians. Are we so divorced from our roots (grafted in) that we don't read the Old Testament? The Bible says in the Psalms that God will not hear us if we have iniquity in our hearts. We need his blessings and those of us who do repent need to stand in the gap. Repenting is a part of the Christian walk whether we are American Christians or Somali Christians. Repentance and humility go hand in hand. Corrie ten boom in Tramp for the Lord publicly repented because the Lord told her to, can you imagine Corrie ten boom having something to repent for? She repented of her selfishness! And it was sincere, not phony! A woman who was constantly thinking of others when she was in the concentration camp!! If she can do it, why can't we? What is wrong with us? Read the prayer by Rev. Schlussel on the link above. He's not blaming the victims or America, but his prayer to God is a lot more humble than most. Let's start repenting to God that we helped create the Taliban who are oppressing their people, that we looked the other way as a nation when the Saudis tortured American citizens, a scholar and others were tortured, he was accused of having alcohol and they tore out his toenails and they gave him electric shock and the government at the time chose the Saudis over an American. I didn't do it, you didn't do it, but God saw it and we need to repent for our nation as we pray for our nation and thank God for all our heroes and for this great nation. It's not mutually exclusive, they both go together. But from somes' reactions you'd think we were telling people to surrender to the Taliban. Repentance is part of prayer.

[sakic]

For instance, do our national idols of materialism, sex and hedonism bless Him? What does God think about the trashy sitcoms and violent crime dramas Americans routinely watch on their TVs every night? Or how about the R- and X-rated movies featuring blatant sexual immorality and violence that we pay money to see?

What the author writes is eerily similar to what a member of the Taliban might write.

[EternalVigilance]

Laugh all you want, but it doesn't change the fact that there is a world of difference between believing that 'Allah' is the enemy of America because we don't pray twenty times a day towards Mecca, cover our women in heavy blankets, and desire to kill or enslave all Jews and Christians, and believing that maybe, just maybe, the Lord God Jehovah may be allowing our Christian nation to endure attack and hardship because we have forsaken Him in far too many ways corporately.

If you can't understand that simple distinction then you have a problem. And the problem's ultimate working out is that you will slander Christians, as your assertion surely does.

Later.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

"What the author writes is eerily similar to what the Taliban might write."

Oh, please, the difference is vast and deep.

I disagree with stupid Aly McBeal's unisex bathrooms and PC whining. The Taliban forbids television AND toilets. That's a BIG difference.

[xzins]

Dear Prodigal, I'm not sure of all you might have meant by what you said, but this part -- Repentance is part of prayer -- has my total support.

The only thing that I'd caution against is that an act of contrition begin being viewed as a work of righteousness.

There can be no denying the gospel of salvation: "The time is fulfilled. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel." This applies to individuals...not to nations. (Although a nation of repentant people would be a wonderful thing.)

[Prodigal Daughter]

It does apply to individuals and to the church and, I believe, to nations. But lets say hypothetically that it only applies to individuals and to the church. When have you last seen a call for fasting and repentance by the church or by some Christian pundit or by some churches for the nation? Not many. It's no longer a part of our vocabulary, but it used to be.

[sakic]

I disagree. Both the author and groups like the Taliban abhor the "immorality" of society and are looking to make us more "religious" as a means of us doing good for our respective Gods.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

The Taliban's immorality shows itself when they kill children and poison whole countries. Aly McBeal's immorality will give her herpes.

There IS a difference. God knows this. You should, too.

[Destructor]

All of those things are an unintended consequence of a truly free society. Besides, all of that is a reflection of a small, but very loud and visible percentage of our society. The vast majority of Americans are very kind, and decent people. The human spirit DEMANDS freedom, and America is the only country in the world where true freedom exists! That is why God has blessed the United States, and will continue to bless the United States!! Sorry to ruin your cynical little doom, and gloom trip!!!

[Prodigal Daughter]

From God's judgment upon sin in history and from the book by Peter Marshall and David Manuel, The Light and the Glory (Old Tappan, N.J.: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1977), pp. 24-25

Nowhere is the principle of God' judgement upon sin more evident than in the early history of America. In the history of the early American colonists, one finds a continual cycle of repentance and apostasy:

One finds long droughts broken by a settlement's deliberately fasting and humbling itself, turning back to the God whom they once trusted and had imperceptibly begun to take for granted. One also finds instances of one settlement being spared from Indian attack, while another is decimated, when the only apparent difference seemed to be in their heart attitude towards God and one another.2

[FreeYourMind]

I think you need to add the disgusting behavior of people who proclaim themselves as representatives of God in this country. A quote from a movie comes to mind:

If Jesus Christ came back today and saw what was being done in his name, he'd never stop throwing up.

[sakic]

I know the difference. The author of this nonsensical piece does not. She claims that God won't be on our side unless we clean up television etc.

[Prodigal Daughter]

That's what I was trying to say, apostasy and immorality (stealing, fornicating, aborting, celebrating homosexuality, rape, hypocrisy, etc.) in the church and pointing the finger at the sinner without looking in the mirror. We've always been sinners but the church used to teach repentance and restitution, not easy grace. There are many sincere Christians but there are many sincere unbelievers who have been sinned against and hurt deeply by unrepentant church members and rightfully look at us as hypocrites, thereby we've not advocated Christ to them. I'm number one guilty. I called myself a Christian, went to church, and I was deep into the "new age", and I have things I deal with myself about still like wasting time on stupid things and not praying for Jerusalem, not praying for others, etc.

[mombonn]

Bump to read later

[Deb]

How come he missed Holland and France?

By saying what you do, you ignore the fact America is the most Christian, humane and church-going nation in the world. The fact that the left-dominated movie, television and record industries have been hurting and declining for years instead of growing is because the huge of majority of Americans reject them and the direction they've gone.

When God speaks in the Bible it's to his church, his true believers. Those people in the US are the huge majority. They're the ones who fill stadiums for Promise Keepers and Billy Graham Crusades and they're the ones who fill churches every Sunday. They are usually non-political and don't vote so they don't register on party meters. But even registered voters are a believing majority which is why laws allowing abortion and gay rights have been inflicted on us by court rulings. The good, God fearing, religious people of America don't want them. If those folks would register and vote Republican...those things would be gone.

[Paulus Invictus]

Truth is amazing and often hurts, but the lady is right. Has God removed his protection from this nation? Three guesses!