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America's greatness has always been because she is a Christian nation.

America's greatness is because it is a SECULAR nation that does not interfere in the private practice of religions and has drawn a LINE between religion and state. America's greatness is because it is primarily an INDIVIDUALIST nation rather than a socialistic nation (though sadly that is less true every day due to assaults on individualism by lefist socialists and cultural conservatives.)

"The rights [to religious freedom] are of the natural rights of mankind, and... if any act shall be... passed to repeal [an act granting those rights] or to narrow its operation, such act will be an infringement of natural right." --Thomas Jefferson: Statute for Religious Freedom, 1779. (*) ME 2:303, Papers 2:546

Like for instance praying in the public square, you know, schools.

America's greatness is because ...

Thus neatly skirting the fundamental question of whether America's proper destiny is greatness or goodness.

"He thought that our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions, any more than our opinions in physics or geometry"

I agree jlogajan - that "America's greatness is because it is a SECULAR nation that does not interfere in the private practice of religions and has drawn a LINE between religion and state".

However I will add that the strength of most of the individuals who have formed the strength of this country, like John Adams, Samuel Adams, Washington, Madison, and many others, have clearly laid their guidance and foundation directly on the God of the Bible.

As Patrick Henry put it so well: "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ! For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here."

In 1954 the US Supreme Court created the "Wall of Seperation" by selectively quoting Jefferson and ignoring the4 intent of the letter.
The undeniable truth is that we were a free country for the 178 years before this ruling and that we have become less free since then. It seems to me that it is religion that has allowed for liberty.

"America's greatness is because it is a SECULAR nation that does not interfere in the private practice of religions and has drawn a LINE between religion and state. America's greatness is because it is primarily an INDIVIDUALIST nation"

That would appear to be a succinct synopsis of humanism.
Viz., the individual is primary. Viz., the individual is his own best source of morals, values and ethics. Problem is, history clearly shows us this does not work. Every society that has embraced humanism has failed.

Take ancient Rome, as an example. The senate could not keep order. Armed gangs terrorized the city of Rome and the normal processes of government were disrupted as rivals fought for power. Thus, the Romans made Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.) dictator for life, in the hope that the government of a single person would give them time to breathe after so many civil wars and calamities.

After Caesar's death, Octavian (63 B.C. - A.D. 14) later called Caesar Augustus, grandnephew of Caesar, came to power. Because Augustus established peace externally and internally and because he kept the outward forms of constitutionality, Romans of every class were ready to allow him total power in order to restore and assure the functioning of the political system, business, and the affairs of daily life.

After 12 B.C., Augustus became the head of the state religion, taking the title "Pontifex Maximus" and urging everyone to worship the "spirit of Rome and the genius of the emperor."

Later, it became mandatory for all the people of the Empire to worship the emperor as a god. This, in the hope that centralizing faith upon a single object (human), the people would be united.

Interesting sidebar: Christians were not persecuted because they worshipped Jesus Christ. They were persecuted because they would not worship the emporer.

Rome fell, because no human is sufficient to provide a moral or ethical base upon which a society can persevere.

This is a classic example of the inherent weakness of humanism. The French Revolutionaries discovered the very same thing.

No human can sustain a civilization, community, or even a family. Without moral absolutes larger than man, man has no compelling reason to obey.

Just because mommy and daddy say a thing is not enough to sustain junior when he is on his own. He needs a higher, more compelling purpose: faith in God.

Reliance upon human wisdom as the sole source of direction completely ignores history and is doomed to fail.

That is why America is collapsing.

Secular nation?

Thanks to atheism/evolution---SATAN nation!

Then came the SPLIT SCHIZOPHRENIA/PSYCHO-EVO/NWO Soviet-LIBERAL-Socialist America---

the post-modern age of switch-flip-spin-DEFORMITY-cancer...

Atheist secular materialists through ATHEISM/evolution CHANGED-REMOVED the foundations...demolished the wall(separation of state/religion)--trampled the TRUTH-GOD...built a satanic temple/SWAMP-MALARIA/RELIGION(cult of darwin-marx-satan) over them---made these absolutes subordinate--relative...

REDACTING them

and calling/CHANGING---

all the... residuals---technology/science === TO evolution via schlock/sMUCK IDEOLOGY/lies/bias...

to substantiate/justify/validate their efforts--claims...social engineering--PC--atheism...

anti-God/Truth RELIGION(USSC monopoly)---

and declared a crusade/WAR--JIHAD--INTOLERANCE/TYRANNY(breaking the establishment clause)...

against God--man--society/SCIENCE(religious oath-TEST for office)!!

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Good News For The Day

‘But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.’ (Matthew 6:33)

"Once there was a change in our family situation. Our pet dog passed away and we salved our grief by acquiring a new one-a blue cattle pup. He was intelligent and very mischievous. We had a lot of fun with him. while he was small, he would amuse us by trying to catch his own tail and bite it. He would spy the tip of his tail out of the corner of his eye, and, readying himself, lunge at it, as if hunting prey. But of course, the more he pounced, the more his tail moved out of his reach. The only way a dog can really have its tail is to allow it to be an attachment to its main body."

"The... tail comes along just fine---when it is not its owner's preoccupation."

"Jesus advises us that though there are many good and important things, only one can be most important-the kingdom of God and his righteousness. First things must come first. All of life, with its experiences, decisions and relationships, needs to be evaluated in light of the highest ideal."

"When God is given pride of place, the machinery of existence operates at its best."

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Creation/God...Christianity---secular-govt.-humanism/SCIENCE---CIVILIZATION!

Originally the word liberal meant social conservatives(no govt religion--none) who advocated growth and progress---mostly technological(knowledge being absolute/unchanging)based on law--reality... UNDER GOD---the nature of GOD/man/govt. does not change. These were the Classical liberals...founding fathers-PRINCIPLES---stable/SANE scientific reality/society---industrial progress(no evolution...none---ever...moral/social character-values(private/personal) GROWTH--scientific expertise(not evo--whack moonie marx-darwin-zombie swill)!