by Larry Peterson
Florida has this peculiar demon called the 'sandspur'. It is a barbed, pointy thing that is attached to a certain type of grass that sticks to your socks, shoes, shoelaces, and, if you happen to be barefoot, your feet. When they do become impaled in your feet they hurt--a LOT. When you try to pull them from your feet or pick them from your socks and/or shoelaces, they get stuck in your fingertips. (The trick is to always wet your fingers first.) Here's the thing. I never intentionally invaded their territory. It was an accident. They were here before I was. Therefore, I do my best to avoid them. I have made no attempt to eradicate them because that would be impossible. They are here to stay--end of story.
It seems that several months ago the Freedom From Religion Foundation filed suit in U.S. District Court in NY to have the name of God removed from United States currency where it is imprinted with "In God We Trust". These people are atheists who call themselves "nontheists" because the word 'atheist' is too offensive to most folks. Anyway, they say that using the motto "In God We Trust" is "problematic" because it violates the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. I maintain that they do not know what they are talking about and neither do all the judges, school administrators, parents, and whoever else complains about using the name of GOD because it violates the Constitution. That is absolute hogwash and I can explain why very simply. God has nothing to do with Freedom of Religion. Nothing at all. It just seems that all of us "Theists" (we are the people who believe in God and number in the countless millions), have become the sandspurs in the heads of the 'nontheists' and they cannot stand the pain and, try as they may, cannot seem to weed us no less eradicate us. For crying out loud, why do they even want to get rid of what we believe if they do not believe it to begin with?
This is the First amendment, word for word: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." I ask you, what is religion? Is it not the manner in which we choose to worship God? God is NOT religion. The Founding Fathers accepted the existence of God as a 'matter of fact'. They just wanted to make sure all the citizens of the new nation would have the CHOICE of worshiping Him anyway they chose. Remember, many folks came here from Europe to escape religious persecution, ie; the Pilgrims, the Puritans, Quakers, French Huguenots and Mennonites (Anabaptists) to name a few. If someone claimed to be a "nontheist" back in the 17th or 18th century and tried to get the name of God eradicated they would have either been burned at the stake or hanged.
Here is a quote from George Washington, the Father of our Country, from a speech he gave to the Constitutional Convention delegates prior to ratifying the constitution: "If, to please the people, we offer what we ourselves disapprove, how can we afterwards, defend our work? Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair. The event is in the hand of GOD."
There you have it. Before the Founders even started their work the First President told them that ,"the event is in the hand of God." They knew there was a God. They accepted that as fact. They also knew that people had many different ways of honoring and worshiping Him. That is the right they wanted to protect. They NEVER considered for a moment that the name of GOD would violate the First Amendment. To me the entire concept is an oxymoron. Without God you can have no Freedom of Religion. Why would you need it?
So, to all you 'nontheists' (aka atheists) out there who cannot seem to get we Theistic, God believing sandspurs out of your heads, too bad. You invaded our world. Why don't you relax and enjoy the rights afforded you. Why do you even care if we choose to believe in God? What is it to you? You don't believe he even exists and yet you fight to get rid of Him. You have a problem.
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