Christmas is an opportune time to take note of the forces trying to make us a secular nation. The Christian doctrine established by the Protestant arrivals from England formed the basis of our Constitution. Emphasizing individual rights granted by God, not government, this system provided freedoms that hadn't existed before. Freedom heretofore unparalleled in the world produced high living standards.

However the seeds of destruction lay in our nation's success and open tolerance for those bent on destroying religion along with the foundations of our nation.

Attention to the founder's wise proclamations, along with adherence to the Constitution were generally ignored, more so as time went by. Television and movies together with the scramble for possessions left little time to contemplate the state of the nation or care what the government was doing.

The first tear in the seams of societies ethical stability started with representatives voted in by uneducated voters. Christian standards as exemplified by our founders faded along with the rise of political power.

Originally, the legislators stay in Washington was temporary because they planned to return to jobs waiting at home. Government met for only six months of the year so everyone had another job. This meant the legislators spent lots of time among their constituents living under the laws they helped to create.

Somehow the public was convinced that politics should be a full time job. Winning a position in Washington became an end in itself. This changed the complexion of the whole government scene. A full time government meant more power, ascendancy to chairmanships, and seniority. Many lawyers became congressmen and they wrote laws for the people to observe but exempted themselves. As their power increased so did the number of laws affecting every segment of society. Lobbying groups formed to fight for or against laws being passed in congress. Of course this turned into campaign donations to "promote a better understanding" between the congressman and the group who was lobbying.

This was all so lucrative that remaining in congress or some equivalent government position enabled someone to never set foot in private enterprise. Perks, retirement funds and congressional pay kept increasing.

Loyalty to the Republic along with the Constitution waned as more deals, foreign and domestic became paramount. After all, the legislator's main goal was to stay in office.

Those in government pontificated about religion while destroying the ethical ground upon which it rested. The immense degree of dishonesty in the top echelons of government filtered down to other levels. Christian doctrine became subservient to relativism. If the leaders of the land lie and cheat it is just a matter of degree to which others can do the same.

Congress gives a nod to religion by opening its sessions with a prayer. At the same time, they pass laws promoting "diversity" which somehow translated into no Christian activities allowed. This includes the former Christmas and Easter vacations being renamed winter and spring break.

Defining what "religion" to curtail isn't as simple as it may seem. There isn't even an agreement as to what constitutes a religion anymore. Schools across the nation celebrate Earth Day and recite a pledge of allegiance to Mother Earth. The UN is heavy into celebrating the "earth as Gaia" along with former Russian Prime Minister Gorbechev and his Green Cross organization. This is an environmental religion that isn't banned, schools plan programs around it!

Environmental religion has taken hold at higher educational facilities also. The Au Sable Institute serves 47 Christian colleges in North America, India and Africa with courses on Christian environmentalism.

Many American religious institutions Protestant, Catholic and Jewish are pushing environment along -side their scriptures. The Episcopalians express the Faith and Earth stewardship with an expanded agenda. Rev. Sally Bingham said Noah saving the animals form the flood was the first" endangered species act." Bingham started a group, Episcopal Power and Light. This group works with churches to help them switch to renewable energy. Renewable means using the green power for wind, solar or geothermal energy. The Episcopal Church wound up paying $11,000 more for renewable energy but Rev. Bingham said per person it amounts to about ten cents a day (Episcopalians focus on renewable energy, Kohler, Judith, Orange County Register, 7/29/00)

Christian institutions find themselves on the same footing as the cults. Diversity doesn't allow for the elevation of one form of religion over another. Christians founded Chapman College located in Orange California. All Faiths Chapel has been built there representing every "religion" including Wiccans who assisted in the initiation services at the new Chapel. The military now has Wiccan chaplains. In Wisconsin taxpayers want Rev.Jami Witch removed from her job of counseling prisoners in a state prison. Jami is also a Girl Scout leader and school volunteer. I'm sure this comes in handy at Halloween because this is a big celebration in public schools (Religion, Simon, Stephanie, Los Angeles Times, 1/7/02)

Mergers are taking place everywhere in business, armies and religions. Interfaith groups are springing up all over. A conference sponsored by the Orange County Interfaith Coalition for the Environment wants to bring together many faiths striving to live in harmony (Orange County Register, 10/21/00) Many gatherings now include Catholics, Protestants Jews and Muslims. Again the purpose is to generate a wonderful peace (FAITH: Sharing to build unity, Orange County Register, 12/8/02) They are really not building "for peace" but weakening their own religions the better to fit into the one world religion.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is launching a series of attacks on religious faiths all across the US. Also the ACLU is telling cities they can't display the Ten Commandments. "Prayer police" were placed in classrooms by order of a federal judge in Alabama. There is a national drive to eradicate any public acknowledgment of God. (LEGAL ALERT, American Center for Law and Justice, Sekulow, Jay)

Fortunately there are groups and churches that are fighting to restore the soul of America. I hope you belong to one of them.

Nancy Thomson
December 9, 2002