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The seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas can bring with them amplified opportunities for introspection about the challenges and blessings of life.
We live in a very noisy world that may, if we are not careful, prevent us from enjoying the “peace on earth” promised by the teachings of the babe born in Bethlehem.
As an additional introduction to the topic of this column, consider this statement by Will and Ariel Durant. “There is no significant example in history of any society successfully maintaining moral life without the aid of religion.”
Furthermore, John Adams correctly observed that “Our Constitution was made for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
Accepting those statements to be true, then should we not be concerned that people of faith and their churches are under attack from extreme secular groups? Additionally, secular thought is now imbedded in our government.
As indicated in the Latin dictionary, our word “religion” comes from the Latin word religare, meaning “to tie.” Or, as Jeffery R. Holland in his essay, “Religion: Bound By Loving Ties,” indicates the meaning more literally accepted is “re-tie.”
So, from an abundance of evidence surrounding us each day, we see that we are a broken and fallen people in need of being “re-tied” to that being that is the hated object of the secular movement.
Christians during this season call him “The Prince of Peace.”
But, without intentional efforts within our families to seek the peace only He can bring, we will miss the real blessings of the Christmas season.
America was founded as a Christian nation and our founders chose, in their imperfect conditions, to proclaim and propose a government that could sustain itself only by a moral people. Further, they were guided by the Christian teachings of Jesus the Christ.
Secularism is cynical towards, dismissal of, and totally disenchanted toward religion. Thus, it attacks the very foundational principles espoused by the vast majority of religions and Christian denominations.
Both Messiah in Hebrew and Christ in English mean “the anointed one.”
Yes, the one anointed to give everlasting life to all men and to offer eternal life to the pure in heart by atoning, in Gethsemane and on Calvary’s hill, for their sins.
If we lose our freedom of religion, our ability to remain a moral people will be destroyed. We cannot then enjoy the security guaranteed by our Constitution.
We were founded so firmly as a Christian nation that our Constitution and our Christianity requires us to allow ALL people to worship who, where, and how they are guided by their conscious.
Traditional marriage and biological gender along with opposition toward the freedom of Christians to pray are under assault daily by well-funded legal groups hiding behind a perverted idea of “separation” of church and state.
It is a false notion that the founders equated acting on religious beliefs by those in government as establishing a religion. The founders just simply said “the government cannot “establish” a religion.
Our governments have bought into the false “separation idea” hook line and sinker.
The secular folks can be very noisy but we must never stop seeking for and teaching our children the only sure source of peace on earth.
And it does not have to be complicated; when I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad, and that is my religion said Abraham Lincoln.
We, the people should remember that the government we elect can help to preserve or destroy our freedom of religion; let’s be careful casting our votes!
Jimmy Dixon (R-NC04) represents Duplin and Wayne counties in the N.C. House of Representatives.
