Washington was appealing to a belief that God is the only reason this country came into existence (a point which he vividly illustrates in his Inaugural Address).
God is the reason that everything came into existance. God is also the reason for the legal principle of Total Separation of Church and State and God is the reason why the U. S. Constituton grants the U. S. Government no power over religion.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: FredFlash,
Not only that, but should this new nation buck God, they would lose the freedom so miraculously acquired. Thus was the warning that Washington repeated in several presidential statements (to my knowledge). I am ignorant of much of the history surrounding the coinage and pledge amendments, but I believe that giving due recognition to God (in order to prevent such a tragedy) was one of the motivations behind those actions, a sort of Nineveh Repentance (indeed, Lincoln gave a similarly grave warning at the conclusion of the civil war that American's had better get on their knees and beg for forgiveness for the evil that they had wrought).
If explicitly recognizing God in a nation's constitution was pleasing to the Almighty, the Confederates would have won the civil war. I respectfully suggest that God judges us on substance, not form.
Lincoln gave a similarly grave warning at the conclusion of the civil war that American's had better get on their knees and beg for forgiveness for the evil that they had wrought.
Can you show us where Lincoln did that, my learned friend? President Lincoln had no business whatsoever assuming any sort of authority over the people's religion. Any request for forgiveness that emanated from the suggestion of Mr. Lincoln rather than from the devotion of the heart was a rendering unto Caesar what rightfully belonged to God.
Teaching students that it is wrong to kill other students or to steal their lunch money or sass their teachers or sleep around is certainly to their benefit, whether or not such teachings are of Christian origin.
