The problem with the text of the first ammendment is the depth to which it extends. In truth, when one decides to refuse to allow a religious body to control a government -- any religious body -- by the words so chosen by the founding fathers.. "congress shall make no law abridging freedom of speech or allowing? the establishment of a religion..." then one ultimately limits the creation of laws based upon any "religious" standpoint. If it is noted that one "religion" accepts a certain type of behavior, while another does not, the government must take of of two actions. One.. if it decides that to either allow or disallow said behavior is ruled as "unmoral" or "unlawful", then it must decide how dangerous the infraction is when committed. When committed, if the infraction is dangerous enough to society, then it becomes necessary to construct a law to punish those who commit such an infraction. Two.. if the government sees no relative immorality or illegality in either the commission or noncommission of such an act, then it must repudiate the claim to a lesser form of government.. such as the family, the home, the church, etc. Yet herein lies the quandry. Once "religion" is removed as the way to decide that which is "right" from that which is "wrong".. then we must depend on our own faculties... be it science, or observation of any kind, to determine the morality of an action. Yet due to the fact that man cannot see his own heart.. and cannot fully perceive reality.. he is thusly unable to judge what is right from wrong at all times on his own. It is only by the guidance of a Creator.. the one who knows all and sees all.. that we can arrive at a notion of what is truly "moral" and what is truly "immoral." So here we lay.. amidst troubles galore.. trying to determine the way to prevent suffering in our society and others.. in our whole planet if possible.. yet without the tools to do it. We have tied our own hands by saying, "No religion can tell us the truth.. we must find it out by our own eyes and ears instead." Truthfully, the founding fathers never wanted this. It was their decision to prevent a religious body from coming to power.. and through the exercision of its "follow or die" directivity, compelling those within its borders to adopt what might end up being a false religion. All the founding fathers most likely had differences of opinion.. all probably wanted their own version of the Gospel.. and all wanted to be able to worship God as they chose. They had been under the tyranny of the Church of England for a good time.. and wanted freedom. Yet in seeking their own freedom, they also buried their progeny. For when we as a nation found enough morality in our own souls to admit that even depending on the Bible for our guide *to* morality itself was, in effect, against our own legal code.. we found that the very thing we were trying to protect is now seemingly being taken from us. Those who want to worship God are fine to do so.. so long as they don't push it upon anyone else. This is the credo of today. We need to "tolerate" all points of view.. no matter how "different" they are from our own. We need to bless things as good that may not be.. if in fact there is a moral standard that does exist beyond our own perceptivity -- that is, beyond relativism. If in fact there is a true morality that extends beyond body and soul and mind, one that is not findable through test tube and microscope, but one that permeates the fabric of the universe just as densely as DNA itself.. how are we to know it exists if we tolerate every viewpoint we come across? But this is where we are being led. Due to the pressure from our own Constitutional directives.. set down to guard our faiths.. we are finding that the greatest of all directives.. the "Great Commission" itself.. is being labeled as wrong.. or nearly so. The reasoning for a lot of this is simple. Truthfully, mankind is rebellious and will remain so until Jesus returns. But due to the wrongful practices of those in the "church specific".. that is.. the hypocritical and often extremely immoral acts of those who claimed to be "God's Emissaries".. many people have abandoned the notion that God could even be there. And if He is, He must surely want us to suffer, as those who claim to follow Him seem to harm the world so very much. This is the major battle we must fight as Christians. Not the battle against satan directly.. which we can fight steadfastly in faith, but the battle against our own so-called "brethren". Those in the centuries gone by and those who live today.. preaching words from Scripture after Scripture, but denying God in their own hearts.. living for what makes them feel good.. living to disciple.. living to be god, themselves. Paul put it best.. without love.. we are but noisy gongs.. making sound that is of no real use.. that even hurts the ears. But that is where the church is today. We come to church for years.. sit in the same seats.. hang with the same friends.. eat at the same tables... but where do we really sit? We gossip.. we slander.. we envy.. we cast down our brothers for minor failings.. we attack and defame and destroy.. all for our own pride.. all for a taste of the sweet spices of arrogance.. is it really worth it? We are in a country where.. because of a "safeguard" put up by our progenitors.. the very fabric of that which makes morality strong is being taken from the lawbooks, schoolbooks, and even hymnals. We lift praises to God all day long.. but do we love the destitute? Do we reach out to the beggar? Do we give shelter to the homeless? Jesus said it best when He said.. (my version) "What rewards have you.. if you love only those who love you? Do not even the tax collectors to the same? But I say to you, be as your Father who is in Heaven.... Look forth.. Does He not love those who hate Him and give food to those who despise Him? Do not thieves and drunkards receive His love in depth grandiose each day? Does He seek reward? Or does He love those who have nothing to give? So do ye." In the depths of our past, lay our future. Once we, as a nation, began to realize that we could not use the truths contained in the Bible as our foundation upon to build laws, we began to find the danger of trying to live in a society where God, Himself, is not ruler. Israel cried out for a ruler.. God was their King beforehand.. but they looked to other nations, and wanted a king they could see.. a figurehead they could look upon and more easily measure and deal with. And God answered.. and gave them Saul. We know what happened after that. Not to say Kings can't rule.. David was even called "God's Begotten".. but that does not mean that a man can replace God as ruler. When the writers of the Constitution penned the words "establishment of religion".. they signed our country's death warrant. How did it take so long to happen? It's rather simple.. we had a lot of people who revered the Bible who happened to end up in congress and in the seats of the Supreme Court. The people knew of its validity.. and used its morality to make the laws strong. Yet what of slavery? Did not many people in the times of the country's early years have slaves? Nothing in the Bible that Jesus spoke seems to speak directly against slavery. The same seems for the rest of the New Testament writers. But there is a simple warning for master and slave.. focussing on the fact that the Lord is Lord of them both.. and that each will have to answer to Jesus for what they do. Few people.. especially those of darker skin.. would dare endorse slavery today.. at least in our country. But what about the founding fathers? Were they as moral as we might have thought? Or did they simply taper their morality in certain directions.. and make it seem as though they were "holy". This seems to be the practice of every generation... leave a mark upon society that is greater than you were... help them to see the good side of you and forget the bad. Not to say that forgiveness doesn't exist.. but this country seems to be lacking the one thing that's most important *for* forgiveness -- repentance. If a person lives all his life with the knowledge of God.. and Jesus.. and dies without coming to Him.. then he shall die in his sin.. and shall suffer for not choosing to listen. But the man who lives his whole life without Christ.. and then finally turns hours before His death.. well.. we know what can happen.. and so does a man who shared Jesus' death more closely than any of us ever will. But what of the man who knows about Jesus.. and waits to come to God un*til* his death.. knowing that God will forgive Him? The fact is.. this type of man will *NOT* be forgiven unless he is truly repentant... that is.. he must have a truly penitent heart.. and only God can measure what is truly a heart that deserves forgiveness.. and what is heart that is too black and too proud to forgive. Our country is "sooooooooooooo good" so many people think. But what about the native americans.. or minorities that are still having trouble with under-the-table segregation and racism..? It still goes on.. and nobody will ever truly put an end to it. The reason why it exist is simple.. Us-ism. We refuse to include someone in our "group".. in our "church".. in our "school".. in our "government".. in our "country".. in our "clique".. because of the way they talk.. or how they dress.. or the color of their skin. Some might say to include these would be far enough. But God doesn't. Jesus said to include the homeless.. the wretched.. and most of all.. those who hate you. You got it. God wants us loving those who are the most trouble for us.. the ones who hurt us the most.. because not only does God love them.. but they need it most. Think back to when you were hurting.. really hurting.. when the world cast you aside and you had to pick yourself up by your bootstraps. When nobody was around to help you. Wouldn't it have been nice if someone had been there for you? Wouldn't it have been great if someone had come alongside and said, "Hey.. I care.. I'll help you up.." Wouldn't that have been somethin? But what if you were too bad for the world to love? hah! There is not nor ever there be a person on this planet that God does not deeply care for. The only thing is, some just refuse to listen.. and God has patience.. but He does not tolerate it. And yet.. how are these people who are dying inside to know that He loves them? If they don't truly know Him already.. how will they know if we don't show them? Think about it.. how do you know if God loves you? Really think about it. Go deeply into it.. ponder it like nothing else. What makes you know that God loves you? For me.. it's been a supernatural experience. But I didn't let God off easily. No sir. I kept at Him.. and He kept at me. I couldn't believe that God loved me.. and you know why? Because so many of you passed me by when I was hurting most. Or worse.. you attacked me and threw me even further down into the pit of depression. You who were supposed to be my friends.. my brothers.. my own kin.. destroyed me inside.. with your "words of comfort" and "promises of God..".. you didn't know Him.. you were just quoting what came to mind. You didn't come alongside and really weep with me.. You stopped by for a moment.. saw how deep my pain was.. and said, "well, I'll give him a gram of an aspirin tablet.. and if that doesn't work.. it's too costly for me." That's my life for you. I was shunned quite often. Often for being right.. often for being different. I was attacked for holding views that were heresy in your eyes.. but we'll see come judgement day just whose views are true and just whose views should have changed. But think about others out there.. they need your help.. if you care.. if you really care.. why not think about letting one of them into your life? I'm not saying that you are Mother Teresa.. but let's take a look at her a moment. Didn't she start out with a nickle and a pound of faith? Any one of you could shake the planet for God if you wanted to.. absolutely positively any one. Of course.. then you'd have to give you your security blanket.. your pews.. your rhetoric.. your cliques.. your solid ground that seems so solid. If you really wanna help, you can.. but you gotta wanna change. Your heart has to become the soft and meek instrument that Jesus wants it to be.. that Jesus' own heart was.. and is.. and ever shall be. Now maybe you haven't met Jesus.. or you know very little of who He really is. Maybe you need to know the real Jesus because you've spent so much time in your faith-blankies that you haven't really stepped out to find out who He really is. Maybe it's your family.. or your job.. or your friends.. But Jesus laid it on the line.. "He who loves father or mother or sister or brother greater than me is not worthy of me". Do you *really* want to follow Christ? Or do you just wanna do it cuz it's the "in" thing to do? Do you want to show love to the countless millions around you who need it? Or do you wanna just bathe in the feelings you get every sunday and wednesday.. and call it a week? Jesus wants more than believers. He wants doers. He wants people who will reach out and show people that they are worthwhile human beings. He wants everyone out there to know that they are more than just a face in the crowd.. that they are more than just one candle amidst billions. He wants them to know that if they were the only one who was a sinner.. Jesus would have died for them... that He would've laid down His heavenly throne.. become a human.. and suffered agony beyond what you or I have felt or will ever feel.. (unless we end up in hell).. that He would've done it all.. if they were the *only* *ONE* that needed His help. But how are they gonna believe this if we treat them so badly? How are these hurting, lost, confused, aching, searching souls gonna find home if we don't show them the way? And how are they gonna believe in a God who loves them if we, who are supposed to know Him.. don't love them first? So what of our country? The destination is certain. In an age where we measure morality by yardsticks and plumb bobs, we seem to only want that which we can measure to be "good". Truthfully, we only want that which feels good, and not that which *is* good. But why? It's purty simple.. We have groomed a generation of whiners.. people who whine at God for not getting what they want, rather than being thankful for what they have. People who whine and fuss and pout and use every legal means necessary.. and sometimes illegal.. to get what the world has to offer. But if we.. those who supposedly "know God".. show them the real love they need to see... maybe they'll stop whining.. and be able to rest for the first time in their lives. To know that someone.. somewhere.. really does love them. The fact is, because of the first ammendment, we will never have a Biblically led government again. We may elect some Christians into office.. true.. but when it comes right down to it.. you have to get a majority to vote in the right direction for a law to pass.. and that just isn't going to happen very often. But what we need more than Christian law is Christian love. Amid this trouble that ensues.. where our own Constitution forbids the use of the Bible by saying that any "religion" cannot be used to decipher what is right from what is wrong.. we can stand up and show the people of this nation what real love is.. and show them that real morality and real truth leads to real peace.. and true happiness. Our country is doomed. Our world is doomed. Revelation speaks of it. We have a lot of pain coming.. and we have a lot of storms left to weather. And only those who *stand*.. and do not fall.. will be God's for eternity. This does not mean those who never sin again.. far from it. But it does mean that.. if you want to be God's.. if you really want to be what He wants.. then you have to live your faith.. and not just soak in it.