"In God We Trust"

Badges to express a political idea, support a candidate, support a religious belief, or just to be humorous have been around for a long time. There are cases where the absence of a “badge” indicated that you did not support that cause; though I think that point of view cannot be warranted. I’m not a “badge” person. I don’t like any bumper sticker on my car and you will not find them there even though I fully support an issue. Recently an employee was fired from a prominent chair store because he was wearing a lapel badge that expressed his point of view. It simply stated “In God We Trust.” The reason given for his was that “it might offend someone.” I think that is rather ridiculous since the money being earned by the chain store has that expression stamped on it.

"In God we Trust" has been the foundation of the U.S.'s development of freedom. Remove that foundation and all signage expressions are suspect of being against the sensibility of any person who wants to complain. It is particularly ominous when I see the removal of all "Christian" references from buildings, school functions, and private public life. This phenomenon has gradually become more and more overt and open. I fear that like the "frog in the kettle" we are slowly being boiled. It will only be after we have lost most if not all our "freedoms" that we will one day wake up to a world radically different than the one you and I knew as we were growing up. When someone wears a button (tee shirt, jacket, bumper sicker, or sign) stating his or her particular view should be encouraged whether we believe what they say or not. Frankly, some of the signage I see sickens, angers, and embarrasses me; but I respect their right. The problem believers are facing is that we are being excluded and exempt from that rule of freedom. It applies to everyone but the Christian. Until we do something to change our self-imposed direction and complacent compliance our own destiny is also fixed.

However, I also do not believe that we should open the door for the U.S. to make the government "Christian" or "Jewish" or "you fill in the blank." I believe that to be taking a path that would lead us deeper into the woods. To combine religion with a political system produces a crucible for corruption of ideas, control of free thought, and a persecution of those who disagree with the governmental/religious mandates established by the state. In other words, I am against any cohesion of church and state. I want to keep them separate. I believe this would open up a system of government ripe for dictatorship. Muslims would love such a blending for it falls right into their system of belief. But any radical belief could be capable of squashing freedom of belief, even Christianity.

In our search for freedom, prosperity, and happiness, we humans have established an alliance of relative values, which form the basis of laws, social interaction, politics, and religious expression. That is, instead of the voice of God thru absolute revelation (Bible) we are establishing rules and laws that are popular and what the majority of people want. I think this has opened the "Pandora's box" that rewards all who support the common ideals, but punishes anyone who challenges them. Because we are listening to the "voice of the people", we shun the absolute demands of Truth and the radical nature of faith in favor of popular desires and values. As a nation we have accepted abortion, the gay agenda, immoral lifestyles, political correctness, and a host of other popular agendas simply because that is the will of the people, or at least the popular view. Opposition to such ideas because one accepts biblical standards usually gets one into a heap of trouble from those who have problems with Christian beliefs. It always has.

I take comfort in knowing that when an immoral world starts opposing what I am doing or saying then I know I must be own a path which is moral and right. But even conflict with the world does not establish the rightness or wrongness of my position. It is when, after consulting God and His absolute revelation that I can feel secure and can have confidence that my path has a solid foundation. “In God We Trust.”

Glen