Joseph Herrin
I know the title of this writing will upset many, but the illusion of America being a Christian nation needs to be cast down in this hour that a righteous remnant might come forth in devotion to Christ who purchased them from OUT OF every tribe and tongue and nation. There are at present Christians in the earth, and there are nations, but there are NO CHRISTIAN NATIONS.
I challenge any who have embraced the deceit of America being a Christian nation to read this writing. I have let the founding fathers speak for themselves. I am sure you will be appalled at what you will hear coming from these men, for the public school system of my generation taught a very different history than that which is actually true, and the church has propagated the lie.
This writing was written a year ago and sent out to my mailing list, but I believe it is time to post it publicly for the hour is very late. PLEASE READ IT!
The Luciferian Foundation of America
(10/21/07)
It is widely believed by those who profess to be Christians in America that this nation was founded upon Christian principles, by Christian men. Numerous books have been written in support of such a conclusion.
I am sure that contributing to this conclusion are a number of conspicuous references to God that appear to be of great antiquity, and which one supposes are testimony of the founding father’s devotion to the God of the Bible. For instance, The Pledge of Allegiance which most adults learned while in elementary school contains the phrase “one nation, under God.” The Pledge of Allegiance was written by Francis Bellamy in 1892, more than a century after the Declaration of Independence was signed, and in its original version it did not include the words “under God.” These words were added to the Pledge of Allegiance as recently as 1954, and therefore were unknown to the founding fathers of America.
Another instance cited is the occurrence of the words “In God We Trust,” which is found on America’s paper money. Yet this too is a much later development, occurring after the Civil War. As one looks at the other symbols that adorn America’s money, including the pyramid and all seeing eye, both of which are symbols shared by Freemasonry, the Illuminati and other organizations that make no pretense of honoring Jesus Christ, one must also question what god is being referenced in this statement. There are myriads of gods worshiped in the world, and the symbol of the pyramid and the all seeing eye are related to a number of them, but have no established link in the writings of Holy Scripture to Yahweh or His Son Yahshua.
By far the greatest support for the notion that America was founded as a Christian nation is derived from quotations of the men who are now regarded as the founding fathers of America. It is true that there were Christian men present in the nation during its founding years, and some joined with the men who were leading the charge for separation from England and the establishment of a new nation. As in all ages, some who claimed to be Christians were not Christians at all. For a Christian is much more than one who confesses belief in Jesus Christ, Yahshua the Messiah. The man who would be a disciple of Christ is warned by Yahshua Himself that it will cost him everything to be a disciple, and that no man can serve two masters. The Christian must sever all allegiance to the world, even hating father and mother and son and daughter and spouse, yes and even his own life if he would be a disciple of Christ (Luke 14:26, Matthew 10:37-39).
Few of those who pretend to Christianity in any age can be described as disciples of Christ. The majority are like the multitudes who used to follow Christ as they observed His miracles, but who fell away when He revealed to them the true cost of following Him, or who became offended by some saying that He declared to them. The Scripture is true that “many are called, but few are chosen.” One should not conclude then that because there were men involved in the rebellion against the king and the founding of America who claimed to be Christian, that they acted under the guidance of God. John Adams, the first Vice President of the nation and the Second President knew as well as any man what it was that guided the men who penned the formative documents of the nation, and who worked for establishment of an independent government.
In his, "A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America" [1787-1788], John Adams, America’s first Vice President and second President wrote:
“The United States of America have exhibited, perhaps, the first example of governments erected on the simple principles of nature; and if men are now sufficiently enlightened to disabuse themselves of artifice, imposture, hypocrisy, and superstition, they will consider this event as an era in their history. Although the detail of the formation of the American governments is at present little known or regarded either in Europe or in America, it may hereafter become an object of curiosity. It will never be pretended that any persons employed in that service had interviews with the gods, or were in any degree under the influence of Heaven, more than those at work upon ships or houses, or laboring in merchandise or agriculture; it will forever be acknowledged that these governments were contrived merely by the use of reason and the senses.”
There was no man among the founding fathers who was more involved in the foundation of the nation of America than John Adams. Although Jefferson penned The Declaration of Independence, it was largely the influence of John Adams that saw its adoption. Jefferson referred to Adams as “The Colossus of that Congress—the great pillar of support to the Declaration of Independence, and its ablest advocate and champion on the floor of the House.” It was this Adams, who was immersed in the deepest plans for the creation of a new nation that testified that those men involved neither had interviews with the gods, nor were they “in any degree” under the influence of heaven. He testifies that the new nation was “erected upon the simple principles of nature.” This statement reveals Adams influence by the philosophical writings that came out of The Enlightenment.
Yet some Christians have been told that John Adams was a Christian and they have received the argument that all he did in working to found this new nation arose out of Christian beliefs. The truth, according to Adams’ own testimony, clearly denies such a conclusion. There are even those who have testified that Thomas Jefferson was a Christian. One quote should suffice in this regard.
Even THOMAS JEFFERSON, called a deist by many, called himself a Christian. He stated that his views were, "the result of a life of inquiry and reflection, and very different from the anti-Christian system imputed to me by those who know nothing of my opinions. To the corruptions of Christianity I am indeed opposed, but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus Himself. I am a Christian in the only true sense in which He wished anyone to be, sincerely attached to His doctrines in preference to all others..."
Notice several important things about Mr. Jefferson's statement. First, that it stands in contrast to what some today claim of him. Second, during those days in which this country was founded, Jefferson saw nothing negative attached to being considered a Christian, unlike some of today's politicians and teachers. Third, he not only saw no negative stigma to Christianity, but he himself wanted to be included with those who wore that label.
[Source: website - www.biblebelievers.com]
The above statements concerning Thomas Jefferson are evidence of the greatest naivete and deception. A man is not a Christian just by simple declaration. What is hidden behind this quotation of Thomas Jefferson is the fact that he redefined for himself what it meant to be a Christian. In Jefferson’s own writings to others on the topic of his beliefs he revealed that he rejected the divinity of Christ, he believed the virgin birth was a fable in league with Greek and Roman mythology, he rejected all the miracles of Christ, and he did not accept the resurrection of Christ from the dead. He called himself a Christian merely because he found the moral teachings of Christ to be the product of “an exceptional man.”
Some Christians are working so hard to defend the notion that America was founded as a Christian nation that they will grasp at every straw of evidence to support their argument. The apostle Paul has charged the saints with the following admonition:
Ephesians 5:6
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
When Thomas Jefferson says he is a Christian he is speaking empty words. Paul says “let no one deceive you.” Yet many want to be deceived. Many saints are emotionally attached to the idea that America must be a Christian nation. The truth is available to those who will perform due diligence in their study of this matter. The Christian must allow the facts to speak for themselves, without prejudice. The word prejudice means to pre-judge a matter. When we pre-judge a matter, then all the facts in the world that support a different conclusion are rejected out of hand.
Let us look at some evidence of the true foundations upon which America was formed. A reference to a Creator is found in The Declaration of Independence, penned by Thomas Jefferson in the year 1776.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights...”
Many have cited this sentence as being evidence that America was founded by Christian men, yet Thomas Jefferson’s own testimony of his beliefs reveals that he was not a Christian, but rather a deist. As the word “Creator” does not identify the name of the god believed to be the creator, one would be wrong to assume that either the writer, or the signers of this foundational piece of American literature, were referencing the God of the Bible who has revealed His name to be Yahweh, and that of His Son to be Yahshua.
Thomas Jefferson’s beliefs are easily discovered by those who wish to look into them. Jefferson believed that Jesus was a great teacher, and that his moral and ethical teachings were the best the world has ever seen. Yet Jefferson did not believe Jesus Christ, Yahshua the Messiah to be the Son of God, or to be divine. Jefferson did not believe in miracles or the supernatural. Jefferson compiled his own version of the four gospels where he removed everything that was miraculous and left only the teachings of Christ and a few historical sections relating to his birth, crucifixion and death. “The Jefferson Bible,” as it is called, can be found on the Internet by doing a search on its name.
The following statements of Jefferson reveal his opinion of the Bible and of the person of Jesus Christ, Yahshua the Messiah.
Among the sayings and discourses imputed to him [Jesus] by his biographers, I find many passages of fine imagination, correct morality, and of the most lovely benevolence; and others again of so much ignorance, so much absurdity, so much untruth, charlatanism, and imposture, as to pronounce it impossible that such contradictions should have proceeded from the same being.
[Source: Thomas Jefferson, letter to William Short, April 13, 1820]
In a letter to John Adams, another founding father of America, Jefferson wrote the following, further revealing his justification for creating his own version of the gospels of Christ.
The whole history of these books (the Gospels) is so defective and doubtful that it seems vain to attempt minute enquiry into it: and such tricks have been played with their text, and with the texts of other books relating to them, that we have a right, from that cause, to entertain much doubt what parts of them are genuine. In the New Testament there is internal evidence that parts of it have proceeded from an extraordinary man (Jesus Christ); and that other parts are of the fabric of very inferior minds. It is as easy to separate those parts, as to pick out diamonds from dunghills.
[Source: Thomas Jefferson, letter to John Adams, January 24, 1814, (parenthesis added)]
It is observable from this statement that Jefferson did not believe Jesus to be anything other than an “extraordinary man.” What Jefferson referred to as the work of inferior minds includes the virgin birth of Christ, as well as all of Christ’s miracles of healing, casting out demons, and His bodily resurrection. In another letter he penned the following comment:
And the day will come when the mystical generation (birth) of Jesus, by the supreme being as his father in the womb of a virgin will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerve in the brain of Jupiter. But may we hope that the dawn of reason and freedom of thought in these United States will do away with this artificial scaffolding, and restore to us the primitive and genuine doctrines of this most venerated reformer of human errors.
[Source: Thomas Jefferson, Letter to John Adams, April 11, 1823]
The Bible testifies the following:
I John 4:1-3
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.
What does the apostle John mean when he states that “Jesus Christ has come in the flesh?” We can look at John’s own writings to answer this question.
John 8:42
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.”
I John 4:15
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
I John 5:5
Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Since Jefferson denied that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, the Scriptures testify that God was not Thomas Jefferson’s Father. The apostle John says that those who testify lies concerning the Christ, denying His deity, denying that Jesus was God come in the flesh, are not from God, but are manifesting the spirit of antichrist.
Many Christians have been too easily fooled by mere appearances. They have not “examined all things carefully” as the apostle Paul admonished them to do. Nor have they been “as wise as serpents, but harmless as doves” as Christ commanded His followers to be in this world. Some look at the inscription on the Jefferson Memorial in Washington and are beguiled into thinking that Jefferson was a defender of the faith of Christianity. On his memorial is the following quotation:
“I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.”
There are very few Christians who have done their homework in order to understand the context of this Jefferson quotation. Thomas Jefferson penned these words while he was running for election to the Presidency of the United States. There were numerous ministers from the area of Philadelphia who were aware of Jefferson’s antichrist spirit. They understood that Jefferson was a deist who believed in a god of nature that could not be known on a personal level. Jefferson viewed all teaching of a personal God who is active in the affairs of men as so much rubbish. He discounted the divine inspiration of the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments, and a number of ministers from Philadelphia put out pamphlets warning the people about Jefferson’s beliefs.
In a letter written to Benjamin Rush in 1800 Thomas Jefferson commented on the opposition of these Christian ministers. He wrote:
"The returning good sense of our country threatens abortion to their hopes, & they (the clergy) believe that any portion of power confided to me, will be exerted in opposition to their schemes. And they believe rightly; for I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man. But this is all they have to fear from me: & enough too in their opinion, & this is the cause of their printing lying pamphlets against me..."
(Parentheses added)
What many Christians have mistakenly taken as a proof of Jefferson’s belief in the God of the Bible, is actually an extract from statements he wrote in defense of the church’s reproof of his lack of belief in the deity of Christ.
Since Jefferson played so large a part in the foundation of America, and the writing of her most influential documents, one must ask what truly shaped his thoughts. Jefferson studied the philosophers of what has come to be known as “The Enlightenment.” These philosophers believed that reason was the highest principle upon which to base all science and politics. These same philosophers discounted revelation, such as that identified as Holy Scripture, and they denied the miraculous, clinging only to those things that the rational mind could conceive. Jefferson’s thoughts are revealed in the following quotation:
“Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because if there be one he must approve of the homage of reason more than that of blindfolded fear.”
[Source: Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Peter Carr, August 10, 1787]
In evaluating this statement by Jefferson one must remember that he had read the Scriptures and was familiar with their testimony. Yet Jefferson rejected the God of the Bible, and clung to a notion of some unknowable deity that created the Universe and established it upon certain laws. In seeking to understand these natural laws, Jefferson thought that not only could science be advanced to a much higher degree, but that one could establish a more perfect government than the world had known before.
This was the teaching of The Enlightenment. Adherents of this philosophy believed that as one correctly identified the laws of the Creator, whoever that might be, they would be able to establish laws, and grant rights, in accordance with these laws of nature. The result would be a new world order that would free mankind from all superstition and enable these enlightened thinkers to bring forth an utopian society. All this hope was based upon an elevated regard for reason. In contrast, the apostle Paul testifies:
I Corinthians 2:4-14
My message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom (human reason), but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom (human reasoning) of men, but on the power of God... Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
Colossians 2:8
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
Thomas Jefferson viewed himself as a man of intellect and reason, and much of the world regards him in this way. Yet the testimony of God is that he was a natural man without spiritual perception to whom the words of God appeared as foolishness. Jefferson, and those other founding fathers of America who were in agreement with him, obtained the principles upon which this nation was founded from the teachings of worldly philosophers who were without spiritual understanding. One such Philosopher was John Locke, a man through whose teachings Jefferson acknowledged being influenced.
To talk of immaterial existences is to talk of nothings. To say that the human soul, angels, god, are immaterial, is to say they are nothings, or that there is no god, no angels, no soul. I cannot reason otherwise: but I believe I am supported in my creed of materialism by Locke, Tracy, and Stewart. At what age of the Christian church this heresy of immaterialism, this masked atheism, crept in, I do not know. But heresy it certainly is.
[Source: Thomas Jefferson, letter to John Adams, Aug. 15, 1820]
It was Locke who also first penned a phrase that was later modified and made famous by Jefferson. John Locke discussed natural rights in his work, and identified them as being "life, liberty, and estate (or property)." Jefferson modified this statement and made it famous.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
We can see, then that rather than being influenced by the Bible, or by the teachings of Christianity, the author of The Declaration was influenced by the philosophers of The Enlightenment. The philosophers of The Enlightenment were renowned for their challenges to faith in the God of the Bible. Many were deists like Jefferson, believing only in an unknowable god of nature who was not involved in the personal lives of men. It is apparent from Jefferson’s words in the Declaration of Independence that it was this deity that he referred to whenever he spoke of God. The opening words of this document are as follows:
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
What then is the source of this enlightenment that leads away from a knowledge of the One True God. It is Satan, for he is the one who deceives the whole world, and in whose power the world lies. Contrary to the notion that America’s founding father’s were inspired by their Christian faith to create a Christian nation, they actually were inspired by Lucifer (whose name means light bearer), and of whom the apostle Paul testified:
II Corinthians 11:14-15
For even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.
Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. The word angel in the Greek is the same word as “messenger.” The word light serves as a symbol for truth. Satan disguises himself as a messenger of truth. So too do his servants. We can look at the fruit of the teachings of the philosophers of The Enlightenment and easily see that it has led many to unbelief and a denial of the deity and supernatural character of the life of Christ. This is the work of Satan. Yet we can see even more of Satan’s influence as we look at the attitude, or spirit, manifested in the Declaration of Independence.
Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness of his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation...:
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions...
A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
How many Christians have sought to know the mind of God regarding this document and the charges found in it? The vast majority have simply accepted that which was communicated to them through the public schools of this nation, and through the history books that are written to make glorious the actions of the founding fathers in establishing what is touted to be the greatest nation on earth. But what does the Spirit testify in regard to the actions and writings of the founding fathers.
Under whose influence were they? Let us gain understanding as we look at this document called The Declaration of Independence. The apostle Paul gave the following instruction to all Christians.
Romans 13:1-7
Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.
The seeds of the American Revolution were first observed in the Stamp Tax Rebellion. Many Americans have heard the story of what has become known as “The Boston Tea Party” where American revolutionaries opposed to the taxation of the King of England disguised themselves as Indians and dumped barrels of tea into Boston Harbor. Was this a Christian act? Very plainly, from the apostle’s words above, it was not. Christians are exhorted, not only because of the wrath of the king, but in order to maintain a good conscience, to pay the taxes levied against them and to not resist the established authorities.
The apostle Paul probably penned these words when Nero was Caesar of Rome. It is doubtful that King George III of England was more of a tyrant than Nero. Yet Paul’s inspired writing to the church in Corinth informs them that “every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.”
The principle is the same throughout the Bible. God is the One who establishes authorities, and it is God who will remove the same. God never honors rebellion. We see this example clearly in the life of David as he suffered under the evil behavior of King Saul. God tested David twice, letting Saul fall into his hands, and both times David’s men advised David to strike King Saul so that his troubles might be over. Yet David’s response was a testimony of faith in God’s ability to remove an evil ruler when He deems the time to be right.
I Samuel 26:9-11
But David said..., "Do not destroy him, for who can stretch out his hand against Yahweh’s anointed and be without guilt?" David also said, "As Yahweh lives, surely Yahweh will strike him, or his day will come that he dies, or he will go down into battle and perish. Yahweh forbid that I should stretch out my hand against Yahweh’s anointed.”
David understood the principle that all authority is established by God. He expressed faith in Yahweh that He would reprove the wrong authority, and he understood the necessity of manifesting restraint and patience in order that he might not bring guilt upon himself. Yahweh has proven that He will reprove wrong authority.
I Chronicles 16:19-21
When they (God’s chosen people) were only a few in number, very few, and strangers in it, and they wandered about from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people, He permitted no man to oppress them, and He reproved kings for their sakes...
God will vindicate Himself. He will raise up a man as a ruler, and He will abase those who act wickedly. The histories of the nations recorded in Scripture reveal that God judges both the rulers of His own people and the rulers of the nations. Those who are children of God are never to enter into rebellion. They are to manifest a different spirit.
I Peter 2:13-23
Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God... Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps..., and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.
Jefferson’s actions, and those of the founding fathers of America, were in direct contradiction to the instruction of Scripture. Rather than honoring the authority established by God, rather than looking to God to deal with an unreasonable or unjust ruler, they entered into rebellion. This rebellion was justified in the words found in the document announcing the rebellion. Over and over the words “He has” were hurled as an accusation in order to justify rebellion against the king. In this we see an echo of Satan’s original sin of rebellion against God.
Isaiah 14:12-14
How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations! But you said in your heart,
'I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and
I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north.
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.'
As we look at these two declarations side by side, we observe the two sides of rebellion. Eighteen times Thomas Jefferson wrote the charge “He has,” this being 6+6+6. Five times we find Satan declaring what he will do in defiance of the will of God. For every overt act of rebellion there is a corresponding justification. He has..., so I will.
It is little reported today that there was a great division among the citizens of the thirteen original colonies of America regarding the act of entering into rebellion against the king. At no time during the American Revolutionary War did those in favor of the war reach or exceed fifty percent of the population. It is estimated that 15 - 20 percent of the population declared themselves as loyalists to the King. Approximately 40 percent of the population of the original thirteen colonies declared themselves to be neutral. Only 40-45 percent were ever in favor of rebellion. (Source: www.wikipedia.com - Article on “Loyalists, American Revolution”)
The Christian who seeks to understand the mind of God regarding the American Revolution would be helped in looking at the definition of the word “revolution.” Revolution is defined as “an act of rebellion.” Those who opposed the king during the revolution were called, among other things, “Rebels.” God’s word has the following to say about rebellion:
I Samuel 15:23
For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry.
As mentioned earlier, David was severely harassed by King Saul. Saul acted very wickedly in his actions, and God brought judgment upon him because of it. Yet David’s own testimony to this wicked king was that he never entered into rebellion against him.
I Samuel 24:11-12
Now, my father, see! Indeed, see the edge of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the edge of your robe and did not kill you, know and perceive that there is no evil or rebellion in my hands, and I have not sinned against you, though you are lying in wait for my life to take it. May Yahweh judge between you and me, and may Yahweh avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be against you.
David is highly praised by God in Scriptures. He is called “a man after My own heart who will do all My will.” It is not the will of God that men should act rebelliously against the governing authorities. There are occasions when a Christian must choose to obey God rather than man, but even in this there is to be no hint of rebellion manifested in their attitude. But as we have read in the words of John Adams, the separation from England and the establishment of a new nation was not the result of men obeying some directive from God. It was the result of men being guided by their natural reason.
Many other evidences could be given that America was not founded upon Christian principles. These further proofs are provided.
Where the preamble declares, that coercion is a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, an amendment was proposed by inserting "Jesus Christ," so that it would read "A departure from the plan of Jesus Christ, the holy author of our religion;" the insertion was rejected by the great majority, in proof that they meant to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mohammedan, the Hindoo and Infidel of every denomination.
[Source: Thomas Jefferson, Autobiography, in reference to the Virginia Act for Religious Freedom]
I once believed that America was founded as a Christian nation, and that references to freedom of religion were references to freedom to practice whatever form of Christian belief one desired. This is what I was taught growing up. Yet the documents of the founding fathers reveal that they were not merely guaranteeing freedom for Christians to worship as they believed, but they were establishing a nation whereby all religions would be equally tolerated. In essence, they were creating a new Babylon.
Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between church and State.
[Source: Thomas Jefferson, letter to Danbury Baptist Association, CT., Jan. 1, 1802]
That the government intended such a statement to apply to all religions is observed in the establishment of a treaty with Tripoli during the very early years of the nation when the founding fathers were alive, many of which participated in the passage of the treaty. The following quote is taken from an Internet website.
An insight from at a little known but legal document written in the late 1700s explicitly reveals the secular nature of the United States to a foreign nation. Officially called the "Treaty of peace and friendship between the United States of America and the Bey and Subjects of Tripoli, of Barbary," most refer to it as simply the Treaty of Tripoli. In Article 11, it states:
Joel Barlow, U.S. Consul General of Algiers
Copyright National Portait Gallery Smithsonian Institution/Art Resource NY "As the Government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Musselmen; and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries."
The preliminary treaty began with a signing on 4 November, 1796 (the end of George Washington's last term as president). Joel Barlow, the American diplomat served as counsel to Algiers and held responsibility for the treaty negotiations. Barlow had once served under Washington as a chaplain in the revolutionary army. He became good friends with Paine, Jefferson, and read Enlightenment literature. Later he abandoned Christian orthodoxy for rationalism and became an advocate of secular government. Barlow, along with his associate, Captain Richard O'Brien, et al, translated and modified the Arabic version of the treaty into English. From this came the added Amendment 11. Barlow forwarded the treaty to U.S. legislators for approval in 1797. Timothy Pickering, the secretary of state, endorsed it and John Adams concurred (now during his presidency), sending the document on to the Senate. The Senate approved the treaty on June 7, 1797, and officially ratified by the Senate with John Adams signature on 10 June, 1797. All during this multi-review process, the wording of Article 11 never raised the slightest concern. The treaty even became public through its publication in The Philadelphia Gazette on 17 June 1797.
[Source: http://www.earlyamerica.com/review/summer97/secular.html]
I am sure it will come as a shock to many Christians to learn that the nation of America was never founded as a Christian nation, despite the many assurances of Christian authors and preachers who have declared otherwise. Yet Christianity has always thrived in nations that were not Christian. Christianity was birthed under the government of the Roman Empire, and for many years the leaders of the Empire were hostile to the teachings of Christ. In such an environment Christianity spread and prospered.
It should be no source of alarm to learn that America was not founded as a Christian nation, or to even learn that there were among her most influential leaders those who were antagonistic to Christian belief. Such attitudes are observed in the following statements.
I concur with you strictly in your opinion of the comparative merits of atheism and demonism, and really see nothing but the latter in the being worshipped by many who think themselves Christians.
[Source: Thomas Jefferson, letter to Richard Price, Jan. 8, 1789 (Richard Price had written to TJ on Oct. 26. about the harm done by religion and wrote “Would not Society be better without Such religions?”)
It is between fifty and sixty years since I read it [the book of Revelation], and I then considered it merely the ravings of a maniac, no more worthy nor capable of explanation than the incoherences of our own nightly dreams.
[Source: Thomas Jefferson, letter to General Alexander Smyth, Jan. 17, 1825]
Although numerous men among the founding fathers spoke of the existence of God, their beliefs were not defined by the orthodox Christian belief. Some, like Jefferson, even made a pretense of being Christian in their thought, but like various cults that exist today that claim to be Christian, one must examine carefully what the adherents truly believe. As has been mentioned, there were numerous men among the founding fathers who were deists and others who were Unitarians. What is a deist? I will provide a quotation that answers the question.
Perhaps the first use of the term Deist is in Pierre Viret's Instruction Chrestienne (1564), reprinted in Bayle's Dictionnaire entry Viret. Viret, a Calvinist, regarded Deism as a new form of Italian heresy. Viret wrote:
There are many who confess that while they believe like the Turks and the Jews that there is some sort of God and some sort of deity, yet with regard to Jesus Christ and to all that to which the doctrine of the Evangelists and the Apostles testify, they take all that to be fables and dreams.... I have heard that there are of this band those who call themselves Deists, an entirely new word, which they want to oppose to Atheist. For in that atheist signifies a person who is without God, they want to make it understood that they are not at all without God, since they certainly believe there is some sort of God, whom they even recognize as creator of heaven and earth, as do the Turks; but as for Jesus Christ, they only know that he is and hold nothing concerning him nor his doctrine.
[Source: www.wikipedia.com - Article on Deism]
What is an Unitarian?
Adhering to strict monotheism, they maintain that Jesus was a great man and a prophet of God, perhaps even a supernatural being, but not God himself. Unitarians believe in the moral authority, but not necessarily the divinity, of Jesus...
Unitarians sum up their faith as "the religion of Jesus, not a religion about Jesus." Historically, they have encouraged non-dogmatic views of God, Jesus, the world and purpose of life as revealed through reason, scholarship, science, philosophy, scripture and other prophets and religions. They believe that reason and belief are complementary and that religion and science can co-exist and guide them in their understanding of nature and God. They also do not enforce belief in creeds or dogmatic formulas. Although there is flexibility in the nuances of belief or basic truths for the individual Unitarian Christian, general principles of faith have been recognized as a way to bind the group in some commonality. Adherents generally accept religious pluralism and find value in all teachings, but remain committed to their core belief in Christ's teachings. Liberal Unitarians value a secular society in which government stays out of religious affairs.
[Source: www.wikipedia.com - Article, Unitarianism]
The teachings of Deism and Unitarianism share many commonalities. It is sometimes hard to distinguish one from another. Thomas Jefferson did make comments favorable to Unitarianism in his life, although he was never a member of a Unitarian church (there were none in Virginia at the time.) Jefferson wrote, “I trust that there is not a young man now living in the United States who will not die a Unitarian.” Much can therefore be gained about the current beliefs of Unitarianism as one examines the statements of Thomas Jefferson. There is a denial of the divinity of Christ. There is a denial of the divine inspiration of the Bible, etc..
Benjamin Franklin was another man who was intimately involved in the formation of America as a nation. His views on Jesus Christ are expressed in his following words.
As to Jesus of Nazareth, my Opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the System of Morals and his Religion...has received various corrupting changes, and I have, with most of the present dissenters in England, some doubts as to his Divinity; tho' it is a question I do not dogmatize upon, having never studied it, and think it needless to busy myself with it now, when I expect soon an opportunity of knowing the Truth with less trouble." He died a month later, and historians consider him, like so many great Americans of his time, to be a Deist, not a Christian.
[Source: Benjamin Franklin, “A Biography in his Own Words”]
George Washington is another man of great influence among the founding fathers. The following is an extract from the Internet website http://www.earlyamerica.com/review/summer97/secular.html
In his thousands of letters, the name of Jesus Christ never appears. He rarely spoke about his religion, but his Freemasonry experience points to a belief in deism. Washington's initiation occurred at the Fredericksburg Lodge on 4 November 1752, later becoming a Master mason in 1799, and remained a freemason until he died.
To the United Baptist Churches in Virginia in May, 1789, Washington said that every man "ought to be protected in worshiping the Deity according to the dictates of his own conscience."
After Washington's death, Dr. Abercrombie, a friend of his, replied to a Dr. Wilson, who had interrogated him about Washington's religion replied, "Sir, Washington was a Deist."
Among those who provide evidences that America was established as a Christian nation, the example of Samuel Chase is often cited. Chase was an Episcopal minister who later became a Supreme Court Justice. That Chase considered himself a Christian and orthodox in his beliefs is not contested here. He is considered one of the founding fathers of the United States of America and his signature is found on The Declaration of Independence.
What is contested is whether he was being led by the Spirit of Christ in his activities. It seems strange that a man who answered the call to preach the gospel would later lay aside this call to enter into the realm of worldly politics. There are many professing Christians who know nothing of being led of the Spirit of Christ into all of their activities. Many are self-directed, and on the day that they stand before the Lord and they testify of all the things they did for Him, Jesus will reply, “Depart from Me you workers of lawlessness. I never knew you.”
That a professing Christian and a minister would join himself to men who manifested the spirit of antichrist is great error. That this same man would embrace rebellion to the king in disobedience to the instructions of the Holy Spirit in Scripture is a further error. Yet Samuel Chase did even more reprehensible things. We read the following regarding his participation in the American Revolution.
[Samuel Chase] continued a member of Congress until in 1778, and was almost constantly employed in the duties of most important committees. Some of these were of a delicate and trying nature, yet he never allowed his sensibility to control his judgment, or shake his firmness of purpose...
He was chairman of a committee appointed by Congress to act in relation to those Americans who gave "aid and comfort to the enemy;" and it was his painful duty to recommend the arrest and imprisonment of various persons of this class, among whom were several wealthy Quakers of Philadelphia. An instance of his fearlessness in the performance of his duty, may be properly mentioned here. During the summer of 1776, Reverend Doctor Zubly was a delegate in Congress from Georgia. By some means Mr. Chase discovered that he was in secret correspondence with the royal governor of Georgia. He immediately rose in his place and denounced Doctor Zubly as a traitor, before all the members of the House. Zubly fled, and was pursued, but without success...
[From: Robert G. Ferris (editor), Signers of the Declaration: Historic Places Commemorating the Signing of the Declaration of Independence, published by the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service: Washington, D.C. (revised edition 1975), page 45-46]
Manifested in the actions of Samuel Chase is the same error we find in the apostle Paul BEFORE his conversion to Christianity. Even as Paul sought out those who professed belief in Yahshua as Messiah, and he turned them over to the authorities where many were imprisoned, had property confiscated, and some lost their lives, so too did Chase act as an accuser of men. Men were arrested and imprisoned at his direction, including those testifying to faith in Christ. Samuel Chase became the persecutor of those who remained loyal to the king out of a desire to maintain a clear conscience before God and man.
It is unthinkable that so many could use the testimony of this man as one of their chief evidences that America was founded as a Christian nation.
Time does not permit me to do an exhaustive study of all of the men involved in the rebellion to the Crown of England. I have sought to provide testimony of men who were key actors in the establishment of the nation of America. I would encourage those who would seek to provide testimony to the contrary to perform a full and unbiased examination of those men they would use in their argument to declare that America was, and is, a Christian nation.
I also recommend the writing “Freemasonry, the Spirit of Babylon” to all those who would know more about the origins of America’s founding, that they might observe more fully the Luciferian influence throughout the design of America’s capital and this influence upon her leaders. This writing can be found here: http://www.heart4god.ws/id546.htm .
Am I condemning America as a nation? This is not my object. There are no truly Christian nations in this world today. The Scriptures declare:
I John 5:19
We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
A day will come when the following words will be fulfilled:
Revelation 11:15
"The kingdoms of the world have become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He will reign to the age of the ages."
This day has not yet appeared. None should be shocked then at the title of this writing. The whole world lies in the power of the evil one, and this includes America. Can any look at the maturing fruit of this nation and deny that this fruit is Satanic in nature?
John Locke wrote that all people have the natural right to govern themselves. He provided justification to rebel against the established authorities of the nations, and he said every man should have the right to live according to the dictates of his own will. It was these teachings that inspired men like Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine. But what is the mature fruit of these doctrines of self-rule?
In 1973 the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that a woman has the right to murder the unborn child in her womb. This is the ultimate expression of liberty and freedom derived from natural law. Since 1973 over 40 million babies have been aborted, and their blood is a hideous stain upon the nation’s conscience. This same high court has made numerous rulings in defense of homosexuality, even as she has ruled that the Ten Commandments must be removed from all courthouses throughout the land. The high court has given protections to free speech that have been interpreted to include all manner of vile pornography in which this nation is currently drowning and through which her children are being morally corrupted.
The President of the United States has become the chief spokesman to the entire world for the acceptance of false religions and idolatry (See also “Freemasonry, the Spirit of Babylon” for more on this topic).
Am I saying that Christians should rise up in rebellion against the government of the United States? Absolutely not! Let them rather fall to their knees in repentance as that righteous man Daniel did many years ago.
Daniel 9:3-11
So I gave my attention to Yahweh God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to Yahwhe my God and confessed and said, "Alas, O Yahweh, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land. Righteousness belongs to You, O Yahweh, but to us open shame... Open shame belongs to us, O Yahweh, to our kings, our princes and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. To Yahweh our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him; nor have we obeyed the voice of Yahweh our God, to walk in His teachings which He set before us through His servants the prophets. Indeed [the entire nation] has transgressed Your law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice; so the curse has been poured out on us...
It has not been my intent through this writing to incite revolt against the government of the United States. I have only been desirous of stripping away the deceptions concerning the foundation upon which America rests. A nation conceived in disobedience and founded upon Luciferian principles will eventually manifest the mature fruit of its error. Am I saying that America should be intolerant of false religions, or persecute their adherents? No!
Christianity was born under the rule of the Roman Empire, and America today is a manifestation of Rome. Those who wish to establish the kingdom of God upon the earth by reforming human government are deceived. God will judge the kingdoms and rulers of the world. Men are only ever truly changed, and the kingdom of God established, as they are born again of the Spirit of Christ. Yahshua’s charge to His disciples was:
Mark 16:15-16
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.”
The apostle Paul said:
I Corinthians 5:12-13
For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges.
The church is not called to reform worldly government. The church is not called to condemn the world, or bring the evildoer to justice. The church is called to preach the kingdom of God. Great error has entered into the church as she has thought her calling included the establishment of Christian government and nations. Search the entire New Testament. You will find not a trace of the church’s involvement in the affairs of world politics, nor the establishment of a Christian nation.
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
3 comments:
This is awesome information. Recently I have been led to read about Benj. Franklin and Thomas Jefferson - finding what you say here and back up with Scripture, to be true. Surely we have been duped although I must say I have been blessed to be an American.Thank you for presenting it so clearly. It urges me to dig deeper and to no longer remain blind but to pray for mercy from our God and his Holy Son, Jesus, the Christ.
I truly understand the earnestness within Christian circles to teach the righteous foundations of the United States of America, however, whenever they are challenged by others under the same banner of Christianity the latter are ridiculed and treated indignantly as though they have brought some horrible blight upon the name of Christ.
Let the truth be told brother Herrin. You have provided a concise and accurate portrayal of the real truth behind the foundations of America. And just as you magnified the scripture, I remind all those who read this yet one more time . . . a good tree cannot bear bad fruit.
So, in the often quoted words of Alexis de Tocqueville, perhaps America was never good! Amen.
Very interesting, and informative, Mr. Herrin: you have, in this post delineated the deception being practiced by Glenn Beck; and, frankly, I like Beck's practice of investigating the truth: but in this matter you've written about, is the snare of deception.
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