One Nation Under God

Once upon a time, America was a nation that honored God.

On our money. In our songs. In our everyday lives. We prayed for our troops, country, government, and each other before turmoil occurred. We reverenced God so much so that people changed their behavior in front of the church building. People watched their mouths (i.e. stopped cursing), they would stop laughing and playing when walking by, and they put out their cigarettes when walking past. People stopped doing things they knew were wrong out of respect for God. To take it a bit further, churches supported each other’s services. People would dress up to attend service. They recognized they were going before God, and they wanted to go before Him in their best. Christianity, regardless of the denomination, was the major faith throughout the land.

We even honored God in the Constitution.

Yes, our constitution. While the First Amendment is written to include the practice of all religions, it was originally based on the religious persecution of the Christian church in 17th Century England. The pilgrims left England to rid themselves of government rule in religion. Understanding Christianity was not the first religion of the land (different Native American tribes had their own belief systems), we can still conclude Christianity being the dominant religion upon which the United States of American was founded. We were, and some might argue still are, a Christian nation.

Until we decided we aren’t.

These days “God and country” have been replaced with “Do you. I’mma do me.” People no longer respect the house of God. They come in sweats and flip flops. They wear baseball caps in service. Should anyone say anything, then they have the audacity to (mis)quote the scripture come as you are. Then, they may leave the church altogether because “people are too judgmental.” They saunter in with Starbucks cups and Dairy Queen blizzards. Some churches have gone as far as installing Subway or a coffee shop in their building to cater to this mindset. This gives permission to eat in the sanctuary (even if there’s a sign up discouraging this behavior). People text on their phones, curse during service (I’ve actually heard this), and make fun of the saints praising God. They laugh and play while the preacher is giving the Word. They let their kids play with iPads and tablets, color, eat, and play with a backpack full of toys.

That’s just during service.

Outside of the church walls, people are becoming more and more disrespectful towards God. They curse God (literally), take His name in vain, express their unbelief, and criticize those who profess Jesus Christ. They denounce the Bible as “some ancient text that doesn’t apply to today’s world.” They ascribe to the following thought process: “I don’t need religion to be a good person. Just don’t be a jerk.” All the while, they are unknowingly referencing the Bible and applying concepts taught in the Bible to follow the “be a good person” mindset.

The irony.

The standard of decency in America is consistently changing. The bar keeps going lower, and the internet is proof of that. The internet is the very reason for this post. As a saved man, I have never seen so much vitriol towards Christians in my life. Right now, there is someone (or multiples) arguing this post. In fact, they haven’t made it to this paragraph before they stopped reading. I’m being assessed as judgmental or delusional for believing in Jesus. None of this is new. Christians have been persecuted since Cain killed Abel. However, I find it disheartening when I look at the condition of America.

We are becoming a Godless nation. What’s worse? Some are okay with that.

America cannot see itself. Thus, we are bound to repeat the mistakes of past empires that have fallen. In some cases, we are already repeating those mistakes. The problem with America is we are intelligent. Therefore, we analyze everything for our justification because we can do what we want. We are never wrong unless society says, “You’re wrong.” We no longer look at situations as right and wrong. Everything has a gray area. That’s because everyone has a different standard of living. Some will say this is what makes America great.

I beg to differ.

The demise of the most powerful empires occurred because they refused to acknowledge God. Let me rephrase. They refused to serve God. Kings feigned themselves to be all-powerful deities. They welcomed strange gods with open arms. All the while, God was saying put away those strange gods and serve me. If you serve me, then I will bless you. If not, then I will curse you. God, in his infinite mercies, gave them a chance to repent and turn from their wicked ways. They did not. Consequences came at the cost of many lives.

America is no different.

We are heading down the path of these same civilizations. We have no sense of consequence. We only care about what we think is right. It is evident in many areas, and we can’t see the signs. Or should I say, we refuse to see the signs.

Once upon a time, America was a nation that honored God. We need to be that nation again.

I pledge allegiance to the flag
Of the United States of America
And to the republic for which it stands
One nation, under God, indivisble
With liberty and justice for all