“Under God” was not always in the Pledge of Allegiance. When was it added and by whom?
During World War II, Dwight D. Eisenhower served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe, achieving the rank of five-star General of the Army. He understood and openly acknowledged God’s providential care in winning World War II against Nazi Germany that had swept across Europe and beyond. During his first term in office, in recognition of that truth, he urged Congress to legislate “Under God” be added to the Pledge of Allegiance, which it was.
The roots of America were nourished with prayer. The Pilgrims came to these shores to get away from religious persecution, they came to establish to right to worship God freely. Americans had always openly worshiped God, even in the public square, until 1962 when things changed, which we will look at further on.
On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress took a break from writing the Articles of Confederation and passed a resolution stating that “the flag of the United States be 13 stripes, alternate red and white,” and that “the union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.” In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson marked the anniversary of that decree by officially establishing June 14 as Flag Day.
George Washington was acknowledged as a man of prayer. As noted on the slide, he did pray for God’s protection on these United States. As we are seeing, those principles no longer guide our nation. The Revolutionary War didn’t formally end until 1783 at a great cost of life and determination. Does that same spirit exist today?
His words regarding God and the Bible ring as true today as they did then.
On October 3, 1863, expressing gratitude for a pivotal Union Army victory at Gettysburg, President Abraham Lincoln announces that the nation will celebrate an official Thanksgiving holiday on November 26, 1863. It was in recognition of God’s providential grace on our Nation. This announcement harkened back to when George Washington was in his first term as the first president in 1789 and the young American nation had only a few years earlier emerged from the American Revolution. At that time, George Washington called for an official celebratory “day of public thanksgiving and prayer.” While Congress overwhelmingly agreed to Washington’s recommendation, the holiday did not yet become an annual event due to other pressing issues in forming the infant nation.
Unconstitutional? Not if you look back over our former leaders like Washington and Lincoln. But over time, things changed. In 1962 the Supreme Court ruled against prayer in public schools as unconstitutional. What impact did that have on our youth and our culture? Looking back over our history, how could the Court conclude that public prayer is unconstitutional when the Founders themselves observed public prayer.
So, is public prayer a political or moral issue? What are the consequences of a nation turning its back on God? When Israel did so in the Old Testament, they clearly suffered the consequences. But there is a crack in the door that now supports public prayer, but just when and where will still be a contested issue in the courts
Two significant Supreme Court decisions, one prohibiting prayer in 1962, and one declaring abortion as a constitutional right, in 1973, both of which changed the very foundation of America. Nevertheless, a ray of light has shined forth with the current Supreme Court on both issues. How did those past decisions affect the United States culture?
Let’s pause for a moment with Ralph Reed’s brief description of that 1962 decision. For 60 years the battle for young minds continues. Ralph Reed is the founder and chairman of the Faith & Freedom Coalition. He points back to the United States Supreme Court decision, as being of historic importance, by ruling that daily recital of prayers in public schools, even though non-compulsory, was unconstitutional. The court held that the recital of such prayers in schools financed through public taxation violated the religious freedom guarantees in the Constitution. That decision was handed down in a New York case. It has affected all public schools throughout America, ever since. So where do children get their moral compass? Certainly not in school. Are we seeing its influence on young Americans? Absolutely!!!
But a recent Supreme Court decision may be the beginning of change regarding prayer, by overturning a school administration’s decision to fire a H.S. football couch for praying publicly on the field after a game, with his team present. It took seven years for it to reach the Supreme Court. We can be certain it won't be a slam-dunk for prayer going forward.
What does CNN have to say about the Court’s decision? Their headlines tell us. They see it as an erosion of separation of church and state. Are you surprised? I’m not. Why is the mainstream media so against any recognition of God?
Are there consequences when prayer is banned? We saw evidence of such consequences with Israel in the Old Testament, time and again, when they turned from Jehovah God, and embraced by the pagan culture. Consequently, ten of the twelve tribes were defeated and scattered, never to return to their homeland. But a merciful God wasn’t finished with them, with the rebirth of Israel in 1948, when Holocaust survivors and a scattered remnant of Hebrews/Jews from around the world returned to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
What about the USA? Do Americans pray? How relevant are these statistics to the events taking place in our Country? Statistics are generally a small slice of people v. the entire population, but they typically do provide insight.
Recent decisions from today’s Supreme Court is starting to make a difference on certain significant issues. From left to right in first row (sitting): Samuel A. Alito, Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Stephen G. Breyer (just retired. Replaced by progressive liberal, Ketanji Brown Jackson), Sonia Sotomayor. Standing in back row, left to right: Brett M. Kavanaugh, Elena Kagan, Neil M. Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett. Jackson was described by Sen. Ted Cruz, who attended law school with her, as one of, if not the most liberal Associated Justice to serve on the Court. All of which make the next SCOTUS appointment monumental in significance. It illustrates the importance of Christians participating in the election process. If not, that void will be filled by those, not only striving to change, but determined to destroy America’s founding values.
This is where those decisions are presented, by both sides, considered and subsequently decided.
Making America great again definitely includes appointing Supreme Court justices who believe their role is to interpret and preserve the U.S. Constitution, not legislate from the bench. President Donald J. Trump did exactly that with three judicial appointments as well as other judges within the judicial system. The following slides show his SCOTUS appointments. Each one was hated by the Progressive-Left that publicly campaigned against and even attacked them via the media and political opposition in Congress.
Jerusalem has historically been Israel’s capital. Almost every U.S. president after Truman, expressed their support of moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, but it never happened until Trump decreed that historic move as a reality.
Back to Trump’s appointments for the SCOTUS: Neil M. Gorsuch, shown here, was an American lawyer and jurist who now serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President Donald Trump on January 31, 2017, and has served since April 10, 2017. Gorsuch was born and spent his early life in Denver, Colorado,
Brett Michael Kavanaugh is an American judge serving as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President Donald Trump on July 9, 2018, and has served since October 6, 2018. He was previously a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
Amy Vivian Coney Barrett (born January 28, 1972) is an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. She is the fifth woman to serve on the court. She was nominated by President Donald Trump and has served since October 27, 2020. She was a U.S. circuit judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit from 2017 to 2020.
We will further explore the two Supreme Court decisions in 1962 and 1973 on prayer and abortion respectively, that dramatically changed America, including the majority and descending positions for the Court's 5 to 4 rationale for overturning the Roe v. Wade abortion ruling.
The End
