A Christian Nation   

Our earliest settlers were people who came here primarily looking for religious freedom. Other nations, for the most part, came into existence by conquest for selfish and ambitious motives. But it was primarily in the atmosphere of God, not gold, that America was born.
In 1620 those on the Mayflower were fleeing from tyranny and oppression. And in the Mayflower Compact which they signed in the cabin of their ship, they proclaimed that they had come to the new world for "the glorie of God and the advancement of the Christian faith.”
In 1643, as more and more people arrived on these shores, they joined together to form “The New England Confederation.” They wrote a constitution, the first constitution written in the New World, and it began with these words: “We all came into these parts with one and the same end and aim, namely to advance the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to enjoy the liberties of the gospel in purity and peace."
The Plymouth Charter says the Colony was established "...to advance the enlargement of the Christian religion to the glory of God Almighty." The Virginia Charter assures the right for people to live in "Christian peace" and instructs the people to "...propagate the Christian religion to such people who yet live in ignorance of the true knowledge and worship of God."
In the early colonies the first public building to be erected was a church house. And the first public event was the worship of Almighty God. When sorrow came they gathered at the church to appeal to God for help. When bountiful harvests filled their barns they gathered at the church for thanksgiving to God.
In those early years, churches and preachers played a big role in the development of this nation. It was a preacher named Frances Bellemy who wrote our "Pledge of Allegiance." It was a preacher, Samuel Smith, who wrote the Hymn, "My Country ’Tis of Thee." It was another preacher, John Leland, who wrote the introduction of the first Amendment to the Constitution.
The Psalmist reminds us of God’s power and glory, that He is indeed worthy of our praise. “Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary. Praise Him in His mighty expanse. Praise Him for His mighty deeds. Praise Him according to His excellent greatness” (Psalm 150:1-2). There was a time when our nation was very much a Christian nation, a nation who praised and promoted God above all else. Let us fervently pray that it would be again!

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