Freedom-Fighters Forum

By CTMCM William J. Dell, USN (Retired) – 02 July 2010

It is the year of our Lord two thousand ten and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred thirty-fourth. As I reflect upon the rich heritage of freedom which is ours, I am returned to the years of my youth in the Methodist Church where I first learned the strains of our Centennial Hymn [God of Our Fathers]. As I write this I wonder if we, as a people and a nation, can with fervor continue to sing its strains? Do we, as a people and a nation, really believe that the Divine Providence led this nation into existence? Can we, as a people and a nation, who once felt to raise songs of gratitude to the God of our fathers for our freedom and heritage feel so now?

God of our fathers, whose almighty hand
Leads forth in beauty all the starry band
Of shining worlds in splendor through the skies
Our grateful songs before Thy throne arise.

I make no apology for my belief that God did raise up the Founding Fathers to establish freedom’s beacon of hope in a world of darkness. Nor do I apologize for my belief that the Founding Fathers were inspired by that same God to write our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution. I firmly believe that without His “almighty hand” leading the colonists our Constitutional Republic would not have been established. We then, as a people and a nation, should raise “grateful songs” and prayers to Him daily who granted us our freedom and heritage. For the price of that freedom and heritage was and still is being paid for by the blood of patriots willing to pay the last full measure of devotion for the ideal known as America. Patriots willing to die that their future generations might also have the blessings of liberty bequeathed by their forefathers.

Thy love divine hath led us in the past,
In this free land by Thee our lot is cast,
Be Thou our Ruler, Guardian, Guide and Stay,
Thy Word our law, Thy paths our chosen way.

From 1620 until 1900 this was the heritage of our nation. Yes, this nation was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. For all this time no one questioned whether America was a Christian nation – they knew that it was. For nearly 300 years, we, as a people and a nation, relied upon God to be “our Ruler, Guardian, Guide and Stay.” Our Founding Fathers were well read and understood the Bible. The pastors of their day, formed the “Black Robe Brigade” of the Revolution. They taught the principles of freedom and liberty, and the tyranny of excessive government across their pulpits from the Bible. The success of the Black Robe Brigade can be best understood by knowing that as a matter of policy the British Army burned these churches to the ground. How we need the Black Robe Brigade today to use their pulpits to re-ground us, as a people and a nation, in the faith of our fathers. That we, as a people and as a nation, might once again proclaim “Thy Word our law, Thy paths our chosen way.”

From war’s alarms, from deadly pestilence,
Be Thy strong arm our ever sure defense;
Thy true religion in our hearts increase,
Thy bounteous goodness nourish us in peace.

The enemies of our great nation, both within and without, can only be thwarted by adherence to the Judeo-Christian principles found within our founding documents. Principles written down by our Founding Fathers who were raised up by God for the very purpose of establishing this nation. I firmly believe that without His “almighty hand” leading us today our Constitutional Republic is and will remain in grave danger. God is only bound to be our “sure defense” as we follow Him who is the Prince of Peace. As we do this His blessings which flowed for 300 years will once again rain down upon us as a people and a nation.

Refresh Thy people on their toilsome way,
Lead us from night to never ending day;
Fill all our lives with love and grace divine,
And glory, laud, and praise be ever Thine.

We, as a people and a nation, truly need refreshing from the God who granted us our inalienable rights to Life, Liberty and Property. The Constitutional Republic bequeathed to us by our Founding Fathers for a second time is passing through the valley of the shadow of death. Our Constitution is being attacked on every side by the very persons elected to protect it against all enemies foreign and domestic. The politicians of the Civil War era failed to destroy government of, by and for the people; and, the politicians of the Progressive Movement of today will also fail if we return to the God of the land who caused it to be established 234 years ago. We, as a people and a nation need to heed His promise:

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.     [2 Chronicles 7:14]

If we do this, as a people and as a nation, He will once again thwart those seeking to destroy our Constitutional Republic. This time by striving to change it into a Welfare Socialist State. How we need for Him to lead us back from the night of tyranny and slavery we, as a people and as a nation, are facing into the day of freedom and liberty which our forefathers enjoyed and bequeath to us. When we, as a people and as a nation, earn the blessing of this promise with deep and sincere humility we should then feel in our hearts to “Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us as a nation! … And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!”