North Carolina Constitution

North Carolina's constitution, Article XXXII stated: "That no person who shall deny the being of God, or the truth of the Protestant religion, or the divine authority of the Old or New Testaments, or who shall hold religious principles incompatible with the freedom and safety of the State, shall be capable of holding any office or place of trust or prifit in the civil department within this State."

This particular provision was in force until 1876. Clearly the First Amendment did not automatically prohibit this type of restriction. No state would do such a thing today, but the point is that the First Amendment did not venture here.

No King but King Jesus

The Committees of Correspondence in Boston, 1774, penned a rallying cry for independence that was later used during the Revolutionary War:

"No King but King Jesus!"

Treaty to End the Revolutionary War

In 1783 our Continental Congress ratified the treaty to end our war with Great Britain. The treaty started with these words:

"In the name of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity. It having pleased the Divine Providence to dispose the hearts of the most serene and most potent Prince George the Third, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith... and of the United States of America, to forget all past misunderstandings and differences..."

(Keep in mind that the Continental Congress who approved the first 10 words above is the same group who ratified the First Amendment of our Constitution.)

Read the whole treaty here:
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/paris.asp

Abraham Lincoln on God

Abraham Lincoln: "It is the duty of nations, as well as men, to earn their dependence on the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions; and to recognize the sublime truth announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven through by history that those nations only are blessed whose god is the Lord."

Hillsdale College - Imprimis

Hillsdale College in Michigan publishes a wonderful monthly newsletter that I have quoted from on this blog:

Imprimis from Hillsdale College

(The previous use of Imprimis on this blog is the article Danger of a Metaphor.)

One interesting thing about Hillsdale College is that they do not accept federal or state taxpayer subsidies for any of its operations. Why would a college turn down "free" money? Probably for some of the same reasons that our country's founders were suspicious of too much power in the federal government. With the "free" money would come restrictions, regulations, etc. that could affect the way an entity might like to do business.

Many of our federal programs are not authorized by the Constitution. It is interesting to me how many people are quick to point out that the the Constitution does not mention Christ in saying that our government should not touch religion (including recognizing it). However, it is very rare to hear anyone question all that the federal government does because those actions not being mentioned in the Constitution. The 10th Amendment is very clear that the federal government has ONLY those powers specifically noted in the Constitution.