Saturday, January 31, 2009

New Mexico Constitution - Grateful to Almighty God

The Constitution of New Mexico (1911) says in its Preamble:

"We, the people of New Mexico, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty, in order to secure the advantages of a state government, do ordain and establish this Constitution."

See the whole New Mexico Constitution

Friday, January 30, 2009

William Henry Harrison Inaugural - Reverence for the Christian Religion

Our 9th President, William Henry Harrison, said the following in his Inaugural Address (1841):

"I deem the present occasion sufficiently important and solemn to justify me in expressing to my fellow-citizens a profound reverence for the Christian religion and a thorough conviction that sound morals, religious liberty, and a just sense of religious responsibility are essentially connected with all true and lasting happiness; and to that good Being who has blessed us by the gifts of civil and religious freedom, who watched over and prospered the labors of our fathers and has hitherto preserved to us institutions far exceeding in excellence those of any other people, let us unite in fervently commending every interest of our beloved country in all future time."

Read the entire address here

New Jersey Constitution - Grateful to Almight God

The New Jersey Constitution (from 1844) says in its Preamble:

"We, the people of the State of New Jersey, grateful to Almighty God for the civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing upon our endeavors to secure and transmit the same unimpaired to succeeding generations, do ordain and establish this Constitution."

Article 1, 3:
"No person shall be deprived of the inestimable privilege of worshipping Almighty God in a manner agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience;..."

Note that in the passage above they refer to "Almighty God" rather than simply saying "worshipping his own god" or something equally generic. It would seem that in this constitution they recognize there IS an Almighty God by wording it that way.

See the whole New Jersey Constitution

Thursday, January 29, 2009

New Hampshire Constitution - Worship God Freely

In the New Hampshire Constitution (1792), Article 5 says:

"Every individual has a natural and unalienable right to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience, and reason; and no subject shall be hurt, molested, or restrained, in his peers on, liberty, or estate, for worshipping God in the manner and season most agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience; or for his religious profession, sentiments, or persuasion; provided he doth not disturb the public peace or disturb others in their religious worship."

Read the New Hampshire Constitution here

Martin Van Buren Inaugural - Ardent Prayers

Martin Van Buren was our 8th President. In his Inaugural address of 1837, he said:

"But to me, my fellow-citizens, look ing forward to the far-distant future with ardent prayers and confiding hopes, this retrospect presents a ground for still deeper delight."

See President Van Buren's Inaugural Address