In Jonathan Madison’s most recent column, he wrote about a man living in total darkness and consumed by his condition. Perhaps he did not mean to draw this comparison but my interpretation of the story was to see the man as a personification of our country. To state it frankly, we have become a nation living in darkness. Predominantly as a people, we appear to be groping around in the dark, devoid of any light to guide our path morally. However, as one respondent to Jonathan’s column wrote, “we can find strength in the darkness by seeking the light of the world.” He then referenced the gospel of John, chapter 8, verse 12 in the New Testament, which reads in part: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (New International Version).
In case one does not know who the “I am” in the passage is, it is Jesus Christ.
Clearly, one impetus for Jonathan’s column was the National Day of Prayer, which was on Thursday, a few days after his column appeared. As if to confirm a point he was making, there were two notable headlines in the news, one before and one after. The one before read, “Biden Administration Won’t Allow National Day Of Prayer To Be Held At US Capitol This Year.” It was actually the first time in 70 years that there was no public prayer service on the capitol grounds for the National Day of Prayer. The second headline read, “Biden Mentions Everything Except God During National Day Of Prayer Proclamation.”
Currently, one of the books I am reading is titled, “A History of the American People,” by Paul Johnson. As Mr. Madison pointed out in his piece, in the context of America’s birth as a nation was a historical period known as “the Great Awakening.” No such label existed at the time but most likely the term was popularized by historians after Joseph Tracey’s book in 1842, “The Great Awakening: a History of the Revival of Religion in the Times of Edwards and Whitefield.”
Paul Johnson gives credence to the Great Awakening as “the proto-revolutionary event, the formative moment in American history, preceding the political drive for independence and making it possible” (The Great Awakening and It’s Political Impact; p 116). From the study of Johnson’s research and writing, one can readily see the influence of Christian teaching and preaching on the founding of our country. Without a doubt, it influenced the writing of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
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Not only was there the influence of Christian teaching and preaching, but there was also recognition by many that God Himself swayed influence over the proceedings. One who was there in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787, who was deeply involved in the debates and discourse from which emerged the Constitution, was James Madison. He wrote, “It is impossible for the man of pious reflection not to perceive in it a finger of that Almighty hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in the critical stages of the revolution” (Federalist Papers, No. 37, pp.230-31).
Personally, I believe James Madison was correct in his estimation of the Almighty’s role. He was not the only one to make such a statement. Similar sentiments were opined by George Washington, Charles Pinckney, Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Rush, James Wilson and others.
One who was not there in Philadelphia that momentous summer was John Adams. He was overseas on a mission to finalize the peace with Britain. He did, however, pen numerous letters to key individuals and also published a pamphlet, all intended to impact the writing of the Constitution. Here is what Adams had to say about the completed document: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
To bring this around to a practical matter, consider the column I previously wrote, “The Gun Issue ... Or Is It?” My point was that it is not a gun issue but an issue of people using guns in the commission of crimes. If we are honest with ourselves, the real issue is the moral degradation of society. Too many of us are walking around in darkness, resulting in myriad problems: drug abuse, alcoholism, gang violence, rape, homicides, suicides ... the list goes on.
I mentioned above about the Great Awakening. Later, it became known as the First Great Awakening because from 1795 to 1835, there was a Second Great Awakening. I believe, if we are to keep our republic, we are in desperate need of a Third Great Awakening. God help us.
A former member of the San Carlos City Council and mayor, Matt Grocott has been involved in political policy on the Peninsula for 17 years. He can be reached by email at mattgrocott@comcast.net.
Thank you Matt. Like Jon's columns, it demonstrates that there are still religious intellectuals among us. A breath of fresh air but also an indictment of our current president. He swore his oath on a Bible to uphold the Constitution. That turned out to be as phony as a three dollar bill.
Yeah, Dirk, as usual, your comment is as phony as a four dollar bill. Kindly enlighten us as to how Biden has not upheld the Constitution. Has he declared the election illegal ahead of time? Has he incited his followers to seditionist actions against Congress? Has he talked about "us vs them"? How about providing one fact to support your slanted opinion?
Rel, Biden did not have to declare the election illegal because his party rigged it ahead of time. Of course, he was supposedly asleep in his basement while the machinations were taking place as described by an article in Time Magazine..
A President's primary responsibility is to his country's citizens and adherence to the three separate functions of the Government. He threw open the border allowing for thousands of unknown individuals to enter this country illegally and he issued 45 Executive Orders that overrule the Constitutional function of the Congress. Those are just two areas in which he violated the oath of his Office. I know that everything that Biden does is OK with you but these are no phony arguments.
Whoa... it's late but I didn't want to pass this opportunity to say opening the border when you have a sworn duty to uphold law... which law? The law that says it's illegal to enter the country without permission as Joe Biden has allowed to happen. That is a breach of his Constitutional obligations. But it's not just an arcane and abstract breach... the collateral damage to innocents on both side of the border has created a very serious crisis. But maybe we're being too harsh on Joe. He probably doesn't realize he has stretched the Constitution out of shape. In other words, he does not understand what is and what is not Constitutional. Remember... Candidate Biden said appointing Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court was unconstitutional. Skrrrrip! Uh... no, it wasn't. Joe surely didn't like it, but the President and the Senate acted in accordance with their sworn duties. Joe was not only wrong... he was Rel-ly wrong.
You should at least try to check the facts before you throw stuff at the wall. Biden didn't "throw open the border" as the right wing propaganda machines spew everyday. Biden didn't sign 45 executive orders to overrule the Constitution. As of May 10th he has signed 43 orders and most of these were reversing Trump's orders so if they are not according to Hoyle now they were not according to Hoyle when Trump signed them. BTW, just like Trump would be to busy to play golf, he railed about Obama signing executive orders during his campaign. Obama signed 276 in 8 years, Donald 220 in 4 years.
We have discussed the border issue before and I know it is number one on your agenda. I don't like the situation either. If you are interested, here is another opinion.
Can you explain the difference in border activity before and after Jan. 20? What happened on Jan. 20 that could make a difference in illegal border crossings?
Candidate Biden advertised loudly and clearly that things would change with respect to the border after Jan. 20 (if he was elected). Sure enough... we saw caravans forming in anticipation of a Democrat returning to the White House. Who printed and distributed all those "Biden... Let Us In" t-shirts?
So, the surge in persons entering should be attributed to which US president?
Of course, slowing and in some cases halting deportations doesn't help the border crisis. And even with record breaking numbers of illegal crossings, the flood of drugs into the US and the victimization of innocent persons (most of them women and children)... the Biden administration would not call the situation at the border a "crisis."
Let's not forget the Biden administration quashing press coverage Lastly, why would so many people of color want to emigrate to a systemically racist country?
Tafhdyd... how did we get from the Great Awakening to the border? Oh, well... never mind.
I read the Cato Institute piece. I would answer with the Dude's quote, "Yeah, well, you know, that’s just like your opinion, man."
President Biden has made the border situation unsafe for those trying to cross without permission and Americans on the US side of the border. How did that happen? On Jan. 20, the president signed an order to pause deportations for 100 days. The result? In March, there was a 67% increase in illegal crossings... how many of those persons entering the US without permission were coming to apply for asylum? Then, when the Texas AG successfully sued to block the deportation moratorium, the Biden administration issued replacement guidance. In other words, only a small percentage of persons could be deported based on their criminal past. Here's the key question... what kinds of convictions would require US officials to release a border crosser and not process him or her for removal? Aggravated felonies. However, it's possible to be convicted of assault with a deadly weapon, some types of homicide or crimes against children and not meet the replacement guidance writ large by the Biden administration. That type of illegal border crosser is left free to walk around wherever he or she pleases.
We'll just skip over the brutalization of women and children at the hands of coyotes and the cartels, for now. In short, those felons who don't meet the Biden administration's replacement guidance for "aggravated" felonies are a danger to everyone.
Back to the Cato Institute article. The author is very learned and articulate... no doubt. He makes a strong point about some of the Trump policies for maintaining the border that Biden has not undone. OK. But there is little if any application of who may or may not have signed an executive order and what's happening at the border right now. I'd rather hear from border agents and people who live on this side of the border about the effects of Biden policies instead of what's coming out of a think tank headquartered in Washington, DC. That's just me...
I see your reply for the Cato link and you make good points and questions as you always do. Much better than some on the right that throw the same stuff at the wall everyday thinking that people will believe it if they say it enough times. I have said before that I don't like the border situation and what the current admin is doing isn't right and IMO what the Trump admin did wasn't right either.
I thought I would give you a different look at your previous comment. Not saying it's the thing, just saying it is different.
The T-shirts were made by Trump supporters. They did it to put more pressure on Biden. Just like kids putting a for sale sign on someones house as a prank to bother the homeowner.
The surge should be attributed to Trump, of course. It was not who was coming in, it was who was leaving. Once the torturer-in-chief was deposed those fighting the battle made a run for it. Like the Hebrew slaves leaving Egypt after Ramses and his god were defeated by Moses and his god. So let it be written, so let it be done.
The systemically racist country isn’t that systemically racist. Just parts of it and some of the people. Still a better place than where they came from in their minds. Well it is almost 5PM in Santa Fe so I have to go.
1) Trump supporters gave "Biden Please Let Us In" t-shirts to immigrants at the border to embarrass Biden... sounds like a bedtime story Nancy might tell her grandchildren. Snopes is not what it used to be but they reported... "As images of these 'Biden Please Let Us In' shirts circulated on social media, many people asked who was providing the funding for these shirts. As far as we can tell, these shirts were provided by Casa de Luz Tijuana, an organization that provides assistance to people who have migrated." That makes sense as protesters wearing the shirts rallied in Tijuana to make an appeal to the White House. Republicans did not pay for the t-shirts.
2) The surge should be attributed to Trump?!?! WOW... that's a double interrobang... So, immigrants were just waiting for the Donald to clean out his Oval Office desk before they rushed across the border? That's the rationale behind "Joe didn't cause the surge"? The absence of Trump created the surge? No, the surge was created by Biden as well as the health and safety crisis that followed. But hit the pause button for a second... if immigrants were just waiting for the Donald to turn off the lights and close the door, then that means Trump's policies were working to keep the border secure and manageable. Here's the bottom line... Trump, Biden or Rumpelstiltskin... it matters none. There's a crisis at the border and it's not being addressed. Where in the world is Kamala?
I said it was a different way of looking at it and yes there is a crisis at the border. BTW, the never mind about how we got to the border from a great awakening was because Dirk brought it up.
OK... yes, that explanation for the surge is a different way of looking at things. I jumped on it without looking at it from the perspective that Biden may not have been able to stop the surge after his inauguration. Antone is entitled to such an opinion, but it seems to me to be made of whole cloth.
That Dirk! You know... I try and I try to keep him in line... Actually, it looks like Dirk was sticking with the Constitutional theme presented in Matt's column. Then, Rel... stepping in as Jorg's stunt double... switched the topic. Maybe. Dirk mentioning the border, in my view, is still connected with the Constitutional theme.
If my memory is correct I believe you have mentioned the Constitution many times before in your columns. With your knowledge of the Constitution I am sure you are aware that America does not have a state religion. Americans are free to practice their religious beliefs, or not, without interference from the government. I also looked up your headlines about the National Prayer Day and see that they were on Christianity Daily. No wonder it didn’t look familiar, not exactly main stream media on the left or the right.
I do agree with you about America being on the wrong path and needing a correction. A little more religion by some would no doubt help, providing they practice what they preach. What bothers me is that I get the feeling that you may think that the evangelical right version of religion is the way to go. Sort of an undesignated state religion praising the current members of the Republican congress and their attempts to stop any legislation from the “evil” Democratic congress.
If you have any high up connections to the evangelicals or the Republican leadership I will give you some bible verses you may want to pass along to them. They deal with the lies, vindictive nature and sexual escapades of their golden idol, Donald J. Trump.
Proverbs 19:5
“A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape.”
Romans 12:19
”Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
Matthew 19:9
“I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
I would be guessing but I am sure some bible scholars could tell us a verse or two that would relate to holding up a bible for a photo op also.
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(15) comments
Thank you Matt. Like Jon's columns, it demonstrates that there are still religious intellectuals among us. A breath of fresh air but also an indictment of our current president. He swore his oath on a Bible to uphold the Constitution. That turned out to be as phony as a three dollar bill.
Yeah, Dirk, as usual, your comment is as phony as a four dollar bill. Kindly enlighten us as to how Biden has not upheld the Constitution. Has he declared the election illegal ahead of time? Has he incited his followers to seditionist actions against Congress? Has he talked about "us vs them"? How about providing one fact to support your slanted opinion?
Rel, Biden did not have to declare the election illegal because his party rigged it ahead of time. Of course, he was supposedly asleep in his basement while the machinations were taking place as described by an article in Time Magazine..
A President's primary responsibility is to his country's citizens and adherence to the three separate functions of the Government. He threw open the border allowing for thousands of unknown individuals to enter this country illegally and he issued 45 Executive Orders that overrule the Constitutional function of the Congress. Those are just two areas in which he violated the oath of his Office. I know that everything that Biden does is OK with you but these are no phony arguments.
Whoa... it's late but I didn't want to pass this opportunity to say opening the border when you have a sworn duty to uphold law... which law? The law that says it's illegal to enter the country without permission as Joe Biden has allowed to happen. That is a breach of his Constitutional obligations. But it's not just an arcane and abstract breach... the collateral damage to innocents on both side of the border has created a very serious crisis. But maybe we're being too harsh on Joe. He probably doesn't realize he has stretched the Constitution out of shape. In other words, he does not understand what is and what is not Constitutional. Remember... Candidate Biden said appointing Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court was unconstitutional. Skrrrrip! Uh... no, it wasn't. Joe surely didn't like it, but the President and the Senate acted in accordance with their sworn duties. Joe was not only wrong... he was Rel-ly wrong.
Ray, I see what you did there. That’s a Rel-ly good one!
Dirk,
You should at least try to check the facts before you throw stuff at the wall. Biden didn't "throw open the border" as the right wing propaganda machines spew everyday. Biden didn't sign 45 executive orders to overrule the Constitution. As of May 10th he has signed 43 orders and most of these were reversing Trump's orders so if they are not according to Hoyle now they were not according to Hoyle when Trump signed them. BTW, just like Trump would be to busy to play golf, he railed about Obama signing executive orders during his campaign. Obama signed 276 in 8 years, Donald 220 in 4 years.
Ray,
We have discussed the border issue before and I know it is number one on your agenda. I don't like the situation either. If you are interested, here is another opinion.
https://www.cato.org/commentary/bidens-closed-door-immigration-policies-are-not-open-borders
Tafhdyd... I haven't got to the link, yet. But...
Can you explain the difference in border activity before and after Jan. 20? What happened on Jan. 20 that could make a difference in illegal border crossings?
Candidate Biden advertised loudly and clearly that things would change with respect to the border after Jan. 20 (if he was elected). Sure enough... we saw caravans forming in anticipation of a Democrat returning to the White House. Who printed and distributed all those "Biden... Let Us In" t-shirts?
So, the surge in persons entering should be attributed to which US president?
Of course, slowing and in some cases halting deportations doesn't help the border crisis. And even with record breaking numbers of illegal crossings, the flood of drugs into the US and the victimization of innocent persons (most of them women and children)... the Biden administration would not call the situation at the border a "crisis."
Let's not forget the Biden administration quashing press coverage Lastly, why would so many people of color want to emigrate to a systemically racist country?
Tafhdyd... how did we get from the Great Awakening to the border? Oh, well... never mind.
I read the Cato Institute piece. I would answer with the Dude's quote, "Yeah, well, you know, that’s just like your opinion, man."
President Biden has made the border situation unsafe for those trying to cross without permission and Americans on the US side of the border. How did that happen? On Jan. 20, the president signed an order to pause deportations for 100 days. The result? In March, there was a 67% increase in illegal crossings... how many of those persons entering the US without permission were coming to apply for asylum? Then, when the Texas AG successfully sued to block the deportation moratorium, the Biden administration issued replacement guidance. In other words, only a small percentage of persons could be deported based on their criminal past. Here's the key question... what kinds of convictions would require US officials to release a border crosser and not process him or her for removal? Aggravated felonies. However, it's possible to be convicted of assault with a deadly weapon, some types of homicide or crimes against children and not meet the replacement guidance writ large by the Biden administration. That type of illegal border crosser is left free to walk around wherever he or she pleases.
We'll just skip over the brutalization of women and children at the hands of coyotes and the cartels, for now. In short, those felons who don't meet the Biden administration's replacement guidance for "aggravated" felonies are a danger to everyone.
Back to the Cato Institute article. The author is very learned and articulate... no doubt. He makes a strong point about some of the Trump policies for maintaining the border that Biden has not undone. OK. But there is little if any application of who may or may not have signed an executive order and what's happening at the border right now. I'd rather hear from border agents and people who live on this side of the border about the effects of Biden policies instead of what's coming out of a think tank headquartered in Washington, DC. That's just me...
Ray, back again,
I see your reply for the Cato link and you make good points and questions as you always do. Much better than some on the right that throw the same stuff at the wall everyday thinking that people will believe it if they say it enough times. I have said before that I don't like the border situation and what the current admin is doing isn't right and IMO what the Trump admin did wasn't right either.
I thought I would give you a different look at your previous comment. Not saying it's the thing, just saying it is different.
The T-shirts were made by Trump supporters. They did it to put more pressure on Biden. Just like kids putting a for sale sign on someones house as a prank to bother the homeowner.
The surge should be attributed to Trump, of course. It was not who was coming in, it was who was leaving. Once the torturer-in-chief was deposed those fighting the battle made a run for it. Like the Hebrew slaves leaving Egypt after Ramses and his god were defeated by Moses and his god. So let it be written, so let it be done.
The systemically racist country isn’t that systemically racist. Just parts of it and some of the people. Still a better place than where they came from in their minds. Well it is almost 5PM in Santa Fe so I have to go.
Tafhdyd... two items.
1) Trump supporters gave "Biden Please Let Us In" t-shirts to immigrants at the border to embarrass Biden... sounds like a bedtime story Nancy might tell her grandchildren. Snopes is not what it used to be but they reported... "As images of these 'Biden Please Let Us In' shirts circulated on social media, many people asked who was providing the funding for these shirts. As far as we can tell, these shirts were provided by Casa de Luz Tijuana, an organization that provides assistance to people who have migrated." That makes sense as protesters wearing the shirts rallied in Tijuana to make an appeal to the White House. Republicans did not pay for the t-shirts.
2) The surge should be attributed to Trump?!?! WOW... that's a double interrobang... So, immigrants were just waiting for the Donald to clean out his Oval Office desk before they rushed across the border? That's the rationale behind "Joe didn't cause the surge"? The absence of Trump created the surge? No, the surge was created by Biden as well as the health and safety crisis that followed. But hit the pause button for a second... if immigrants were just waiting for the Donald to turn off the lights and close the door, then that means Trump's policies were working to keep the border secure and manageable. Here's the bottom line... Trump, Biden or Rumpelstiltskin... it matters none. There's a crisis at the border and it's not being addressed. Where in the world is Kamala?
Ray,
I said it was a different way of looking at it and yes there is a crisis at the border. BTW, the never mind about how we got to the border from a great awakening was because Dirk brought it up.
Hey, Tafhdyd...
OK... yes, that explanation for the surge is a different way of looking at things. I jumped on it without looking at it from the perspective that Biden may not have been able to stop the surge after his inauguration. Antone is entitled to such an opinion, but it seems to me to be made of whole cloth.
That Dirk! You know... I try and I try to keep him in line... Actually, it looks like Dirk was sticking with the Constitutional theme presented in Matt's column. Then, Rel... stepping in as Jorg's stunt double... switched the topic. Maybe. Dirk mentioning the border, in my view, is still connected with the Constitutional theme.
Mr. Grocott,
If my memory is correct I believe you have mentioned the Constitution many times before in your columns. With your knowledge of the Constitution I am sure you are aware that America does not have a state religion. Americans are free to practice their religious beliefs, or not, without interference from the government. I also looked up your headlines about the National Prayer Day and see that they were on Christianity Daily. No wonder it didn’t look familiar, not exactly main stream media on the left or the right.
I do agree with you about America being on the wrong path and needing a correction. A little more religion by some would no doubt help, providing they practice what they preach. What bothers me is that I get the feeling that you may think that the evangelical right version of religion is the way to go. Sort of an undesignated state religion praising the current members of the Republican congress and their attempts to stop any legislation from the “evil” Democratic congress.
If you have any high up connections to the evangelicals or the Republican leadership I will give you some bible verses you may want to pass along to them. They deal with the lies, vindictive nature and sexual escapades of their golden idol, Donald J. Trump.
Proverbs 19:5
“A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape.”
Romans 12:19
”Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
Matthew 19:9
“I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
I would be guessing but I am sure some bible scholars could tell us a verse or two that would relate to holding up a bible for a photo op also.
Matt, Thank you, and bless you. We need more leaders and supporters like you.
Welcome to the discussion.
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