Wisconsin's conservative Republican governor, Scott Walker, has a tendency to irritate liberals. From his initial election liberals have been fighting against him, opposing his every move, even though his policies and actions have turned the state around financially. He fought labor unions and outside protesters during a recall and won that as well.
Now it seems he has angered atheists in his state. One day last week Governor Walker apparently tweeted a Bible verse on his "official" Twitter account. The verse - Philippians 4:13 - says: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
It seems the atheist group takes exception with a government official revealing any type of religious affiliation. Their official statement was: “This braggadocio verse coming from a public official is rather disturbing. As governor, you took an oath of office to uphold the entirely godless and secular United States Constitution.”
The atheists are correct in the sense that the Constitution does not specifically mention God as a figure in our government. However, a little research shows that He was the center of their ideas for governing.
From timesrecordnews.com: "...the constitutional framers built their structure upon the foundation of Natural Law — a God-centered world view. On this the founders were in agreement. But "Natural Law" to the entire founding generation was defined as the "laws of the Creator." In a 1794 letter to the Massachusetts Legislature, Samuel Adams wrote, "In the supposed state of nature, all men are equally bound by the laws of nature, or to speak more properly, the laws of the Creator."
So natural law, particularly in those days when the only explanation they had for the universe and all it contained was by divine creation, meant the Creator, or God. It's not difficult to understand. But it is difficult to ignore.
George Washington, founder and first President of the newly born United States of America, said in his first inaugural address: "it would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official Act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the Universe, who presides in the Councils of Nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the People of the United States, a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes: and may enable every instrument employed in its administration, to execute with success, the functions allotted to His charge."
Apparently President Washington, considered by many to be the greatest President in our history, believed God was an integral part of our government. Following his inauguration, President Washington and all the members of Congress went in procession to St. Paul’s Church for Divine Service. And history shows it was Washington himself who added the words "So help me God" to the oath of office.
The Declaration of Independence, a precursor to the Constitution, speaks of our unalienable rights endowed by our Creator. Even though President Obama decided to leave the words "by our Creator" in one of his addresses (It seems God can be a political inconvenience to him at times) the words are part of the document. Samuel Adams once said of the Declaration: "Before the formation of the Constitution … this Declaration of Independence was received and ratified by all the states in the Union and has never been disannulled." So the Declaration of Independence is part of our U.S. Code.
Perhaps the atheist group is talking about the Wisconsin Constitution being "godless and secular." No - that couldn't be it because the Preamble to the Wisconsin Constitution says: "We, the people of Wisconsin, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, in order to secure its blessings, form a more perfect government, insure domestic tranquility and promote the general welfare, do establish this constitution."
So let's go back to the U.S. Constitution. The atheist group says the document is "godless and secular" and doesn't ever mention God. However, in Article VII the founders wrote: "done in Convention … the Seventeenth Day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty seven and of the Independence of the United States of America."
"In the year of our Lord." That seems pretty clear. Some will say that was simply a common phrase of the times but why was it common? It was because the founders measured time from the birth of Jesus Christ, as did most of the Western world at the time.
Try as they will, atheists cannot remove God from the roots of our government. What's interesting is - they claim that Walker and other politicians who speak of their religious beliefs and/or affiliations are trying to "force religion" on them. Yet it is with great effort that they try to force their "non-religious beliefs" or denial of the existence of God on us.
Atheists' non-belief in God doesn't hurt or threaten me in any way. I feel sorry for them but they don't threaten me. That doesn't seem to be the case the other way around. The Freedom From Religion Foundation said in a letter that Governor Walker used “the machinery of the state of Wisconsin to promote personal religious views.” They say that the tweet sounds like “a threat… the utterance of a theocratic dictator.”
So a man saying he believes in Jesus Christ is now a threat? I guess it's all they have since there is no rational objection to be made other than "We don't believe in God and therefore you shouldn't either. And if you do keep it to yourself because we are offended that you disagree with us."
If Christians got offended as easily as atheists we'd be angry all the time - just like they are. Look at some of the famous ones - Bill Mahar, Mikey Weinstein, Sarah Silverman, Kathy Griffin....
It must be tough living a life with nothing to believe in but yourself.
Note: As of this morning it appears Governor Walker won't be intimidated. Even under the threat of a lawsuit by the Freedom From Religion Foundation he has refused to remove the Bible verse from his Twitter account. Apparently they don' understand the governor very well...
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