Stand Firm, America!
by Marcia G. Phyfer

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the
people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
Psalm 33:12

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September 11, 2001, the date when our nation was attacked by terrorists,
represents a dramatic turning point in America's history. On this date, we
stepped out of our comfort zones and showed the world our true colors:
RED, WHITE, and BLUE!

RED:
Our initial sense of alarm, fear, and anger came forth as
unwavering courage and fierce determination.

WHITE:
From the white ashes of ruins, there arose an impregnable fortress
built of pure love and genuine concern for our fellowman.

BLUE:
When our hearts were blue and filled with sorrow, we offered each other a shoulder
to cry on and extended an arm of unbridled compassion for one another.

In his address to the nation on the evening of September 11, 2001, President
George W. Bush helped to restore and unite our red, white, and blue hearts when
he delivered to the American people a profound truth with this comforting thought:
 

"A great people has been moved to defend a great nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America."
--President George W. Bush (Sept. 11, 2001)

President Bush was right. As a matter of fact, the terrorist attacks served to strengthen the foundation of America. There is, however, an erosive undercurrent of sentiment which poses a significant threat to the foundation of America, a nation that was built on Judeo-Christian principles, a nation whose founding fathers recognized the existence as well as the sovereignty of God. The decision of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in June of 2002 to ban the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance by children in public schools because of the words "under God" is a prime example of those undermining forces hard at work in America.

In this lawsuit, Michael Newdow, an atheist residing in California, claimed that his daughter had suffered injury by being forced to "watch and listen as her state-employed teacher in her state-run school leads her classmates in a ritual proclaiming that there is a God, and that our's is 'one nation under God.' " Newdow later removed his daughter from the case, as it was brought to light that the girl and her mother were practicing Christians and that his daughter actually enjoyed saying the pledge each morning at school. Newdow sought to have the words "Under God" removed from the pledge, and he argued that the addition of the phrase "Under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954 as well as the daily recitation of the pledge, led by the teachers in elementary schools in his daughter's school district, are violations of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the Constitution.

On Friday, February 28, 2003, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals refused to re-hear the case or to overturn the decision from June of 2002. This ruling would have directly affected over 9.6 million students by prohibiting the recitation of the pledge in the following 9 western states: Arizona, Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. On Tuesday, March 4, 2003, the Court put a hold on its ruling until the United States Supreme Court could hear and issue a ruling on the case. On Monday, June 14, 2004, the Supreme Court dismissed the case, stating that Michael Newdow did not have legal standing to file the suit and thereby overturning the previous decision to ban the pledge. However, since the Supreme Court failed to address the constitutional issues of the case, this battle is not over. Newdow has vowed to enlist others to fight this battle in our courts.

I recently received the following message in an e-mail:

It is said that 86% of Americans believe in God. Therefore I have a very hard time understanding why there is such a mess about having "In God We Trust" on our money and having God in the Pledge of Allegiance. Why don't we just tell the 14% to shut up and sit down???? If you agree, pass this on, if not delete...

At first, I chuckled at the thought of silencing those voices in opposition to my own point of view. Then, I read the message a second time, and suddenly, it dawned on me... that I didn't agree at all with this statement. This is, after all, America! And, living in America means that we don't have the right to tell anyone to sit down and shut up. The individuals represented by that 14% have just as much right to speak and voice their opinion as anyone else in America. So, rather than telling the 14% to sit down and shut up, let's join together under the authority of God Almighty and make a concerted effort to tell the 86% of Americans who do believe in God to...

STAND UP AND SPEAK AND BE HEARD!!

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
--quote attributed to Edmund Burke (1729–1797)

Sadly, the evil monster that now threatens the very foundation of the American way of life has grown and thrived while feeding on our complacency, our passive nature, our apathetic mindset, and our "politically correct" attitudes. The time to speak up and the time to act is NOW! Our country wasn't founded by a bunch of passive, "politically correct" wimps. Rather, America was founded by God-fearing men who bravely took a stand for what they believed in and boldly fought to defend their God-given rights. Furthermore, our founding fathers never intended for our government to be neutral concerning religion; rather, it was their intent that our nation be tolerant of various religious persuasions, while recognizing God as our Supreme Authority. The Godly heritage and foundation of our great nation is being threatened like never before, and it is our duty to make sure that the intent of our founding fathers will never, ever again be forgotten or misconstrued by the American public.

The following points were written by John Bakas, a lawyer in Florida, who has researched some of the issues relating to the intent of those who wrote the First Amendment and the claims of those who argue that the pledge is unconstitutional. In summary, here is his opinion:

	The drafters believed and repeatedly acted on the fact that this nation is under God.
	The words "under God" are not an establishment of religion, which is a government-created religious institution.
	The drafters knew the difference between a) a man-made religious establishment and b) the sovereignty of God over the nation. They prevented Congress from engaging in the first while not denying the second.
	A growing number of people today have disqualified themselves from the discussion of the difference between "an establishment of religion" and God's sovereignty because many people today refuse to even acknowledge God's existence.
	Of course atheists fail to understand the balance in the First Amendment that preserved the truth of God's sovereignty while restricting the arrogance of man in national religious institutions. Of course atheists claim that the drafters of the First Amendment sought to destroy public-supported recognitions of God's sovereignty. But their rants derive from their denial of truth, not the constitution.
	And, of course, those wise old eighteenth century founding fathers knew that it would be the pride of man, when backed by the power of a federal government, that could destroy the true freedoms on which this nation was founded (like the Ninth Circuit attempted to do). It was exactly that kind of federal government arrogance and ignorance that the people feared when the federal government was established and that the First Amendment was intended to prevent.

If the 2002 ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals had been upheld by the Supreme Court, the "Pledge of Allegiance" decision would have set a precedent that could soon ban the public reading of virtually every historical document of the United States of America. Additionally, many of our patriotic songs could be barred from the public arena. Then what? The elimination of our national motto, "In God We Trust"? The removal of "In God We Trust" from all of our currency? The restriction from uttering the word "God" in a public forum ever again? Does this sound like a free, Democratic society to you? Does this describe a nation with liberty and justice for ALL? Of course not!!

So... what can the God-fearing people of America do to restore and to preserve our nation's Godly heritage? We must ready ourselves for battle and join the fight!

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Ephesians 6: 11-18 NIV

Stand Firm, America! © 2003-2005 Marcia G. Phyfer

Plan of Action: Steps Toward Restoring America

1

Pray!

Pray for our nation, pray for its leaders, pray for the men and women serving in our armed forces, pray for our judges, pray for our legislators, and please, please... pray for Michael Newdow and others who threaten to destroy the very foundation upon which our nation was built.

Visit the Intercessor's Prayer Index
Suggestions for Christians who pray, interceding to God according to Scripture.

2

Support the Religious Liberties Restoration Act

StopLiberalJudges.com - Support the Religious Liberties Restoration Act

Ask your senators to co-sponsor S. 1558, introduced by Sen. Wayne Allard of Colorado. StopLiberalJudges.com is an online campaign of the American Family Association, a leading conservative, pro-family organization committed to motivating and equipping citizens to change the culture to reflect Biblical truth.

3

Help to place a poster of our national motto "In God We Trust"
in every public school classroom in America.

On July 24, 2000, the U. S. House of Representatives passed House Resolution 548, which states that "the House of Representatives encourages the display of the national motto of the United States in public buildings throughout the Nation." Public buildings include city halls, court houses, public libraries, and public schools, as well as other government office buildings. Subsequently, my own state of Mississippi, passed a law, Mississippi House Bill 51, requiring that the national motto be displayed in all public school classrooms, cafeterias, and auditoriums in the state. Other states have passed similar laws, and still others are considering doing so. Please note, though, that having a state law which allows the display of our national motto in public school buildings is NOT a prerequisite for displaying the national motto in those school buildings. All of the public school districts in America can adopt a policy to display the national motto, if they so choose, whether their state has enacted a law or not.
With its 'In God We Trust' posters, the American Family Association has launched a national campaign to display our national motto in public school buildings throughout America. According to AFA President Donald Wildmon, the American Family Association hopes to "place before our children a copy of the official motto of the United States. It is our hope that this poster will be a reminder of the historical centrality of God in the life of our republic."

Take action now to support this effort:

	Go to the American Family Association web site to learn more about their 'In God We Trust' Poster Campaign. While at the AFA site, check the following page to see if your state has already passed a law regarding the use and display of our national motto: http://www.afa.net/igwt/statelaws.asp
	If you would like to work on a local level to get your school district to approve the display of these posters, click on the following link to the AFA site and read: What One Person Can Do Note: If your Superintendent of Schools and/or School Board members express concern over a lawsuit being filed against the school district as a result of displaying the national motto in the schools, inform them that the AFA Center for Law and Policy is prepared to defend them free of charge!
	Contact your Governor and state legislators asking them to introduce and support a bill requiring that the national motto be displayed in all public school classrooms, cafeterias, and auditoriums in your state.
	Offer to purchase some posters for classrooms in your school district. Ask local church and civic groups to consider purchasing posters and /or frames for public schools in your community. These beautiful, full color posters can be purchased from the American Family Association. Go to the AFA Online Store for details on pricing and ordering. (Note: AFA will provide the artwork to printers who are willing to print and donate the posters free of charge.)

4

Contact your senators and representatives in Washington DC.

Let members of the United States Congress know where you stand on these important issues. Contact them by phone, mail, and/or e-mail.
For contact information on individual senators, go to www.senate.gov.
For contact information on individual representatives, go to www.house.gov.

5

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This web site was created and is maintained by Marcia G. Phyfer

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Marcia G. Phyfer • 510 South Division Street • West Point, MS 39773 • E-mail address: Grace24u@aol.com