We hold these truths to be self evident,
that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among Men deriving
their just powers from the consent of the governed...
If the Revolution had failed, these words would have amounted to a death
warrant for the fifty-six men who signed the Declaration of Independence. It
is hard to believe that some in our nation would try to prevent school
children from regularly reciting these inspiring words. Nonetheless, New
Jersey residents are being asked to lobby their state legislators in an
effort to defeat a law that would require their children to recite and learn
about these fifty-six words from the Declaration of Independence during the
school day. Senator Gerald Cardinale and Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll
were the prime sponsors of the Senate and Assembly versions of the Bill.
Both were surprised when the Bill received such a vehement negative reaction.
Opponents have accused the Bill's supporters of trying "to come up with a
way of getting God into the public schools." They have complained that
focusing on the mention of the Creator requires school children to pay
respect to a Divine Being.
Assemblyman Carroll has denied any hidden agenda in sponsoring the Bill
and says this legislation is not merely an effort to bring prayer in through
the back door. He likens the proposed recitation to using the words "one
nation under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance.
In order for a bill to become law in New Jersey, it must pass both the
Assembly and the Senate. The latest version of the Bill has bypassed the
Committee process and is poised for a Senate vote as soon as it is placed on
the Senate agenda. The Assembly approved an earlier version of the Bill in
May of 1999, but the updated Senate version must be referred back to the
Assembly for approval. Senator Cardinale's office is making no predictions.
"It's anybody's guess if [the Bill] will pass or not before the [legislative]
session adjourns in January [2000]."
Regardless of whether the proposed Bill is enacted in New Jersey, the
efforts of New Jersey legislators to pass this law should be applauded.
Reciting these fifty-six words from the Declaration of Independence would
help school children learn the source of their rights and what it means to be
an American.
New Jersey school children would learn that the founders of America
acknowledged God. In holding these truths to be self-evident, the fifty-six
signers of the Declaration of Independence affirmed that Godís existence
required no further discussion or debate. Indeed, at least half of the
signers of the Declaration were Christians. Twenty-four were known to be
sincere Christians, and four others, whose Christian views are not
specifically known, attended colleges such as Harvard which required that "Every one shall consider the main end of his life and studies, to know God
and Jesus Christ which is eternal life." (John 17:3)
The reference in these fifty-six words to God as our Creator and the
source of our "unalienable rights" was only one of four times that God was
specifically named in the Declaration. In the introductory paragraph, God is
declared as a lawgiver, the Author of "the laws of nature and of nature's
God." This phrase was understood to mean God's law, obtainable through
reason and science, and the Law revealed in Scripture. In declaring "that
all men are created equal," the preamble refers to God as our "Creator," the
source of our "unalienable rights." In the body of the Declaration, the
delegates appealed to "the Supreme Judge of the world" thereby recognizing
God as judge. Finally, the signers mutually pledged their lives, their
fortunes, and their sacred honor "with a firm reliance on the protection of
divine Providence." The courage of America's founders came from the sure
knowledge that God was their Protector.
Of course, the opponents of the New Jersey Bill have cited the "wall of
separation between church and state" as one reason for not exposing school
children to the Declaration of Independence with its foundational Christian
principles. But how can the "separation" doctrine, now enshrined in the
First Amendment to the United States Constitution, truly mean that school
children should not recite from the document on which this nation was
founded?
The First Amendment religion clauses were intended to prevent the federal
establishment of a national religion. They were never intended to completely
exile God from the government. On October 4, 1999, members of the House of
Representatives were recognized for sixty minutes to discuss this very issue
during Special Orders on the floor.
Representative Pitts of Pennsylvania noted: "Today the federal
government, specifically the federal courts, now use Jefferson's separation
phrase for a purpose exactly opposite of what he intended. They now use his
phrase to prohibit the free exercise of religion...Rather than freedom of
religion, they now want freedom from religion." Representative Aderholt from
Alabama opined that the separation phrase "has recently become a federal
hunting license against traditional religion in this country." Among the
many examples he gave to support this assertion was the refusal of several
states to print religious phrases on custom license plates. The State of
Oregon refused to print "PRAY",the State of Virginia refused to print "GOD 4
US," and the State of Utah refused to print "THANK GOD." Representative
Hayes of North Carolina reminded the nation that "We are not required to
conduct government as if God did not exist."
The only explanation as to why anyone would oppose having New Jersey
school children recite fifty-six words from the Declaration of Independence
is because they want to deny God's role in the formation and legal foundation
of our nation. It is time for opponents of the New Jersey Bill to step
forward and acknowledge that their true agenda is to re-write history to
impose their own anti-God values on America's school children. Parents
across this nation need some assurance that what is being taught to the youth
of America is "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth."
