For God and Country

GEORGE WASHINGTON'S
1789 THANKSGIVING PROCLAMATION
By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.
Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor - and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.
Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be - That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks - for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation - for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war - for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed - for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted - for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.
And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions - to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually - to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed - to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord - To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us - and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.
Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

Does the Bible still matter in 2012?

After all the very visible fighting about public displays of religious symbols— from 10 Commandments plaques to graveyard crosses to faith-themed war memorials to holiday manger displays—you might have developed the impression that most Americans don’t think the Bible matters today and they like it that way.

You’d be wrong. That makes me feel better

There is a lot of speculation about both the current role and the appropriate role of the Bible in America. But each year, American Bible Society puts the guessing aside and asks a sampling of Americans to tell us how they view and use the Bible and what they believe its role should be in America.  Recently, American Bible Society released this year’s results from that research in the 2012 State of the Bible report.

The State of the Bible in America in 2012 can be summed up in a two words: encouraging and unsettling. I would think that this has always been the case

The research, commissioned by American Bible Society and conducted by Barna Research, found that the majority of Americans (69%) believe the Bible provides answers on how to live a meaningful life. Depending on how you view this, could be bad, could be good. Good that 69% believe, bad that only 69% believe...But while 79% believe they are knowledgeable about the Bible, 54% were unable to correctly identify the first five books of the Bible.  And approximately half of Americans surveyed didn’t know the fundamental differences between the teachings of the Bible, Koran and Book of Mormon, with 46% percent saying they believe all three books teach the same spiritual truths. Proving what? That people know about the bible but don't know the bible...

The State of the Bible in America in 2012 can be summed up in a two words: encouraging and unsettling.

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While nearly half of Americans (47%) believe the Bible has too little influence in society—Well, that is good, would be better if 95% believed the Bible has too little influence in America a far cry from the anti-faith picture often painted in culture—approximately half (46%) say they read the Bible no more than once or twice a year. Because it is not in vogue 

What The State of the Bible report also confirmed is that the lack of engagement with the Bible among Americans isn’t caused by a lack of access to it. Here in the United States, 85% of households own a Bible. Actually, most families own more than one, with a household average of 4.3 Bibles. Why is it that we can't open it, read it and share it with our families everyday? Everyday the Bible speaks to what we are experiencing. You just need to open it and find the example, it is there!

Looking more closely at the data, something really interesting emerges. When we examine responses to the question “Do you believe the Bible contains everything a person needs to live a meaningful life?”, we find that older respondents agreed at a much higher rate than did younger respondents. While 61% of those surveyed between ages 18-27 agreed, those 47 years and older agreed at a rate of 75%. Why? because they do not understand the Bible. They need to read and study the Bible, then through thoughtful consideration, they can make intelligent and informed decisions. Their eyes will be opened.

Before you assert that older people are just naturally more traditional, remember that the older group is made up of the Woodstock generation, free-love ‘70s kids and the MTV generation. The data seems to say that the older you are, the more likely you are to value the Bible. Maybe it’s that our own life experiences prove the value of the Bible’s wisdom? Ha ha, you think? 

There is no doubt that the findings in The State of the Bible lead to some obvious questions. For instance…

 If Americans believe in the value of reading and applying the Bible, why don’t more of us do so? Perhaps it is pressure from the world, reading the Bible is not cool in the main stream. 

 If we believe that the Bible has the right amount of—or too little—influence in society, why is so much negative attention given to expressions of the faith in the God of the Bible? Because it is true. The Bible is truth. It's writings are proven without doubt and that scares people who do not want to fully submit to the facts

When survey participants were asked what frustrated them most about reading the Bible, the most oft-cited response was that they “never had enough time to read it.” Hmmm, I wonder if they will have time to die? Perhaps, they are to busy to live??? The busy-ness of our lives often make it difficult for us to follow through on what we say we value. BULL! Another reason I often hear from non-Bible readers is that they find the sheer size of the Bible to be overwhelming. Try just reading a few pages a day. Rome was not built in a day

So where does someone start who wants to be a Bible reader but doesn’t have a lot of time? Go to a bible study. When you are having fun and learning, you will find the time  A good place to begin is with the “Essential 100.”  This list of 100 key verses and related stories do not contain everything the Bible has to say.  What it does provide is a concise way to understand the bigger arc of the Bible without getting bogged down. For all of those who wonder what the Bible is really all about, The Essential 100 (available at e100.americanbible.org) is a great starting point.

So is the Bible really relevant in 2012? You won’t know until you read it.

Lamar Vest is the president and CEO of the American Bible Society. Founded in 1816, the American Bible Society exists to make the Bible available to every person in a language and format each can understand and afford, so all people may experience its life-changing message. Just be very careful that you do not follow a writing of belief that is contrary to the direct writings and teachings in the bible. Let the Bible be the final word and not someone else's interruption of it.  

A note on survey methodology: The State of the Bible 2012 report contains the findings from a nationwide study commissioned by American Bible Society and conducted by Barna Research (a division of the Barna Group).

By Lamar Vest

Published April 29, 2012

FoxNews.com

Separation of Church and State

                                         Amen