Yes, Virginia, America has a Godly Heritage, VOL 4, 2013

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Anne Bradstreet, Cotton Mather, George Washington, God's design, ingratitude, society, William Bradford

The Reverend Robert Hunt gives thanks with other English settlers at Cape Henry, Virginia in April 1607.

“No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore
the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men
more than those of the United States.
Every step by which they have advanced
to the character of an independent nation
seems to have been distinguished
by some token of providential agency …”

George Washington, First Inaugural Address

When the first boats touched ground in the New World, their immediate response was GRATITUDE to GOD. Whether Jamestown or Plimouth, they were grateful for safe arrival for those who survived.

Their focus was not on their losses but on their success. Even through the hardships of those first years, the settlers were compelled to acknowledge the hand of a Sovereign God in their early literature, poetry, and the education of their young. The literary works of Early Americans like William Bradford (1590 – 1657), Gov of Plymouth Colony, Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672), Poet & homemaker, and Cotton Mather (1663-1728) Clergyman and scientist, clearly reflect the prominent place given to God in early American culture.

It was understood that …

without God’s intervention in the crossing, none would have survived.

Without His provision through that first and subsequent winters, none would have flourished.

Without God’s sovereign help, the colonies of the New World would never have made it to the Revolutionary period, to break free from Britain, and to thrive in this experiment of self-rule and grow into the most generous, most gracious, most compassionate, yet most powerful nation on earth.

This was God’s design. The impoverished are not capable of offering material help to others, but the FREEDOMS born in AMERICA, created a society that was highly productive, creative, and innovative. These freedoms allowed individuals to create wealth which was shared generously with many other nations making AMERICA the giving-est nation in the world! God blessed America with vast resources so we could share with a needy, oppressed world, not join them in their oppression!

Time issue of April 8, 1966

BUT somewhere along the line, we started taking credit for our success. Prayer was removed from schools, and God was declared DEAD. Those who worship God were told to keep it to themselves and not “force” others to endure such silliness.

The “capstone” was the legalization of murder … the murder of unborn children. A scan through history will reveal that NO CULTURE that killed its young survived long. Respect for LIFE is a vital moral, ethical, legal, and social marker of the health of a nation. Today, not only are we aborting unborn children, but there is a HOT debate about the killing of babies born alive. Many are simply okay with this because … well, who wants to allow unwanted (or inconvenient) babies to live? Many also believe euthanasia, (the PC label is “mercy killing” – but it is killing nonetheless) is acceptable.

How quickly America forgot her heritage, her roots, her raison d’être. How quickly we allowed our history to be perverted and twisted into fiction that serves the political good of those in power. How quickly we blame God when tragedy strikes, but how quickly we push His wisdom away when it doesn’t FEEL good.

God is surely NOT DEAD, and He is not blind to the ingratitude the fills our airways, our markets, and our homes. The sobering thing is that He will not wait forever for us to return to Him … He is very much involved in what is happening in AMERICA today. The hardships in our nation and our world are supposed to turn us to Him, to remind us that He is bigger than we are, smarter than we are, and knows BETTER than we do how to “save the world!”

When was the last time you said THANK YOU to GOD for anything?

RELATED ARTICLES:

• Our Nation’s Godly Heritage ~ BELIEVE!
• Yes, Virginia, America has a Godly Heritage Vol 1, 2013
• Yes, Virginia, America has a Godly Heritage Vol 2, 2013
• Yes, Virginia, America has a Godly Heritage Vol 3, 2013

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Yes, Virginia, America has a Godly Heritage Vol 1, 2013

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freedom, George Washington, Godly Heritage, John Armstrong, Jr.

George Washington, First U.S. President

George Washington (1732-1799), First President of the United States

Almighty God, we make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy Holy protection; and Thou wilt incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government; and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow Citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for their brethren who have served in the Field.

And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy and to demean ourselves that Charity, humility and pacific temper of mind which were the Characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed Religion, and without a humble imitation of whose example in these things we can never hope to be a happy nation.

Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.



Washington at Valley Forge. Lithograph by F. Heppenheimer, 1853.

“Washington’s prayer for the United States of America appears on a plaque in St. Paul’s Chapel in New York City as well as at Phick Church, Fairfax County, Virginia, where Washington was a vestryman from 1762 to 1784.

“George Washington was born in January 1732 on his family’s Pope Creek estate near present-day Colonial Beach in Westmoreland County, Virginia. Washington’s ancestors were from Sulgrave, England, his grandfather having emigrated in 1657. His father was a slave-owning tobacco planter.

“Although he expressed opposition to the Stamp Act, it was the passage of the Intolerable Acts in 1774 that caused him to attend the First Virginia Convention, at which he was selected as a delegate to the First Continental Congress. After the battles of Lexington and Concord, Washington appeared at the Second Continental Congress in a military uniform, signaling that he was prepared for war with the British. He was quickly made Major General and Commander in Chief of the Continental Army.

“His war accomplishments were difficult, many, and in some cases miraculous. His return to Mount Vernon was short-lived. He attended the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, where he was elected president of the convention. After the ratification of the Constitution, the Electoral College elected Washington unanimously as the new-born nation’s first president. He remains the only president to have received 100 percent of the electoral votes.

“He served eight years, and retired once again to Mount Vernon, relieved to be at the place he loved. In less than three years, he had died of a throat infection. The Nation spent months in mourning him. He is interred at Mount Vernon. On the rear side of Washington’s tomb is engraved: “I am the Resurrection and the Life, sayeth the Lord. He that believeth in Me, although he were dead yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.” Throughout his life, Washington was an Anglican.”

Today’s progressive historians are working to distort the truth about the amazing , but imperfect men who designed our experimental system of government. While they were not all traditional thinkers in regards to education or religion, they were men of virtue who strove to better themselves, not just financially or intellectually, but spiritually. Each of these brilliant men, understood the importance of spiritual thought. The majority of them were Christians, though not necessarily traditional Christian.

In spite of their religious differences, or maybe because of them, they valued the freedom to seek God as they saw fit, to seek the TRUTH as they needed. It was understood by these Founders that future generations of Americans would need to govern themselves in this new experiment via men and women of Character and Virtue. This is where today’s leadership fails. There are but a few men and women worthy of popular trust serving in Washington DC or state capitals. Integrity and Virtue are now laughed at by many, and certainly not encouraged on any front. We must remind ourselves that FREEDOM was GOD’s idea first!

John Armstrong, Jr. (1758-1843), Senator, Secretary of War

“Nor is this spiritual admiral disease to be healed by a better education, a few a few external, transient thoughts. It requires the hand of the great Physician, the Lord Jesus Christ, by His Holy Spirit, and belief of the truth renewing the state of the mind and disposition of the heart as well, thereby leading the soul from a sense of fear of the wrath of God, the penalty of His broken law, and helpless in itself, to flee to the merit of Jesus, the only refuge or foundation which God hath laid in His Church, and who was made sin for us (that is, a sin-offering), that all ‘believers be made the righteousness of God by Him.’

“John Armstrong, Jr. was born in 1758 in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He studied law at the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) but broke off his studies to fight in the Revolutionary War. After the revolution, he was a delegate for Pennsylvania to the Continental Congress. Although initially offered many political positions, he declined them all to be a country gentleman farmer. He later served two separate terms as a United States Senator from New York. President James Madison chose Armstrong to be the Secretary of War. He was married to Aida Livingston, and a member of the Livingston family still operates his farm in Duchess County. He died in 1843 at his farm in Red Hook, New York, and is buried at the cemetery in Rhinebeck.”

Have we no higher ambition than to stuff our pockets, build a bigger mansion, possess more stuff? Whatever happened to RIGHT and WRONG? They’ve been turned around. RIGHT is now “old-fashioned,” “narrow-minded,” or simply odd, while perversion is encouraged, greed infects every stratus and income level of our population, and it’s “fair” to expect others to pay for my needs and wants! WRONG emanates from Washington DC, from the highest seats of power in our nation all the way to the youngest children imitating their parents or other adults. Yet if God is mentioned, he is mocked or denied.

If humankind is capable of improvement without God, we better get started on it soon before we self-destruct!

Ft. Ligonier, PA – The Blustery British vs French Battle Young Gen Washington lost!

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"life lessons", American, American Heroes, American history, American Interests, American Morality, Committment, Conservative opinion, French & Indian War, Ft Ligonier, George Washington, Seven Year War, The BEST of America

On this lovely, windy autumn day, some friends and I drove up towards the mountains of Pennsylvania to enjoy “Ligonier Days“ at Ft Ligonier, PA. I knew we would not be able to stay long since my friends are Seniors, but we wanted to go. We arrived just in time for the re-enactment of the battle that took place at Ft. Ligonier, a turning point in the French & Indian War.

Ft Ligonier Museum

Today at the Fort Ligonier Museum visitors can see the latest exhibition about the most significant and decisive conflict of the 18th century, which Winston Churchill called the first world war. This long-term installation, The World Ablaze: An Introduction to the Seven Years’ War, represents a significant addition to the permanent collections of Fort Ligonier, especially in British, French and Native American items. READ MORE

The history of Fort Ligonier began in September 1758 and was concluded in March 1766, embracing the period of the French and Indian War and Pontiac’s War. Today, the story of this time period is told through the remarkable Fort Ligonier museum exhibits and a fully reconstructed and restored fortification. MORE HERE

By 1758, General John Forbes was assigned the daunting task of seizing Fort Duquesne, the French citadel at the forks. He ordered construction of a new road across Pennsylvania, guarded by a chain of fortifications, the final link being the “Post at Loyalhanna”, fifty miles from his objective, to serve as a supply depot and staging area for a British-American army of 5000 troops. The fort was constructed in September 1758. By late October, Washington had arrived at Loyalhanna, but not before the defeat of a British force at Fort Duquesne on September 14, and the successful defense of Loyalhanna from a French attack on October 12. Heavily outnumbered, the French abandoned Fort Duquesne, which Forbes occupied on November 25. He designated the site “Pittsburgh” in honor of Secretary of State William Pitt. Forbes also named Loyalhanna “Fort Ligonier” after his superior, Sir John Ligonier, commander in chief in Great Britain.

Brigadier General John Forbes gave his name to a challenging military campaign and to a remarkable road. Follow the Forbes Trail through Pennsylvania’s history.

"British soldiers manning the Fort!"

On the grounds of the Fort you will find a living history encampment showing frontier life, military tactics, drills, cannon firing, ceremonies, Highlanders, redcoats, French troops, frontier men and women, Indians and music from 1758. (Ft Ligonier website)

The fourth and final French and Indian War, fought between Britain and France over control of North America, that eventually became part of the Seven Years War. The French had colonies in Canada and Lousiana, and were attempting to link them by taking control of the Ohio Valley. This would have encircled the British colonies on the coast, and stopped any expansion on their part. The war begin with conflict between the French in the Ohio Valley and the Virginians, led by George Washington, who was forced to withdraw by the French. The war started well for the French. A British campaign in 1755 led by General Braddock met with disaster, and saw the death of Braddock, while 1756 saw the French led by General de Montcalm captured Fort Oswego and Fort George and 1757 saw the fall of Fort William Henry. The war turned in 1758, first with the capture of Louisburg and then Fort Ticonderoga, followed on 13 September 1759 by the Battle of the Plains of Abraham (Canada), in which General de Montcalm was killed and by the fall of Quebec on 18 September. Finally the French lost Montreal (8 September 1760), ending their interest in Canada, and removing the French threat to the American colonies. The British occupation of Canada was confirmed by the Treaty of Paris (1763).

French & Indians VS British

After General John Forbes arrived at the Post at Loyalhanna, later known as Fort Ligonier, in early November 1758, he decided to spend the winter here. Intelligence gathered on the day of a friendly fire incident, however, prompted him to change this strategy.

George Washington in 1772

At dusk on November 12, Colonel George Washington, then 26 years of age, led on foot a detachment of 500 Virginia soldiers from Fort Ligonier. Shortly afterward, Lieutenant Colonel George Mercer led an additional 500 men by a different route. The two leaders planned to surround a force of 140 French and Native American warriors which, they believed, was trying to steal the British army’s cattle and horses. Three prisoners were captured; the rest withdrew to Fort Duquesne, 50 miles to the west.

Soon, the two Virginia units encountered each other in the darkness, and, mistaking each other for the enemy, engaged in friendly fire that killed or left missing 38 soldiers and two officers. Intelligence gathered from the prisoners indicated that Fort Duquesne was weak. Forbes accordingly countermanded his orders and led 2,500 troops, including Washington, to the forks of the Ohio River. Fort Duquesne, blown up and abandoned by the French, was captured on November 25, 1758 and renamed Pittsburgh by Forbes. He also renamed the Post at Loyalhanna, Fort Ligonier.

The Seven Years War was the first global conflict. It had two main fronts. The first, in Europe, was the hostility between Prussia and Austria, still simmering after the War of the Austrian Succession , which expanded through alliances to include all of Europe. The second was the colonial rivalries between Britain, France and Spain, known in America as the French and Indian War, which begin in 1754 with conflict over control of the Ohio valley. The Seven Years War started in a flurry of diplomatic activity which resulted in a diplomatic revolution and the reversal of the alliances of the War of the Austrian Succession. First Britain and Prussia formed an alliance (January 1756), followed by France and Austria, who had been traditional enemies. The fighting started with Frederick II of Prussia‘s invasion and defeat of Saxony (August-October 1756), although the main conflict did not start until the following year. MORE HISTORY HERE

View of the Fort from the town of Ligonier

Our overcast, blustery morning, broke into beautiful, sunny day, just as the battle got underway. We had a lovely time learning more about our local history. The Pittsburgh area boasts many local historical sites, Ft Ligonier is just one!

A Hard Truth ~ Each American is Responsible! (via blogsense-by-barb)

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All great change in America begins at the dinner table." ~ Ronald Reagan ~ What is more central to a civilization, a culture than the family unit? The strength and design of the family defines the culture, and, as such, its future. What is a Family? According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a family is “a group of two or more people who reside together and who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption” (U.S. Census Bureau). Though this definition se … Read More

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The Issue Of Sovereignty (via Samuel at Gilgal)

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alexander-hamilton, barackobama, border security, constitution, Founding Fathers, freedom, George Washington, government, history, Independence, national-defense, patriotism, politics, sovereignty, terrorism, Texas, united-state, united-states-constitution

Quoting Steven Groves: The United States is a sovereign nation. Sovereignty is a simple idea: the United States is an independent nation, governed by the American people, that controls its own affairs. The American people adopted the Constitution and created the government. They elect their representatives and make their own laws. The Founding Fathers understood that if America does not have sovereignty, it does not have independence. If a foreig … Read More

via Samuel at Gilgal

A Hard Truth ~ Each American is Responsible!

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"life lessons", Abraham Lincoln, accountability, Albert Einstein, American Conservative, American history, American Interests, Americans, Big Government, Billy Graham, Blog, character training, Committment, Conservative opinion, Democrat, DO SOMETHING!, Eleanor Roosevelt, George Washington, Helen Keller, Hope * Change, Human nature, Human Rights, individuals, Jesus, limited government, Military appreciation, people, responsibility, Ronald Reagan, spiritual, term limits, Thomas Paine, Women's Issues

Capitol or School Yard?

All great change in America begins at the dinner table.”
Ronald Reagan

What is more central to a civilization, a culture than the family unit? The strength and design of the family defines the culture, and, as such, its future.

What is a Family?

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a family is “a group of two or more people who reside together and who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption” (U.S. Census Bureau).

20 Signs That The Moral Decline Of America Is Spinning Wildly Out Of Control

*WARNING: Sensitive readers may be offended by photos

WAKE UP AMERICA!!!!!!!!

“#1) 37 years after Roe v. Wade, 50 million babies have been killed and yet the United States is still continuing to abort babies with no end in sight.

#2) Cindy McCain, the wife of Republican Senator John McCain, and their daughter Meghan have both posed for photos endorsing pro-gay marriage forces in California.

#3) According to one new report, Barack Obama is planning to issue a letter in the next couple weeks that will guarantee U.S. government support for a plan to give much of the West Bank and eastern sections of Jerusalem to the Palestinians within two years.

#4) As if going through airport security was not enough of a hassle, now TSA employees are playing cruel pranks on passengers.

#5) Goldman Sachs has officially confessed to “improper behavior” during the housing crash – but they aren’t about to give all that money back.” READ ON

The belief that America is degenerating on a moral level is shared by both Republicans and Democrats. According to a new Gallup poll, 82 percent of Republicans and 78 percent of Democrats say that moral values in the U.S.A. are only fair or downright poor. 40 years ago, only 33 percent of Americans felt that way.

So what’s happened? First, secular forces have destroyed any rendering of Judeo-Christian philosophy in the public school system. Many teachers are now ordered not to make value judgments on behavior and not to push any specific moral standards. Thus children receive little if any moral guidance in class.

Second, with the rise of single parent homes, more and more American kids wind up unsupervised for long periods of time, left to the television set or the computer, where harmful material comes at them like rain in a thunderstorm.

Third, major corporations now traffic in sex and violence to an extent never before seen in this country. Americans spend more than $10 billion a year on porn every year. And violent video games gross billions more for corporations.

Fourth, peer pressure to actually reject immoral behavior is virtually non-existent in many places. The military criminals at Abu Ghraib never could have committed their crimes if other soldiers did not look away. The code of silence about bad behavior is an infectious disease among Americans. READ ON

“The left insists on its constructs, on isolating entire groups into neat categories of oppressed and oppressor, but it can only keep those categories alive by perpetuating their disempowerment in one way or another. Take Griggs v Duke Power Co, in which the Supreme Court held that it was racist for a company to ask for a high school diploma of its employees, because such a requirement had a disproportionate impact on minorities. Like many of the loonier Burger court decisions, this one was scaled back over time, but what of the idea behind it. That social justice involves lowering barriers for qualification, thereby discouraging ability and competence.” READ ON

Historical Figures weigh in on
the Importance of Morality or Character

Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character. ~ Albert Einstein

Nearly all men can stand adversity,
but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power. ~ Abraham Lincoln

Only a man’s character is the real criterion of worth. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Character is much easier kept than recovered. ~ Thomas Paine

When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost. ~ Billy Graham

You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man’s initiative and independence. ~ Abraham Lincoln

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. ~ Helen Keller

A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of the user. ~
Theodore Roosevelt

Only God Himself fully appreciates the influence of a Christian mother in the molding of character in her children. ~ Billy Graham

A good conscience is a continual Christmas. ~ Benjamin Franklin

No change of circumstances can repair a defect of character.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Be polite to all, but intimate with few.” ~ Thomas Jefferson

Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing. ~ Abraham Lincoln

Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder. ~ George Washington

Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today’s world do not have. ~ Ronald Reagan

Arbitrary power is most easily established on the ruins of liberty abused to licentiousness. ~ George Washington

America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves. ~ Abraham Lincoln

Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all. ~ George Washington

The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew. ~ Abraham Lincoln

Each individual American is responsible
for their own behavior, attitudes, and words.
It’s time to rebuild America’s Moral Character!
Now or Never!