CHRIST IS HONORED IN ALL STATES.
If we consult the decision of the courts, although the formal question has seldom been presented, because of the general recognition of it.
In the people verses Ruggels case, Chancellor Kent, the great commentator on American law, speaking as Chief Justice, of the Supreme Court of New York said, "The people of this state, in common with the people of this country, profess the general doctrines of Christianity, as the rule of their faith, and practice.
The New York Supreme Court, in Lindon Mueller, verses the people, held that Christianity was not the legal religion of the state, as established by law, if it were, it would be a civil or political institution, which it is not, but this is not inconsistent, with the idea that it is the religion of the people. This fact is everywhere prominent in all our civil and political history, and has been from the first recognized, and acted upon by the people, as well as by the constitutional conventions, by legislatures, and by courts of justice.
In Arkansas, Shover verses the state, the Supreme Court said; "This system of religion, Christianity, is recognized as constituting part, and parcel of the common." If now we pass from the domain of official action, and recognition, to that of individual acceptance, viewed under a field of boundless extent, and I can only point out only a few of the prominent facts; Notice our educational institutions, I have already called attention to the charters of the first three colleges.
Think of the vast number of academies, colleges, and universities scattered throughout the land. Some of it is true is under secular control, but there is yet to be established in this country, one of these institutions, founded on the religions of Confucius, Bhudda, or Mohammed, while an overwhelming majority, are under the direction, and control of Christian teachers.
You will have noticed that I have provided no doubtful facts, nothing has been stated, which is debatable. The quotations from charters are in the archives of several states, the laws are on the statute books, and judicial opinions are taken from judicial reports, statistics, from the census publications. In short, no evidence has been presented, which is open to question. I could easily enter upon another line of examination, I would point out the general trend of public opinion, the disclosures of purposes and beliefs, found in letters, papers, books, and unofficial declarations.
I could show how largely our laws, and customs, are based upon the laws of Moses, and the teachings of Christ, how constantly the Bible is appealed to, as the guide to life, and the authority in the questions of morals, how the Christian doctrines are accepted as a great comfort, in the times of sorrow and affliction, and fill the light of hope in the services for the dead.
On every hilltop, is a steeple of some Christian Church, while often the marble witnesses on cemeteries, called God's acre, comes universal but silent testimony, to the common faith in the Christian doctrine of the resurrection, and the life hereafter, but I must not weary you.
I could go on indefinitely, pointing out illustrations, both official and non-official, public and private, such as the Thanksgiving proclamations, with their following days of worship and feasting, and announcements of days of fasting and prayer, and the universal celebration of Christmas, the gathering of millions of our children, in Sunday Schools, and the countless volumes of Christian literature, both prose and poetry, but I have said enough to show that Christianity came to this country with the first colonists, and is powerfully identified, with it's rapid development, colonial and national, and today exists as a mighty factor, in the life of this republic.
re�pub�lic (r�-p�b"l�k) n. Abbr. rep., Rep., Repub. 1.a. A political order whose head of state is not a monarch and in modern times is usually a president. b. A nation that has such a political order. 2.a. A political order in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who are entitled to vote for officers and representatives responsible to them. b. A nation that has such a political order. 3. Often Republic. A specific republican government of a nation. 4. An autonomous or partially autonomous political and territorial unit belonging to a sovereign federation. 5. A group of people working as equals in the same sphere or field.
"I have said enough to show that Christianity came to this country with the first colonists, and is powerfully identified, with it's rapid development, colonial and national, and today exists as a mighty factor, in the life of this republic."
So in essence, what the Supreme Court opinion declared, was the Christian faith, and is the foundation of this Republic. The Christian Religion is based on Jesus Christ, so then truthfully, Jesus Christ was, and is the foundation of this country.
" . . . Having undertaken, for ye glorie of God, and advancemente of ye Christian faith and honour of our king & countrie, a voyage to plant ye first colonie in ye Northerene parts of Virginia. Doe by these presents solemnly & mutually in ye presence of God, and in one of another; covenant, & combine ourselves togeather into a civill body politick; for our better ordering, & preservation & furtherance of ye ends aforesaid; and by vertue hearof to enacte, constitute, and frame shuch just & equall lawes, ordinances, Acts, constitutions, & offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meete & convenient for ye generall good of ye Colonie: unto we promise all due submission and obedience."
pil�grim (p�l"gr�m) n. 1. A religious devotee who journeys to a shrine or sacred place. 2. One who embarks on a quest for something conceived of as sacred. 3. A traveler. 4. Pilgrim. One of the English Separatists who founded the colony of Plymouth in New England in 1620.
When I was a child, I learned of an old saying that said, "a rolling stone gathers no moss." But according to the song 'American Pie,' this 'rolling stone' of verse three, 'gathers moss.' Apparently this stone is not a real stone. A real rolling stone, as you know would gather no moss, but this 'rolling stone' mentioned in American Pie is unusual, because it 'gathers moss.' Therefore this rolling stone is not a real stone, as stones go, but has some symbolic meaning behind it, representing something else.
The dictionary says, that a stone is a rock, and a rock is a stone.
stone (st�n) n. 1.a. Concreted earthy or mineral matter; rock. 2. A small piece of rock. 3. Rock or a piece of rock shaped or finished for a particular purpose, especially: a. A piece of rock that is used in construction.
According to the above prophecy, this refused, and rejected stone, a 'rolling stone.' This rejected stone is the foundation stone, of the stone kingdom of Christ, as we learned in verse one.
Deut. 32: 3: Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.
rock1 (r�k) n. 1. Relatively hard, naturally formed mineral or petrified matter; stone. 2.a. A relatively small piece or fragment of such material. b. A relatively large body of such material, as a cliff or peak. 3. A naturally formed aggregate of mineral matter constituting a significant part of the earth's crust. 4. One that is similar to or suggestive of a mass of STONE in stability, firmness, or dependability.
8: And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
Isa: 28:16: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
". . . Having undertaken, for ye glorie of God, and advancemente of ye Christian faith and honour of our king & countrie, a voyage to plant ye first colonie in ye Northerene parts of Virginia. Doe by these presents solemnly & mutualy in ye presence of God, and in one of another; covenant, & combine ourselves togeather into a civill body politick; for our better ordering, & preservation & furtherance of ye ends aforesaid; and by vertue hearof to enacte, constitute, and frame shuch just & equall lawes, ordinances, Acts, constitutions, & offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meete & convenient for ye generall good of ye Colonie: unto we promise all due submission and obedience."
ov�e�nant (k�v"�-n�nt) n. 1. A binding agreement; a COMPACT. 2. Law. a. A formal sealed agreement or contract. b. A suit to recover damages for violation of such a contract. 3. In the Bible, God's promise to the human race. --cov�e�nant v. cov�e�nant�ed, cov�e�nant�ing, cov�e�nants. --tr. 1. To promise by or as if by a covenant. --intr. To enter into a covenant. --cov"e�nant"al (-n�n"tl) adj. --cov"e�nant"al�ly adv.
we will go back to Chief Justice Brewer's opinion, establishing the legal logic, that 'America is a Christian Nation,' and was founded on the Christian Religion, which was Christ.
You can see from the above Supreme Court's decision, that America is a Christian nation, and was declared so by the American Supreme Court.