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A Statement of Support
A statement of support to our Carter County Commission
The Congregation of Cedar Grove Baptist Church

            In recent months, a development has occurred in the state of Tennessee, revolving around God. As has been the custom in recent years, political and governmental affiliations have stayed clear of anything to do with religious beliefs in fear that the ideals behind separation of Church and State would be compromised. Many government officials have feared this area, even though they may attend a local church as members. They have feared for their position in office and succumbed to the pressures of other decisions in other parts of our country.

            Recently a new form of boldness has risen and declaration has been made in the form of a resolution, entitled the “God Resolution”. That declaration states that we, as citizens and commissioners, acknowledge that a belief in God was foundational to the beginnings of our Nation as we understand this resolution as passed in Greene County, TN. The Greene County resolution stated, "Our Government was founded upon a trust in God, that began when our Founding Fathers proclaimed in America's first official document, our Declaration of Independence that our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, were not given to us by government, but by God "our Creator," the Sovereign Judge of the Universe."[1]

            It is our understanding that County Attorney George Dugger is advising against the county’s support in lieu of an US Court ruling back in 1987-88 against school grounds being used to teach Bible class. It is our belief that the two have no similarity, as in this resolution only states that we acknowledge history and have no intent of imposing our beliefs on anyone. This resolution does not carry with it any endorsement of religious activity, just that our founding fathers had a belief in God. This no more imposes beliefs on anyone than the statement that Adolf Hitler existed and propagated Nazism. To teach that Hitler existed, does not endorse the Nazi regime. We support Carter County Commissioners in continuing their decision to make this resolution a reality against the advisement of the County Attorney George Dugger. It is our understanding that Dugger supports such a statement, but is only shying away from it because of possible opposition from those who might be offended. Jesus made a stance and those who followed Him made a stance in lieu of what the political leaders may have thought. We would be amiss if we stood down on this issue because of fear of what someone might say. What would we say before God if He asked us why we did not proclaim Him before others in this matter of history?

            We have extreme support for the statement made by Commissioner Tom “Yogi” Bowers as he stated, "A lot of people stood on the sidelines when someone was nailed to the cross over 2,000 years ago. We need an attorney who is not afraid to play in the game instead of sitting on the sidelines." So many times we view many people in office afraid to stand up for their personal beliefs, though it is often times their personal beliefs that got them elected to office to begin with. Often within the community, we vote for the person who has conviction, not for the one who is a crowd pleaser and will say whatever anyone wants to hear.   

            Cedar Grove Baptist Church would like to acknowledge their commendation to those who voted yes for this resolution, Commissioners Doug Buckles, Jack Buckles, Lawrence Hodge, Wayne Holtsclaw, Amos Stephens, Al Meehan, Joe Woods, Jim Whaley, Jerry Pearman, Chuck Culler, Tom Bowers, Terry Montgomery, John Lewis, John Snyder, Lynn Tipton, Richard Tester, Bill Armstrong, Robert Davis and Roy Merryman voting yes to adopt the resolution and Mayor Dale Fair.[2] We acknowledge our apologies if we left anyone out of this affirmative vote. We commend you as to your belief and your unwavering devotion to truth.

            Our government agencies typically have In God We Trust on plaques throughout the halls. The statement is on our American currency for the world to see, meetings are opened in prayer often times and when a person is sworn under oath in our courthouses we use the Bible and pledge our truth.

            Many in our government believe that their duty to the citizenship of America is more important than their citizenship or devotion unto God. As quoted from the Daily Times of Maryville, TN, ``This is an extremely un-American situation where government employees place their religious beliefs over their responsibility as Americans,'' Jerry Sillman of Blount County stated.[3]

            Others in opposition to this resolution have held to the belief that we have a duty to teach our children about God and to evangelize from the Church, and we agree. Nevertheless, if we idly sit by while God is removed from the history of our nation then our children will receive conflicting teachings. At school, they will receive one thing, while at home they receive another. How can we as parents endorse teachers and yet at the same time undermine their teaching about the history of our nation. What happened to the nation of Israel, when they began to remove God and practice other societal practices?

            Phil Guthe of the Knoxville Commissioners stated that people’s relationship with “God is personal”. We agree with Mr. Guthe, our relationship is personal, it is who we are and if we deny that while in public then we are not who we think we are. Many people have opposed this resolution. One person in particular that one might find strange in their opposition is Al Minor, a former chaplain at the University of Tennessee and retired Episcopal priest; he called the vote "a wise decision. It is essentially American not to support religion."[4] It is our belief, Al Minor has forgotten about the foundation of our heritage as a nation. It was not “freedom from religion” but rather, “freedom of religion”. In other words, we are supposed to be free in America to express openly our religion. The key word is openly.

            It is apparent that those who oppose God being mentioned in our government have failed to research or to recall what was taught to them in school. We have several documents that make our country what it is today, many know about the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, the Mayflower Compact, but apparently many (including our national and state judges along with many attorneys) have forgotten the Northwest Ordinance.

            The Northwest Ordinance first passed on July 13, 1787 by the Confederation Congress, and later passed by the United States Congress. George Washington signed it into law on July 21, 1789. This was at the same time that the First Amendment was being written and the Constitution as a whole was being ratified. In 1791, our founding fathers would adopt the Bill of Rights; the amendments to the Constitution were accepted in 1789, the same year as the Northwest Ordinance.

            As some have come to accept “separation of church and state”, the misinterpretation has become supposed truth. The First Amendment was to keep us from becoming like England, led by the Church of England, their national denomination. It was not a defiance of religion. Religious freedom was one of the rallying points behind the Revolutionary War. “No King but Jesus” was a standard response to England’s demands for submission, prompting a letter from a Crown-appointed governor to the English board of trade stating: “If you ask an American, ‘Who is his master?’, he will tell you he has none, nor any governor but Jesus Christ”.

            To make the Northwest Ordinance clear, let us conclude on this thought, “Section 13 of the Northwest Ordinance states: And, for extending the fundamental principles of civil and religious liberty, which form the basis whereon these republics, their laws and constitutions are erected: to fix and establish those principles as the basis of all laws, constitutions and governments, which forever hereafter shall be formed in the said territory.” Section 14, Article III reads: “Religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the
means of education shall forever be encouraged.”

Thank you for promoting the realities of this nation’s heritage. May the Tennessee chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union be informed that we as educated Americans know our history and the myth surrounding the separation of church and state and the First Amendment.  May God Bless America and in Him may we always trust.
 

Let us echo George Washington’s words, “And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”

Cedar Grove Baptist Church
February 8, 2004

The Greene County Resolution

WHEREAS, our Government was founded upon a trust in God that began when our Founding Fathers proclaimed in America's first official document our Declaration of Independence, that our rights to 'life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness' were not given to us by government, but by God 'our Creator,' the 'Sovereign Judge of the Universe,' and,

WHEREAS, it is a fact that between 90 and 95 percent of those who drafted and signed the United States Constitution had a strong belief and trust in God and never ever intended that there be a separation between HIM and the affairs of Government, only that each citizen be free to choose on a personal basis how to worship, or if to worship, and,

WHEREAS, the recognition of God by our Government was further established when Congress, in 1954, added the phrase 'ONE NATION UNDER GOD' to our Pledge of Allegiance, followed in 1956 by the official establishment of 'IN GOD WE TRUST' as our National Motto, and,

WHEREAS, there is now a growing demand by some within the Judicial System to remove all visible recognition of God from public institutions, which recently resulted in a Federal Order to physically remove the Ten Commandments Monument from the Alabama State Supreme Court, rightfully placed there by the Chief Justice of the Alabama State Supreme Court to remind all that God is central to our National Heritage, and His Ten Commandments, without question, the foundation of American law, moral values and code of conduct,

THEREFORE, we urge all American citizens to proclaim to every level of Government (Local, State and Federal) its responsibility to publicly recognize God as the foundation of our national heritage - LEST OUR NATION FORGET AND OUR CHILDREN NEVER KNOW!"

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