HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!!INDEPENDENCE DAY, JULY 4TH, is the birthday of the United States of America and the anniversary of the day on which the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress – July 4, 1776! Independence Day was first observed on July 8, 1776 in Philadelphia and has been celebrated every year since that time. In 1941, July 4th was declared a federal, legal holiday by Congress. The founding fathers considered Independence Day to be a great day for celebration. John Adams said, “I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.” [The World Book Encyclopedia, (Chicago:World Book, Inc., 1984), p. 90] ONE NATION UNDER GOD …religion has had a positive influence on our nation, as evidenced by:1) our National Anthem, which reflects our reliance on God; 2) our coins, which declare our faith in God; 3) our Pledge of Allegiance, which speaks about the importance of God in this nation; and 4) many Supreme Court decisions, which have affirmed the religious faith of this nation. In 1892, the U. S. Supreme Court made an exhaustive study of the supposed connection between Christianity and the government of the United States. After reviewing hundreds of volumes of historical documents, the Court asserted, “These references … add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a religious people … a Christian nation.” [Barton, David, The Myth of Separation, pg 117] Patrick Henry had this to say, “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that his great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ.” [Barton, David, The Myth of Separation, pg 117] ACTION: Ten Commandments Can Be Posted . . . .By a vote of 287-139, the U.S. House of Representatives approved an amendment to the Juvenile Crime Bill (The Child Safety & Youth Violence Act of 1999 – H.R. 1501), which will permit the Ten Commandments to be posted in schools and other government facilities. The sponsor of the amendment, Rep. Aderholt (R-AL), said that his amendment would “promote morality and work toward an end of children killing children.” The House has been debating H.R. 1501 for over a week, as they search for a way, in light of the Littleton tragedy and others, to curb youth violence. Representatives have offered nearly 40 amendments this week. Besides the Aderholt Amendment, other amendments that passed: 1) Tancredo (R-CO) Amendment to allow religious elements in school memorials; 2) Franks (R-NJ) Amendment to require computers to have Internet filters protecting children form pornography in public schools and libraries receiving federal tax dollars; 3) Green (R-WI) Amendment for harsher sentencing on child sex offenders; 4) Canady (R-FL) Amendment to keep obscene materials away from minors; 5) Markey (D-MA) Amendment to require a comprehensive review of the impact of media on the well being of children; 6) Latham (R-IA) Amendment for harsher penalties on manufactures or distributors of illegal drugs; and 7) Norwood (R-GA) Amendment to discipline for gun and drug possession at school.[Legislative Hotline, FRC, 6/18/99.] The InnerChange Freedom Initiative . . .Two years ago, Prison Fellowship launched The InnerChange Freedom Initiative (IFI), a bold, 24-hour-a-day Christian prison program in Houston, Texas. They were able to take over a large section of a state prison in Texas and run it according to biblical principles. According to Chuck Colson, “It’s almost unimaginable – with all the resistance to Christian truth – that we should be running a prison that is, by the grace of God, turning hardened criminals into disciples of Christ … and showing a skeptical world just how powerful and real our God is! … and now, we are starting a second prison.” At this point, Mr. Colson believes that the opportunity exists to bring IFI to prisons all across the country. A statement made by Texas Governor, George W. Bush, “Texas is the first state in the union to recognize that if you change a person’s heart, you can change their life …That’s exactly what InnerChange is doing.” For more information about IFI and how you might become involved in this movement to change our prison system and perhaps bring revival to our nation, contactPrison Fellowship P.O. Box 97103 Washington, D.C., 20090-7103. [Prison Fellowship Ministries, 4/30/99] High School Bans Swearing . . .In the 1950’s, teachers had to deal with problems such as gum chewing, talking in class, etc. In the 1990’s, teachers now have to deal problems, such as swearing, drug use, violence, teen pregnancy, etc. A school in Indianapolis, Southport High School, has begun to address one of those problems – swearing -- with the hopes that student conduct will improve. At the start of the 1998 school year, school officials started vigorously enforcing the school’s rules against profanity. Most schools have some sort of policy dealing with profanity, but few schools actually enforce those policies. The results at Southport High School have been impressive. Principal Larry Hensley-Marschand reports that the number of serious fights has gone down, while civility between students and teachers has increased.[Ed Facts, Family Research Council, 1/8/99] Tax Burden on Families . . .In 1997, the average household paid 24.9 percent of its income in combined federal, state and local taxes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This compares with 22.3 percent paid under the Bush Administration and 21.8 percent under the Reagan Administration. By far, the largest component of this tax burden is federal income taxes, which are now more than twice what the average household paid in 1985.[NEWS & NOTES, 1/29/99] |