LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Returning God to American way is imperative

Soon, we are going to vote for our next president. The question is who? Who is the right person for the job? Man or woman? Black of white? Young or old! God-fearing or atheistic? Who will preserve our freedoms, especially our freedom of religion, which is slowly being taken from us, especially if you are Christian? I think sometimes we forget our past. What our forefathers went through, fought for and established in this country. We treat it as if it were nothing. They sold everything. They traveled on ships they trusted were safe, but were destroyed by the ocean waves. Some made it to the shores of this great land, not knowing what awaited them beyond the shores. “Go West!” was the cry, and we went west. Battles were fought and blood was shed to establish and protect America. They settled in towns and villages, and in each town, schools and churches were set up; sometimes, both met in the same building. Then, evil entered in. Guns came. Lives were lost. Then, laws were made to protect all people. When things started to progress, our government was set up, and in each session of Congress, Scripture was read and prayer was said to keep God in focus. Many of our first laws were based on the Bible teachings. Our first leaders were God- and Bible-believing men and women. George Washington’s first address was a three-hour sermon on God and country. Abraham Lincoln, a man who believed in God, and without TV or radio or money, became president, which changed the history of America. My question is this: Why, if men believed in God, the necessity of prayer and the unity of family, did they write a document that said God and country were to be separated? I read that document, with a God-believing approach. That document says God and country are to work together for the betterment of the people. Up until the ’60s, prayer was said and Scripture was read in schools, and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited. Now we don’t read the Bible, nor say prayers. As far as the Pledge is concerned, the words might offend someone. Only in crisis, like 9-11, are we encouraged to pray and pledge our allegiance to this great land. Even when the pope arrived, he encouraged America to pray. When he left, our zeal for prayer was forgotten. I am not Catholic, but it surely was nice to see people openly praying. Christianity was the religion of America; now, Islam is. The Muslims have more rights in the land than the Christians, but the Christians are silent because they fear, if they do, their jobs may be lost. With all these gun shootings throughout the land, Congress is now debating the gun issue. People of all ages have gotten guns, killing people for no reasons. This last one, they say, was terrorist. The other ones weren’t. What causes one to hate so much they feel they have to kill? The reason is unknown. But the fear is there. Our country is in trouble, and we don’t need God? I’ve been studying the Bible for some time now and found out countries that were so great and thought they didn’t need God learned many lessons in telling God He was not needed. So, God let them be. They didn’t pay any attention to the prophecies and ignored the warnings of what God would do. The nation fell, and sometimes, other nations came in and destroyed their hopes and dreams. Then, the country realized that without God, they couldn’t achieve the greatness they once had. They went to their knees, repented with tears and pleaded for His return. And now, America, we have done the same thing. We haven’t taken His warnings, His prophecies, and have trampled them underfoot. Weather conditions, we can’t predict. Disease we can’t cure, disasters we can’t control. Warnings upon warnings. And yet, we have people say that man’s ways are better than God’s commands, and that there is no God. Are we going to fall like those nations did long ago? Or are we going to return to God and ask for His forgiveness? Jesus is the only religious leader that promised His return. The Bible even states how His return will be. It won’t be gradually. It will be suddenly. No apologies will be heard. No videotapes to recall the last moments, like 9-11. Nothing. Now, think about who will be our next president? Will God reside in that White House, or will Satan? Will we fall or will we stand? The choice is yours. Our next vote may be our last.

Cheryl Skinner Magnolia