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52 of the 55 signers of The Declaration of Independence were orthodox,
deeply committed Christians.
The same congress formed the American Bible Society. Immediately after
creating the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress voted
to purchase and import 20,000 copies of scripture for the people of this
nation.
Patrick Henry wrote in 1776 "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too
often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by
Christians; not on religion, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that
reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of
worship here."
Thomas Jefferson wrote on the front of his well- worn Bible: "I am a
Christian, that is to say a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus. I have
little doubt that our whole country will soon be rallied to the unity of
our Creator and, I hope, to the pure doctrine of Jesus also."
George Washington, the Father of our Nation, in his farewell speech on
September 19, 1796:
"It is impossible to govern the world without God and the Bible. Of all
the dispositions and habits that lead to political prosperity, our
religion and morality are the indispensable supporters. Let us with
caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without
religion. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that our
national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle."
John Adams, our second president, who also served as chairman of the
American Bible Society: In an address to military leaders he said, "We
have no government armed with the power capable of contending with human
passions, unbridled by morality and true religion. Our constitution was
made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to
the government of any other."
Our first Court Justice, John Jay, stated that when we select our
national leaders, if we are to preserve our Nation, we must select
Christians. "Providence has given to our people the choice of their
rulers and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our
Christian Nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers."
John Quincy Adams, son of John Adams, was the sixth U.S. President and
chairman of the American Bible Society, which he considered his highest
and most important role. On July 4, 1821, President Adams said, "The
highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one
indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles
of Christianity."
Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States wrote "The
foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the
teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if
faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our
country."
In 1782, the United States Congress voted this resolution: "The congress
of the United States recommends and approves the Holy Bible for use in
all schools."
James Madison, the primary author of the Constitution of the United
States, said "We have staked the whole future of our new nation, not
upon the power of government; far from it. We have staked the future of
all our political constitutions upon the capacity of each of ourselves
to govern ourselves according to the moral principles of the Ten
Commandments.