Most baby boomers will remember the familiar adage: “those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.” Today many American classrooms have reduced teaching history to nothing more than the memorization of dates and characters, which are soon forgotten. In addition to this, revisionists have focused on our national sins and twisted or eliminated our glory. Both have done a huge disservice to our children and our country.

History lessons never learned

As a consequence, our children have never learned that the Pilgrims seeking religious freedom risked their very lives to come to this land when it was uncivilized and inhospitable. Their plight was inspired by their reading of the Bible when it was made available to common folks through the invention of the printing press. As they read, they realized that they did not agree with the theology of the Church of England, a state mandated religion that was entwined within their system of government. Because they chose worshipping God as they saw fit over life in England, they moved first to Holland and then to America. This earned them the name “separatists” because in order to separate themselves from the state church, they had to separate themselves from England.

The Puritans also believed the Church of England did not practice religion as they thought it should be practiced, but they chose a course different from that of the Pilgrims. They attempted to “purify” the Church from the inside out, hence the name “Puritans” were given to them. Eventually they realized they couldn’t accomplish this noble task, and so they made their way to America as well.
About a century and a half later, the American colonies, that were founded earlier on this principle of religious freedom also had a fierce appreciation for liberty . Their pulpits blazed with sermons that expressed a profound understanding of liberty as being a gift from God, which in turned fanned the flames of the Revolutionary War against a tyrannical king. Lost in the pages of history is the battle cry of these Revolutionaries, which was: No Sovereign but God; No King but King Jesus.

Today our Christian roots are questioned and because we have forgotten our history, few are able to give a proper defense. Worse: revisionists have done a good job in destroying our patriotism and teachings in evolution have challenged the faith of many. As a result, our allegiance to both God and country has suffered.

A government of people, not laws

Because we have forgotten the very reason we were founded, the very reason the Pilgrims and the Puritans suffered through their “dying times,” we have birthed a new nation that has allowed tyrants in black robes, elitist legislators, and an executive branch that believes itself to be a sovereign to rob us of our liberty of conscience. They believe they have the right to dictate values to us. As result, we have come full circle. We are once again faced with religious oppression authored by the state who is now so emboldened that we have governors, like Chris Christie, who has redefined sin, and a Supreme Court (SCOTUS) that has redefined marriage. Not only have they assaulted our liberty of conscience, they have usurped the authority of God. Not even God Himself in the Garden of Eden exerted such control over us. He told Adam of Eve what was right and what was wrong but left it up to them to make their own choices. SCOTUS has not done that. Their ruling not only redefines marriage, it requires that we all live by that definition – whether we agree or not.

Of course this is not the first time SCOTUS made decisions above their pay scale. In the Dred Scott decision they decided a person of color wasn’t a person at all but mere chattel. This allowed slave owners to ease their conscience and hold that somehow it was morally acceptable to keep their slaves. In Roe v. Wade they decided that a baby wasn’t a human being worthy of life regardless of its mother’s choices and made abortion legal. Now the abortion clinics are full of women who believe that since its legal than it must be okay to abort their babies. Churches exist to bring us moral clarity. SCOTUS exists to uphold the law of the land. Whenever SCOTUS dictates morality, they exceed their subject matter jurisdiction.

Marriage was never the issue

This misuse of power by mortal men and women that assert their opinions above that of the Creator’s has led America astray and has made what is wrong seem right to many. It is not an over-exaggeration to say that SCOTUS literally has blood on its hands. Now, they want to add to their abuse of power by coercing churches to perform marriage ceremonies – even if it’s against the church’s belief. To be sure, same-sex marriage is not an issue that addresses equality. Civil unions solve that issue by granting all the legal privileges afforded to married couples to civil unions. What has changed is that now churches face the force of the law if they refuse to marry same-sex couples. This is an assault on their liberty of conscience by an ever-growing state religion that now dictates what a church or its congregants should believe and do. Had we remembered either our history or our First Amendment, this movement would never have garnered the support is enjoys today.

Full circle

As bad as this may seem, it may actually be a “good thing.” For too long too many bible-believing Americans have been able to disengage themselves from the political realm. As a result, power-crazed tyrants and miscreants who would “lord” it over us have over-taken over our government and our schools. Perhaps this will be a rude awakening, either you will follow God and live according to His principles and precepts, or you will allow others to take His place. The Apostles decided that they must follow God rather than man. What will America decide?

As of June 26, 2015, churches and members of the clergy in America that hold to a biblical worldview are now faced with a decision. Do they obey government mandates or do they obey God? And by extension – every American attending a biblical worldview church now has to decide – who is their God. Is it the God of the Bible or is it a government official or a supreme court justice? As of June 26, 2015, you can’t have it both ways. As of June 26, 2015, obedience to God can translate into criminal action. I wonder how many Americans will once again have the moral fortitude to declare that there is No Sovereign but God and No King but King Jesus.

Indeed, America has come full circle. We now live under a government that dictates moral and religious behavior. So the final question is: will the circle end with revolution or will the circle end with a church state? As for me, the decision is an easy one. I will follow God. Whom will you follow?

Reprinted from The Daily Rant, copyright 2015 Mychal Massie. Used by permission.