While traveling in Kentucky recently, my wife and I decided to take in a movie at the local theater in Lexington. One of the previews shown was the trailer for “God’s Not Dead: We the People,” a Christian drama film. It looked interesting, and I learned that it was only shown on a few October dates.
Upon our return to our home in Boulder City, we wandered down to the Regal theater at Sunset Station to view it. The movie was excellent; it literally took our breath away. The actors’ performances were terrific. I came away with a renewed understanding of what our country was originally founded upon, the vital importance of our Constitution, and the freedoms and liberties that many of us often take for granted.
The Founding Fathers of this great country of ours had intelligent foresight when the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were created to understand the potential threat to our democracy. Here are just a few examples of the many religious-inspired symbols and words used in the federal buildings in our nation’s capital.
Near the top of the Capitol building is Moses and a reference to the Ten Commandments. At the entrance to the Supreme Court, the Ten Commandments are noted on the bottom half of each oak door. The Ten Commandments are again referenced above where the justices sit.
Since 1789, every session of Congress has begun with a prayer given by a paid chaplain whose salary has been produced by the taxpayer. The first Supreme Court justice selected by George Washington, John Jay, said, Americans should “select and prefer Christians for their rulers.”
According to the National Park Service, the Latin words “Laus Deo,” which translates to “praise (be) to God,” are on the east face of the aluminum cap on top of the Washington Monument. Over the east doorway of the U.S. Senate chamber reads, “Annuit coeptis” (God has favored our undertakings), over the south entrance, “in God we trust.”
These are just a few examples of how our government originated.
I wasn’t aware that this movie was fourth in a series of “God’s Not Dead” films, which informs the audience about the continuing challenges the average American faces when dealing with their government. All four are accessible on Amazon Prime.
It doesn’t matter if you are a religious person, as the storyline does not overly push a spiritual perspective. Simply, it shows how the wokeness, power and control are slowly chipping away at our liberty and freedoms bestowed upon us by our founders.
Benjamin Franklin wrote in 1722, “Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom and no such thing as public liberty, without freedom of speech …” Think about this as you ponder what is happening with social media giants suppressing our self-expression ability.
Carl Sandburg wrote, “Whenever a people or an institution forget its hard beginnings, it is beginning to decay.” Another truth that our educational institutions should never forget.
The opinions expressed above belong solely to the author and do not represent the views of the Boulder City Review. They have been edited solely for grammar, spelling and style, and have not been checked for accuracy of the viewpoints.
G. Kevin Savord is currently a professional pilot and former small-business owner. He can be reached at gksavord@gmail.com.