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Charles Monroe
Americans have "moved away from knowing our own history" in believing the Founding Fathers were a group of non-religious men and women, the head of a national pro-family group says.
Dr. David Barton, speaking Tuesday to a record crowd of 1,800 at the 32nd annual Chattanooga Area Leadership Prayer Breakfast, said truths about the country's founders have been removed from history textbooks, misinterpreted by courts and distorted by the media.
"We're so much smarter these days," said Dr. Barton, the founder and president of Wall Builders, a national pro-family organization that promotes the country's forgotten history and heroes.
What Americans are not taught today, he said, is that a majority of signers of the Declaration of Independence held seminary or Bible school degrees, that Congress printed the first English-language Bible in America and that the country's first two presidents left numerous writings extolling the virtue of religion in public life.
Reese Griffin of Rising Fawn, Ga., said Dr. Barton's address was "spectacular" and reminded him of the Biblical admonition that "you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
People take "a little bit of fact and create a whole lie" when talking about the Founding Fathers, he said.
The Rev. Lurone Jennings, executive director of Bethlehem Community Center, said Dr. Barton was "right on target."
Too often people just swallow what they are told and "get afraid, shell-shocked" at hearing the truth, he said.
The Rev. Todd Gaddis, pastor of First Baptist Church of LaFayette, Ga., said he hoped the address "opened our eyes to the way things really are."
PURPOSE
The purpose of the Chattanooga Area Leadership Prayer Breakfast is to encourage morality and ethics in the lives of all people in positions of leadership in business, government and in professions.
He said it's probably a stretch to simply say that America is a Christian nation today but not a stretch to say that's what the Founding Fathers wanted.
Dr. Barton said Americans still have the opportunity to follow George Washington's challenge to his beleaguered men following their winter at Valley Forge: "To the distinguished character of patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian."
"Become a part of what made America great," Dr. Barton said. "We need religion and morality ... to thrive as Americans."
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Clint Cooper is the faith editor and a staff writer for the Times Free Press Life section. He also has been an assistant sports editor and Metro staff writer for the newspaper. Prior to the merger between the Chattanooga Free Press and Chattanooga Times in 1999, he was sports news editor for the Chattanooga Free Press, where he was in charge of the day-to-day content of the section and the section’s design. Before becoming sports ...
SO HE SAYS, And that makes it so??? Another New Testament FREAK!!
Mr. whatsthefuss
I appreciate your evident outrage and indignation at what you assume to be an ignorant (or devious) propagandist spreading his worldview in politically-influential venues for the purpose of re-shaping society to that which he believes would be preferable to what currently passes as a society.
However, I also wish to respectfully point out that Mr. Barton does not allege a Christian founding of this Republic merely, as you put it, "because he says so."
Mr. Barton is the personal owner of over 100,000 original source documents from the American colonial period, which he reads in full, and that he cites (ad nauseum).
I might add that Thomas Jefferson, the first superintendent of Washington D.C.'s public schools, personally and publicly declared that the primary school textbook ought to be the Holy Bible, and that its companion be the popular church hymnal in the colonies known as the Watts Hymnal.
You may remember Isaac Watts as the writer of the oft-sung hymn at Christmas services "Joy to the World."
I realize that if you are not intimately familiar with either the New Testament, or mainstream America prior to the 1960's, you will be shocked to hear that such remarks were far from controversial."
The distinctly Calvinist Protestant Christian character of the U.S. was so familiar to so many generations of Americans, the need to defend that fact did not seem a pressing issue.
Consequently, when the 1960's turned society on its head (to the joy of some and consternation of others), those who wished to defend the old ways could only say, "that's the way I was raised!" which is, of course, no proper support for a position.
You seem an intelligent fellow and I hope you understand that if you desire some kind of history other than that of the kind David Barton presents, you might go the route of the Obama's and Pelosi's of the nation, and claim that whatever we "used to be" now comes beneath what we "must become."
But don't deny the past. It is far too well documented, and the secularists have no valid tradition to stand on. They only have their visions of what they want tomorrow to be. It really invalidates the position of those advocating change, if they don't admit frankly and honestly what has gone before.
That type of public discussion has yet to take place, and Mr. Barton is bringing this to the stage. Disparage his intent if you like, but you cannot deny the historical precedent upon which his worldview rests.
You just have to build a new one, and on better conclusions than your opponent.
Calling someone a freak really hurts your case. And of course I am presuming that you have one to present beyond the name-calling to which you resorted while still somewhat disturbed by the article.
When you calm down, I trust you can and will continue this dialogue in a civil and intelligent manner.
Hey! I look forward to hearin' from ya!
Good man.
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