God bless America

During a recent trip of the United States where I spoke in 13
major cities, it was very clear that the people in that country are very
nationalistic and many had flags hanging out the windows of their cars, on their
clothing and also strung outside their homes.

The many rallies that were held always seemed to include
somebody singing the song God Bless America, and therefore we were
interested to read this article taken from The Washington Post, 12
October 2001:

"When terrorists struck on Sept. 11, parents, faculty and
students at Breen Elementary School in Rocklin, Calif., began looking for ways
to help the victims and show their patriotism.

They collected almost $4,000 for the families of police
officers and firefighters killed in the attacks, held a rally -– and, on Sept.
24, posted the words 'God Bless America' on a theater-style marquee
on school property.

But a parent objected that the sign's reference to God
amounted to an official endorsement of religion by a public school, sparking a
bitter war of words between the American Civil Liberties Union, which called the
sign 'hurtful' and 'divisive', and local officials, who insist they won't
take it down unless the ACLU can persuade a judge to order them to do so.

'That's nonnegotiable,' said Rocklin Unified School
District Superintendent Kevin Brown, who says he has received hundreds of
messages of support from around the country...

It also touches on an unsettled point of law; prayer in
schools has been struck down by the courts, but in other settings,
government-sponsored references to a deity, such as the phrase 'In God We
Trust' on U.S. currency, have generally been accepted...

Staff attorney Margaret Crosby of the San Francisco-based
Northern California chapter of the ACLU said the sign 'must be replaced
immediately.'

After consulting with their attorneys, Rocklin school
officials refused, saying that the words were an expression of patriotism,
not religion, and calling her claim that the Breen display was dividing the
community 'absurd.'...

The Rocklin City Council subsequently decided to post a new
'God Bless America' sign on another public building.

Though most of the population of the town, which President
Bush carried handily in the 2000 election, supports the school district's
position, two more parents have called officials to say the sign should come
down, Brown said...

Other public schools round the country have posted 'God
Bless America' signs since Sept. 11, apparently without causing disputes...

At Whitmore Elementary School, a parent requested that a
student-made sign reading 'Bless America' be altered to add the word 'God.'
After checking with legal counsel, the school district approved, said Estela
Zavala, a spokeswoman for the Tucson Unified School District..." (emphases
added).

At this point in time, it would appear to many of us on the
outside that God would not bless America at this time, as they have run foul of
His blessings over the years.

He set them up with the Bible and prayer and praise and
worship of Himself, and yet in these latter days, the Americans have banned
prayer in the schools along with Bible readings, and let Eastern religions into
the country, thus insulting the great God of Israel, who gave them all the
privileges and blessings, probably more than any other country on earth.

They are now reaping what they have sown, but the prophets
tell us that should America repent and turn humbly back to the God of Israel,
then He will have mercy upon them.

Let us pray that this will be the case.