On December 8, 2023, I sent out a letter about the Satanic Alter display in the Capitol Building in Des Moines. That letter (Part I) can be viewed here. My comments were circulated by multiple media outlets and, based on the discussion it generated, I am writing this letter (Part II) as a follow-up to the previous letter.
In Part I, I made a case for why the satanic display did not belong in the State Capitol and called for the Governor to immediately remove it. I did so because the governor is the Chief Executive of our state, not because I blame her for it being there. The display was authorized by the Department of Administrative Services, who has an application process that is based on a policy of equal access. That policy is the result of a neutral mentality that exists across our nation which essentially grants Satan equal religious standing with Christ. This is what allowed the satanic display to be placed in the Capitol Building. Policies such as this are the result of gradual compromise that has taken place over many decades and this process of slow surrender is where the blame must be placed.
I had a strong positive response to what I wrote in the first letter, but of those who responded in opposition, there were two general categories. First, there was the angry/sarcastic category who just wanted to be rude and sling nasty names. Second were those who sought to make a sincere and intelligent response, most of which referred to free speech and freedom of religion in the First Amendment. It is this second category of opposition that I address here.
In Part I, I stated that it was a “… tortured and twisted interpretation of law [the First Amendment] that affords Satan, who is universally understood to be the enemy of God, religious expression equal to God in an institution of government…” To explain this, we must look back to the original intent of those who wrote the First Amendment which says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...” The point I wish to make is that the religion spoken of in the First Amendment was Christianity and did not include what we think of as “other religions” today — and it certainly did not include satanism! There are many comments by leaders in our history that back up this view, but for the sake of brevity, I will focus on one.
In 1853, there was an anti-God group who sought to have God removed from government much like we see being pushed today. They wanted references to God removed from government documents, sought to remove chaplains from the military, etc. Their vision was a religiously neutral Government. But the problem with their vision, and with those who espouse similar views today, is that neutrality is a myth, a point which will be addressed below.
The anti-God proposal was submitted in the U.S. Congress to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees for deliberation. They deliberated for several months and, in 1854, came back with the following report:
Had the people, during the Revolution, had a suspicion of any attempt to war against Christianity, that Revolution would have been strangled in its cradle. At the time of the adoption of the Constitution and the amendments, the universal sentiment was that Christianity should be encouraged, but not any one sect … In this age, there can be no substitute for Christianity … That was the religion of the founders of the republic, and they expected it to remain the religion of their descendants.” [i]
A paper by Harvard Law Review, published in December of 2021 [ii] corroborates the view expressed by the 1884 House and Senate Judiciary Committees. The paper points out how the modern idea that the First Amendment protects blasphemy was not always the case. In fact, it was only after World War II that Courts began to shift on this issue, previously upholding prosecution against blasphemy. Now, let’s break the above quote down into three parts.
- Had the people, during the Revolution, had a suspicion of any attempt to war against Christianity, that Revolution would have been strangled in its cradle.
If those who fought in the Revolution had not had the faith that comes from belief in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, we would not have a nation. The American Revolution was deeply rooted in Christianity, so much so that their battle cry was, “No King but Jesus!”
John Adams, our second President said: “The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were …. the general principles of Christianity… Now I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.” [iii]
We must realize that there is a war against Christianity; it is a war waged by Satan, who opposes God and all He seeks to do in this world. This war existed long before the revolution, it existed in 1853 and it continues today.
- At the time of the adoption of the Constitution and the amendments, the universal sentiment was that Christianity should be encouraged, but not any one sect …
This portion of the quote speaks to the true interpretation of the First Amendment. Religion in early America was Christianity, but there were several different sects, or denominations. The Founders had experienced the tyranny of England, which embraced Christianity, but persecuted Christians who believed differently from the state church of England. The First Amendment was written to prevent Congress from establishing a favored version of Christianity (a state church) in America. The First Amendment strictly prohibits Congress from making any laws regulating worship, like had been done in England. That being said, Christianity in general was still recognized as the religion of the founders and the foundation of our freedom. Noah Webster, the father of American Education, said: “No truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people.” [iv]
- In this age, there can be no substitute for Christianity … That was the religion of the founders of the republic, and they expected it to remain the religion of their descendants.”
In this portion of the report, we see that the committees clearly viewed America as a nation founded upon Christianity. They did not think we could substitute other religions for Christianity, as we commonly see in modern interpretations of the First Amendment.
We also see their reference to “the republic.” A republic is essentially a form of government that means “ruled by laws”, and in a republic, elected representatives construct the laws and policies of the republic. But as we all know, there can be good laws and bad laws. What determines a good republic from a bad republic is the nature of its laws.
This brings us back to the comment above, “neutrality is a myth.” If we as Christians, embrace the idea of religious neutrality in government, we are creating a political vacuum. In such a case, it should be obvious what will happen next. Those who hold ungodly values will not embrace neutrality and they will push their views and push them hard while they continue to tell us to be neutral. They will demand that we keep our beliefs privately sequestered, while they fill the political vacuum with their own views that undermine our Constitution and violate the laws of God.
This is what has been going on in our nation since we allowed “religion” in the establishment clause of the First Amendment to apply to other religions besides Christianity. It has been a slow surrender, but this is exactly why a satanic alter was allowed in Iowa’s Capitol building. Our weakness and lack of true conviction has allowed public policy that claims Satan has equal status with God. If Christian values do not shape our laws and policies, which set of values will? Will it be Islam with Sharia Law? Will it be socialism and Marxism resulting in a communist police state void of freedom? Make no mistake, someone’s views and beliefs will shape public policy and those policies won’t be neutral.
The slow surrender by means of the neutral mentality has already resulted in Marxism and socialism infecting our nation. We have a decline in morals, renewed racism, open borders, loss of free speech and many other freedoms. Untold millions of babies have been slaughtered through “legalized” abortion. We have a decline in effective education with many of our schools becoming indoctrination centers. We have homosexual marriage, a plague of transgender ideology among our youth, and every kind of corruption. Our nation is on the brink of destruction.
I know that some will accuse me of advocating a theocracy or some kind of “Christian Dictatorship.” But I stand on the historical evidence that only true Christianity produces freedom, not an oppressive dictatorship. In fact, a legitimate kind of neutrality is inherent in true Christianity because it promotes free will and doesn’t force anyone to be a Christian. We must without apology stand for the Christian values that caused freedom to flourish in our nation.
When it comes to a satanic display in our state’s Capitol Building or any other policy that violates the laws of God, don’t tell me there is nothing we can do about it because of freedom of religion, free speech, and the First Amendment. Current interpretations of law might disagree, but they are wrong, and they can be changed. We must abandon the politics of surrender and re-establish the values of Christ in our republic. In this age, there can be no substitute for Christianity. If we claim the name of Christ, we must acknowledge that the laws of God supersede the laws of man and go about the work of making disciples of the nations as commanded by Jesus Himself saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…[v]
Wishing You a Very Merry Christmas!
Did Jesus also say to take other people’s money, through force of government, to pay for their health care? I already pay for my own. How about educating people’s children even though they decided not to have kids? How about people irresponsibly borrowing too much and expecting everyone else to bail them out, though government? I’m not sure much about our government is Christian.