hilemanhouse
12-03-2003, 04:13 PM
Breaking down the wall
Written by: Carolyn Hileman
There are times in your lives that you feel that you are in an impossible situation, most people just learn to accept it. Never once trying to find a away out they stay locked in this eternal cell, they close their eyes and wait for the worst to happen. It takes courage to believe that things can get better, it takes believing that you are a person who deserves better. Most people simply can not believe that simple thing, they think they deserve everything that is thrown at them and flinch accordingly. It is sad to think that if only we could reach out and break down that wall, freedom would be waiting on the other side.
Then there are the times that you wait for, when the kids grow up, when we retire, when I get married, get that job, I get the time. Odd as it is we are in a constant state of waiting. Always waiting for the right time, when the right time will never come. Waiting is a constant state of suspension that requires you take no action. However, while we are waiting the world is going by and it is leaving us behind. Taking action though is hard and requires that you personally take responsibility for your actions. What if you are wrong, what if you do the wrong thing, what if you do nothing and something bad happens anyway.
Today we witness courage, the courage of a man who broke down the wall, stepped out of his chains of suspension and said no more. I have to assume that he knows as I do that the so-called separation of church and state was and has never been law. That this so-called law is nothing more than one mans opinion. He must have known that there was never any movement to amend the constitution to include it and as a matter of fact the only amendment says that congress can’t touch it. He must have known that the claims that Jefferson did not like religion was false because he had four-hour communion services in the House of Representatives.
<Jefferson's participation in House church services and his granting of permission to various denominations to worship in executive office buildings, where four-hour communion services were held, cannot be discussed here
Leland had accepted an invitation to preach in the House of Representatives on Sunday, Jan. 3, and Jefferson evidently concluded that, if Leland found nothing objectionable about officiating at worship on public property http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9806/danbury.html>
Today we begin to break down that wall as well, because one cannot justify separation of church and state when the man who supposedly brought forth this so-called law broke it himself. It would appear that this man when he wrote that fateful passage was under attack as we are today, and in his desperation attempted to block any interference with our religion by a wall of separation. A wall that was to be used to stop the attacks on religion not begin them. However like so many other great men his words have been distorted and abused to further a cause usually one that is counter to what they would have ever wished.
Even if this were not so, even if we were not privy to this information the Church and state issue is not law. This was never entered into our constitution and therefor cannot be used as law. Cases that were decided on this mans opinion not constitution are void, and without merit. Many a people have had opinions, even the judges of the Supreme Court. However, that is all it is opinion, it is not fact nor is it law. The only thing that even deals with religion in the constitution plainly states that congress is to leave it alone.
The question is what shall we do with this information? There is a small light in that wall, it proves that it is not impregnable. Do we cover our eyes to keep the light out? Convinced that it is too small, we can never get out through a hole that small. Or do we dig and scrape till our fingernails are raw and our breath becomes labored, rest then dig some more, because freedom waits on the other side?
We must look down deep into our very being and find that will to fight, to have better, and to be what we should be. We can no longer cower in fear, we must raise our heads, we must look at that light and we must for the sake of our own dignity start digging at that wall. It takes a lot of courage to stand up for what you believe in, it takes even more to search your soul and decide what that is. There will be those who will never believe in us that my friend is not new. They have laughed at us for cowering and thrown even more dirt in our faces, but this time when they kick you down you will pull yourself up and you will continue to stand. Because you will no longer cower in fear, you will no longer accept their definition of you. Today is Independence Day.
Written by: Carolyn Hileman
There are times in your lives that you feel that you are in an impossible situation, most people just learn to accept it. Never once trying to find a away out they stay locked in this eternal cell, they close their eyes and wait for the worst to happen. It takes courage to believe that things can get better, it takes believing that you are a person who deserves better. Most people simply can not believe that simple thing, they think they deserve everything that is thrown at them and flinch accordingly. It is sad to think that if only we could reach out and break down that wall, freedom would be waiting on the other side.
Then there are the times that you wait for, when the kids grow up, when we retire, when I get married, get that job, I get the time. Odd as it is we are in a constant state of waiting. Always waiting for the right time, when the right time will never come. Waiting is a constant state of suspension that requires you take no action. However, while we are waiting the world is going by and it is leaving us behind. Taking action though is hard and requires that you personally take responsibility for your actions. What if you are wrong, what if you do the wrong thing, what if you do nothing and something bad happens anyway.
Today we witness courage, the courage of a man who broke down the wall, stepped out of his chains of suspension and said no more. I have to assume that he knows as I do that the so-called separation of church and state was and has never been law. That this so-called law is nothing more than one mans opinion. He must have known that there was never any movement to amend the constitution to include it and as a matter of fact the only amendment says that congress can’t touch it. He must have known that the claims that Jefferson did not like religion was false because he had four-hour communion services in the House of Representatives.
<Jefferson's participation in House church services and his granting of permission to various denominations to worship in executive office buildings, where four-hour communion services were held, cannot be discussed here
Leland had accepted an invitation to preach in the House of Representatives on Sunday, Jan. 3, and Jefferson evidently concluded that, if Leland found nothing objectionable about officiating at worship on public property http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9806/danbury.html>
Today we begin to break down that wall as well, because one cannot justify separation of church and state when the man who supposedly brought forth this so-called law broke it himself. It would appear that this man when he wrote that fateful passage was under attack as we are today, and in his desperation attempted to block any interference with our religion by a wall of separation. A wall that was to be used to stop the attacks on religion not begin them. However like so many other great men his words have been distorted and abused to further a cause usually one that is counter to what they would have ever wished.
Even if this were not so, even if we were not privy to this information the Church and state issue is not law. This was never entered into our constitution and therefor cannot be used as law. Cases that were decided on this mans opinion not constitution are void, and without merit. Many a people have had opinions, even the judges of the Supreme Court. However, that is all it is opinion, it is not fact nor is it law. The only thing that even deals with religion in the constitution plainly states that congress is to leave it alone.
The question is what shall we do with this information? There is a small light in that wall, it proves that it is not impregnable. Do we cover our eyes to keep the light out? Convinced that it is too small, we can never get out through a hole that small. Or do we dig and scrape till our fingernails are raw and our breath becomes labored, rest then dig some more, because freedom waits on the other side?
We must look down deep into our very being and find that will to fight, to have better, and to be what we should be. We can no longer cower in fear, we must raise our heads, we must look at that light and we must for the sake of our own dignity start digging at that wall. It takes a lot of courage to stand up for what you believe in, it takes even more to search your soul and decide what that is. There will be those who will never believe in us that my friend is not new. They have laughed at us for cowering and thrown even more dirt in our faces, but this time when they kick you down you will pull yourself up and you will continue to stand. Because you will no longer cower in fear, you will no longer accept their definition of you. Today is Independence Day.