Recognizing the Wartime Dead and the Cause for Which They Died

Today marks a solemn observance, Memorial Day, when our thoughts turn to the men and women who have sacrificed their lives in service to our country. The first national observance, then known as Decoration Day, was held in May 1868. More than 100 years later, Congress declared Memorial Day a federal holiday to be observed the last Monday in May.

 

An American flag flies
proudly in Burlington, VT.

Wars are terrible. We hate them, as we should. But as history has proven time and again, sometimes wars are unavoidable. Why? I believe we find the answer – at least for the U.S.A. – in the final and least-known stanza of the poem by Francis Scott Key that became our National Anthem, the Star-Spangled Banner.

Written by attorney Key during the War of 1812, that concluding verse affirmed what most Americans believed at that time:

Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the Heav’n-rescued land

Praise the Pow’r that hath made and preserved us as a nation.

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

And this be our motto – ‘In God Is Our Trust.’

 

As I’ve been reading through a hefty volume called The Founders’ Bible, the complete Bible plus hundreds of articles, commentaries and notes about what the America’s founding fathers truly thought about the Bible and Christianity, I’ve been amazed. George Washington, the first President of the United States, said:

“It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly implore His protection and favor.” 

 

Washington’s successor, John Adams, echoed those sentiments:

“The safety and prosperity of nations ultimately and essentially depend on the protection and the blessings of Almighty God, and the national acknowledgement of this truth is…an indispensable duty which the people owe to Him.”

 

The Founders’ Bible presents hundreds of quotations from dozens more of the founding fathers, including those with names like Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, John Hancock, and Noah Webster. Contrary to common contemporary belief, the framers of our Declaration of Independence and the Constitution saw no cause for excluding matters of faith and piety from conduct and policies in the public square.

 

So, as we honor and memorialize the self-sacrifices of the countless thousands of men and women who have given their lives on battlefields at home and abroad, we can be assured they did not do so without purpose – or in vain. 

 

Proverbs 14:34 declares, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people.” We’re living in an age when virtues of righteousness are sneered at and disparaged. As a consequence, we seem to be reaping the result – sin that condemns any people.

 

As the ancient Israelites were poised to finally enter the Promised Land, which would necessitate doing battle with hostile, pagan nations, Moses gave them this charge:

“See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, ‘Surely, this great nation is a wise and understanding people.' And what other nation is so great as to have their gods near to them the way the Lord our God is near to us whenever we pray to Him?" (Deuteronomy 4:5-7).

Despite our nation’s spiritual heritage, which was necessarily bathed in bloodshed of noble soldiers, we seem to have forgotten admonitions from our founding fathers and the Scriptures themselves. As we soberly and thankfully remember those who lost their lives in defense of the United States and its underlying principles, may we pray to see a return to the beliefs and practices that make for a nation that is exalted by righteousness. 

One Nation, Under God … Indivisible?

American flag on carrier USS York in Mount Pleasant, S.C.

If you’ve been reading my posts for very long, you know Independence Day means a lot to me. Because I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy – born on the Fourth of July – as the refrain from the old George M. Cohan song goes. Every time we celebrate another anniversary of the founding of the United States, I unfurl our flag, put on one of my patriotic T-shirts, and enjoy a fireworks show, whether in person or on TV.

I’ve lost count of the photos I’ve taken of American flags – even in Italy. I’m convinced red, white and blue never have – and never will – look as good as they do on Old Glory. Hearing the “Star-Spangled Banner” always fills me with pride for our nation, despite its flaws. Lee Greenwood’s classic tune, “Proud to Be an American” peps me up, and John Philip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever” makes me want to find a parade and march.

Replica of colonial flag waving at Charleston, S.C. home.

If only it were this way for everyone who benefits from living in the USA, the most free country in the world. I suppose we’re spoiled. Too much of a good thing can do that to you. Some burn the flag to make a statement. (Don’t ask me what I think they’re saying.) Others take a knee, or sit, when they hear the National Anthem of our country that so many shed blood to defend. Yes, they’re free to do this – but don’t they see the hypocrisy in such actions?

These days the Pledge of Allegiance has become controversial. When I was in grade school we recited the Pledge every day, concluding with the words, “…one nation, under God, indivisible….” Sadly, the “indivisible” description seems antiquated as our nation has become divided, according to some unlike ever before. We’ve become a country of extremes, with little room for common ground. “Tolerance” has come to mean being intolerant of any views that differ from our own.

Perhaps that little phrase, “under God, indivisible,” identifies why we find ourselves no longer “indivisible.” Because some factions of society insist we shouldn’t be “under God.” But I think the wording from the pledge is correct: A United States of America can only be truly indivisible if the source of our unity comes from being under God. Otherwise, it’s everyone for themselves, as the ancient Israelites were described in the Old Testament (Judges 21:25) – doing “what’s right in their own eyes” – when they determined no longer to submit to a sovereign God.

American flag flying in Capri, Italy.

We can’t directly equate the USA to ancient Israel, but I believe the underlying principles still apply. The Israelites prospered and thrived under leaders who were devoted to God. But when leaders wavered in their faith, or were replaced by ungodly leaders, the nation suffered.

Psalm 33:12 tells us, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance.” We see this declaration affirmed in Psalm 144:15, “Blessed are the people of whom this is true, blessed are the people whose God is the Lord.”

Historical revisionists would have us believe the so-called “separation of church and state” meant that matters of faith should be excluded from the public square. However,The Founders’ Bible argues to the contrary. In hundreds of documents compiled by historian David Barton, we find writings from many of our nation’s founding fathers who believed the United States could not survive apart from a foundation based on reverence for God.

We live in a time and culture very different from when our nation was founded in 1776. However, we worship the same unchanging, unchangeable God. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). If we are again to become truly “United,” we must somehow return to our roots. I pray that will be so – and soon.