"SO HELP ME GOD"

"So help me God", these words, as far as I can research, were first spoken by President Elect General George Washington at is inauguration, and swearing in. After repeating the oath of office, George Washington added these words as he leaned over, and placed a kiss on the Holy Bible: "I swear, so help me God".

Anyone who would tell you that our founding fathers were not Christians, and were a bunch of non-believers, are mistaken. Belief in God was the intrinsic corner stone in the founding of this country. I could go on and on naming the men who were devout believers, and I can name a few who were not. There has always been that type of religious diversity in this nation, even before it's inevitable inception. However, the basic principles outlined in the Holy Bible guided our founders to a Divinely inspired Declaration of Independence, and followed by the Constitution of the United States, and Bill of Rights. In order to prove the Divinity of these documents, one need only read the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence as written in 1776: WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF-EVIDENT, THAT ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL, THAT THEY ARE ENDOWED BY THEIR CREATOR WITH CERTAIN UNALIENABLE RIGHTS.

Somewhere between the years 1694-1778, a man named Francois-Marie Arouet, more commonly referred to as "Voltaire", spoke this about the Bible: " Within a hundred years the Bible will pass from common use, it is a short lived book". In answer to Voltaire's statement, an American author named Bruce Barton (1886-1967) wrote this: "Not many people read Voltaire today, but his house has been packed with Bibles as a depot of a Bible Society." Ironic, isn't it? Please bear with me, and trust I am working my way to a point. I have one more quote to relay, and then I'm sure you will all understand my final assertion.

Between the years 1782-1852, there lived a man, a statesman, and orator. Some of you have heard his name, and equate him with legend. Although he was legendary, he was as real as you and me. His name, Daniel Webster. The story of how Daniel Webster beat the Devil in a courtroom is what immediately comes to mind. Alas, only God, the Devil, and Daniel Webster know whether that is truth of fiction. This is what Daniel Webster wrote about the Bible and other religious literature in America: " If religious books are not widely circulated among the masses in this country, and the people do not become religious, I do not know what is to become of us as a nation. And the thought is one to cause solemn reflection on the part of every patriot and Christian. If the truth be not diffused, error will be; if God and His word are not known and received, the devil and his works will gain ascendancy; if the evangelical volume does not reach every hamlet, the pages of a corrupt and licentious literature will; if the power of the gospel is not felt through the length and breadth of the land, anarchy and misrule, degradation and misery, corruption and darkness, will reign without mitigation or end.

I believe the statement by Daniel Webster says volumes, and his predictions are correct. We see thses things coming to fruition in our time. Once again, the Lord God Almighty has inspired another American statesman to pass along to our generation, the truth, and the enlightenment that our God imparted to him. Will we not heed the advice and counsel of the founders of this great country and it's Christian statesmen? In order for a man or woman to attain my vote in 2010, he or she will have to be a Bible believing Christian, who will seek the Lord's guidance in all matters of morality, honesty, and humanity. Who will abide by all the rules and precepts set forth by God, for all mankind to follow and obey. To get my vote in 2010, the person must abide by the Constitution and Bill of Rights when governing or making decisions regarding enactment of, or enforcement of the laws of these United States. When taking the oath of office, he or she must take it with their hand upon the Bible, not the Qu'ran, or any other religion's holy book. Finally, just as with George Washington, the oath must end with the words "SO HELP ME GOD."