Delete God to Honor Quakers?

Key Democrats in Massachusetts are leading a legislative move to eliminate the state constitutional requirement to say "so help me God" when being sworn into office. And it will be replaced by a secular phrase.

They say it's for the Quakers.

Are they really removing God to accommodate the Quakers? Or to advance the secular progressive agenda of multiculturalism and many gods?

Be informed.

The bill, S. 2211 passed the Democrat-led Joint Committee on the Judiciary last month and is moving forward.

Most of us don't live in Massachusetts, so who cares...Right?

We should all care because secularists in all states pay attention to such things, learn from them, duplicate as much as possible and "make progress" as they say.

The current Massachusetts Constitution requires "every person chosen or appointed to any office, civil or military" in the state to "solemnly swear" that "I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and will support the constitution thereof, so help me God."

The Constitution already allows Quakers to forgo the reference to God and instead say, "This I do under the pains and penalties of perjury." They can also say "affirm" instead of "swear."

Quakers oppose oaths on biblical grounds.

Thomas S. Kidd is a distinguished professor of history at Baylor University and has written extensively on this and other Quaker beliefs---prevalent in America since our founding.

The Quakers' opposition to oaths was based on a plain reading of Matthew 5:33-37, in which Jesus said, "Swear not at all...But let your communication be Yea, yea; or Nay nay: For whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil" (KJV).

Early Americans assumed that requiring an oath for legislators or participants in court cases would help guarantee honesty and integrity, but these requirements functionally banned Quakers from participating in some of the most basic government functions.

By the 18th century, many of the American colonies had begun to enact exceptions for Quakers so they would not have to swear oaths to participate in government. Typically, as mentioned above, this involved using the word "affirm," etc.

Quakers, Baptists, and others in the colonies requested honest exceptions. In some cases, the "right to religious freedom" was abused--- but not for the most part.

In fact, John Leland, a Baptist champion for religious freedom---in the form of Jefferson and Madison, acknowledged that religious dissenters could not be allowed to "disturb the peace" and "harm fellow citizens under the cover of conscience objections." However, he insisted that governments which really valued religious liberty should afford exceptions to laws that "prevent liberty of conscience."

Extending exemptions for cases of religious conscience is a long-standing part of America's effort to ensure both the rule of law and real religious liberty.

Our Founders and most who followed in government saw the benefit---and the "religious freedom right" to these kinds of exceptions. And they believed they served the public good.

Secularist advocates, like, most recently, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and their cohorts on the Left--many of whom are now running for the presidency, call themselves Christian, but have changed the course of human events regarding real religious freedom and liberty and now advocate against this kind of real religious liberty with conscience objections.

They claim we cannot judge the sincerity of those claiming exceptions.

And their big objection: Separation of Church and State. "Keep Church in a building and call it 'freedom of worship', rather than 'religious freedom'."

All this is "gospel" to the secularists----Until it becomes a useful tool to advance their secular progressive agenda.

Remember the end always justifies the means for the secular progressive.

Now, all of a sudden, these wall of separation folks want to help the Quakers honor their faith.

Zachary Bos, Massachusetts state director for American Atheists, told the Meadville Tribune,

"The history of the United States is about pluralism and an insistence that all of the country's legal structures and forms of authority are representative of persons of every belief or lack of a belief. We support any move that helps to increase the government's commitment to secularism."

Andrew Beckwith, President of the Massachusetts Family Institute, says, "It';s yet another cynical attempt to erase the rich legacy of faith that has been part of our Commonwealth from the Pilgrims to today."

Beckwith said these "proceedings are the latest example of secular efforts to diminish the influence of religion in society."

In truth, the advocates of this change to their Constitution is likely not going to happen at this time, because it must be approved by two consecutive legislatures---a process that could take 3 years or more---before they are cleared for the statewide ballot and a decision by voters.

The urgency of the matter.

There is a push in every segment of government to get rid of God and embrace may gods under the guise of multiculturalism.

The atheists are not as much caring for the Quakers as they are intent on removing and erasing God from the culture of America.

The urgency is that too many of us are not informed---and they will never give up on their godless agenda.

Recently in the US Congress, the Natural Resources Committee in the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives, proposed removing "God" from the oath taken by witnesses addressing the panel. Republican leaders reacted immediately---expressing dismay and opposition, saying it was a sign of the Democratic Party's shift to the Left.

The push back was so significant, the Democrats abandoned the effort.

For now.

Patrick Henry, one of our Founding Fathers, told his colleagues in Congress, "When we forget God, tyrants forge our chains."

There is a well-coordinated effort to strip God from public life in America. This is one recent example.

Every day there are those who seek to tell God, we don't need His help or guidance. They will use any means to accomplish their end.

Including the guise of trying to help the Quakers.

Every day we publish this Faith and Freedom Daily article for the sole purpose of informing Christians and conservatives to the efforts of those who hold a very different vision for America.

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Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Free. Be Prayerful. Be Free.