• Home
  • My Story
  • Welcome

God Squad

Helping veterans and military families strengthen their faith.

Feeds:
Posts
Comments
« Lemonade Like No Other
Stolen Valor Act 2.0 »

Celebrate Religious Freedom

June 28, 2012 by John Potter

Each Fourth of July we celebrate the birth of America.  We celebrate freedom, independence, and the precious rights that guarantee the blessings of liberty.  But it is important to remember how religious freedom was the original goal of living in our land.  And by that, I mean prior to signing the Declaration of Independence.

Christianity operated in a very different environment from what we know today.  Prior to the Pilgrims leaving England, there was no separation of church and state.  There was one official church for people to attend and the King was the head of the church.  During the 1600s, British law required citizens to attend worship services.  Those who did not attend would be fined one shilling for each Sunday and holy day missed.  People who conducted unofficial church services could be fined, jailed, or executed.

As persecution and arrests grew, the Pilgrims left England for Amsterdam.  By 1617 the congregation was stable enough for another, more permanent move.  They wanted an enduring place where opportunity and religious freedom could be secured for their families.  They turned their eyes to the new America, braved a sixty-five day voyage across the Atlantic, and started Plymouth Colony.

Days after sighting land, The Mayflower Compact was established as a way to honor God, guarantee just and equal laws in the colony, and create a free form of government.  The Pilgrims decided to establish a system where every member of the colony could enjoy guaranteed rights and freedoms under majority rule.  Freedoms that they were unable to enjoy until that very moment when the ink was dry.

Their voyage and vision created the first written constitution on our continent.  It became the seed of American freedom and democracy.

We often forget the past difficulties that Christians have faced trying to worship God.  We also forget the difficulties in our present age.  We have been so blessed with liberty in our nation, that we forget the inequalities that exist elsewhere.  While we are not fined, jailed, or executed for practicing our faith in America many others suffer across the globe.  We have brothers and sisters in Christ who live with the same fears, torment, and punishments of seventeenth century Pilgrims.

Recognize the incredible gift we have as Americans and utilize your religious freedom.  Glorify our risen Savior in song.  Strengthen your faith in a worship service.  Read your Bible in public.  But also take time to pray for the persecuted Church beyond our borders.  Their current plight was ours not so long ago.

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Posted in Devotions, Military Family, Uncategorized | Tagged armed forces, army, Bible, birth of America, celebrate religious freedom, chaplain, Christ, christian, Christian rights, christian worship, Christianity, constitutional right of worship, constitutional rights, current events, declaration of independence, democracy, faith, families, family, fourth of july, freedom, freedom to worship, friends, god, god squad, human-rights, independence, Jesus, love, mayflower, mayflower compact, military, military family, national guard, persecuted christians, persecuted church, persecution, pilgrims, Plymouth, Plymouth Colony, politics, religion, religious, religious freedom, religious liberty, religious rights, right to worship, rights of Christians, separation of church and state, soldier, spiritual, spirituality, squad |

  • Latest Tweets

    • It's #NationalSpousesDay and I want to honor my incredible wife who has supported me for 20 years and 4 deployments… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 1 week ago
    • I enjoyed the National Guard Bureau Joint Chaplain symposium this week. It was great to collaborate with my fellow… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 2 weeks ago
    • Enjoyed the Evans Family Christmas Light display tonight. Thanks for the show little drummer boy! #Christmas… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 1 month ago
    • Time to say it again. #Army #ArmyNavy #ArmyNavygame https://t.co/JlscajIvkJ 1 month ago
    Follow @ksquaker
  • Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

  • Categories

    • Book Reviews
    • Christian Living
    • Devotions
    • Humor
    • Military Family
    • Military Marriages
    • News & Commentary
    • Spiritual Practices
    • Suicide Prevention
    • Uncategorized
    • Veteran Resources
    • Worship
  • Permissions

    This is a personal website. Statements and articles found here may not reflect official policies from the Department of Defense. The writings on this site are original unless noted. Feel free to share my columns, articles, and stories as long as you note the author and this site.
  • TheHighCalling.org Christian Blog Network 
  • Religion & Spirituality Blogs - BlogCatalog Blog Directory
  • Christian Bloggers
    Powered By Ringsurf
  • best blog sites

Blog at WordPress.com.

WPThemes.


Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • God Squad
    • Join 125 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • God Squad
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Copy shortlink
    • Report this content
    • View post in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
%d bloggers like this: