May 4, 2017: On this National Day of Prayer, President Trump addressed the nation and religious leaders at the White House saying, “We will not allow people of faith to be targeted, bullied or silenced anyone… No one should be censoring sermons or targeting pastors… We will never ever stand for religious discrimination …” Trump then signed the “Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty” Executive Order. The Order states “the United States Constitution enshrines and protects the fundamental right to religious liberty as Americans’ first freedom…
Sec. 2. All executive departments and agencies shall, to the greatest …extent permitted by, respect and protect the freedom of persons and organizations to engage in religious and political speech. In particular, the Secretary of Treasury shall ensure… the Department of the Treasury does not take any adverse action against any individual, house of worship… religious organization on the basis… (of) speech… (in relation to) 501 (c) (3) of title 26…tax exemption…” This does not change the ‘Johnson Amendment’ of 1954, telling the IRS those tax-exempt organizations that ‘directly or indirectly participating in or intervening in, any political campaign…’ can be subject to losing tax status (law not used; or contested at the Supreme Court).
As to the National Day of Prayer, it has been followed by every President since Truman signed it into law in 1952; it has been celebrated with an official White House Observance by every president from Truman to Trump – with the exception of Barack Obama.
This day the American Humanist Association (website slogan ‘good without a God) declared a National Day of Reason. Of course, in their ‘unknowing’ (‘a-gnostic’); they just declared a National Day of Jesus.
It was common for early church fathers (bishops) to call Jesus Christ – ‘Wisdom and Reason.’ Athenagoras (c.177 AD), “We acknowledge …a Son of God… the Logos (Word)… we acknowledge a God, and a Son, His Logos, and a Holy Spirit, united in essence – the Father, the Son, the Spirit – because the Son is the Intelligence, REASON and Wisdom of the Father…”
Tertullian (c. 200) “Before all things God was alone… in that there was nothing external to Him. Yet even then He was not alone, for He had with Him, His own REASON (Greek ‘Logos;’ English ‘Word’)… Word consists of REASON… We call Him the WISDOM of GOD…”
| Isaiah 11:2: “The SPIRIT of the LORD with rest on Him (Christ Jesus): the Spirit of Wisdom, Understanding (REASON), Counsel, Might, Knowledge and Fear of the Lord.” |
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