March 4, 2009
Steve Collins
All US Presidents and members of Congress take an oath promising to “protect and defend the Constitution” of the USA when they take their offices. It is becoming increasingly evident that they are paying little attention to their sacred oaths. This is very worrisome not only for the future of the USA itself, but also for Christians (and Jews) living in the USA.
The USA was long a beacon of freedoms and liberties in the world and it was the US Constitution which guaranteed the rule of law in our nation. Presidents and Congresses were once careful to make sure legislation was consistent with the US Constitution. However, the US Constitution is now being “thrown under the bus” whenever it is inconvenient to various political agendas. Both Republicans and Democrats are guilty of disregarding the Constitution.
Why should Christians care? Bible prophecies indicate that there will be widespread persecutions against believers at the end of our age (Daniel 8:23-25, Matthew 24:9-10, Revelation 12:10-17, 13:7). The freedoms of speech, worship and assembly guaranteed by the US Constitution (if it is enforced) would never permit such persecutions to occur. Those of us who live in the USA take these precious freedoms for granted. Current trends indicate that these freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution are being eroded as the US government itself pays steadily less attention to the Constitution in its actions. Our Christian freedoms may not be as secure as we think. Here are two examples that graphically illustrate the growing contempt that American leaders have for our founding Document.
The March 3, 2008 USA Today had an article entitled “Bush administration anti-terrorism documents released” (p. 7A). This article (see first link below) states that the Obama administration released information indicating how broadly the Bush Administration ignored the US Constitution in matters involving searches and seizures and personal liberties. The Bush administration “claimed exceptional search-and-seizure powers” as it “determined that certain constitutional rights would not apply” (emphasis added) during the war on terrorism. The White House legal office issued secret and self-serving opinions that “the president had broad authority to set aside constitutional rights. Protections against unwarranted search and seizure…did not apply in the United States as long as the president was combating terrorism.” How convenient! Republicans and conservatives may not be bothered when one of their own sweeps aside the US Constitution to pursue his personal goals, but how would they feel if President Obama decided that he had “broad authority to set aside constitutional rights” in pursuit of global warming, gay marriage or gun control objectives? Once one president ignores the Constitution (and gets away with it), it become easier for subsequent presidents to ignore it in pursuit of whatever agendas they have. What if some future president decides that Christians no longer have Constitutional rights to express their religious viewpoints if it conflicts with left-wing agendas re: gay-rights movement, abortion, etc. What if the prophesied Beast and anti-Christ power (who will rule over “all kindreds, tongues and nations” (Rev. 13:7) decide that “all religions are equal ” and that Christians may no longer preach, publish or confess that Jesus Christ/Yashua is the only “way to heaven” because it is “offensive” to other religions. What if Christians and Orthodox Jews are forbidden to criticize homosexuality on the grounds that this is “hate speech?” These are predictable possibilities. Are you ready for this kind of world?
The article further states the Bush administration decided that it “had broad powers that could not be checked by Congress or the Courts (emphasis added).” This was an assertion of totalitarian authority by the White House which is utterly inconsistent with the US Constitution. It adds that one US citizen was locked in a military brig “without charges” simply because of the suspicion of being a terrorist. If US citizens can be thrown in prison without charges, where does this end? I realize the war on terrorism had to be fought, but the Bush administration clearly had a compliant, in-house legal office which told the Bush administration anything it wanted to hear.
Now lets go after the Democrats. The March 4, 2008 issue of the USA Today had an article (“D.C.’s speed bump: the Constitution”) which reports that the current Democrat-run Congress intends to grant the District of Columbia a voting representative in the US Congress even though the US Constitution would not allow it because DC is not a State. As the article observes: “In passing this bill, Congress will commit a premeditated unconstitutional act of ignoring the clear text and history of the Constitution.” The article mentions that there was a legal effort to amend the Constitution to create voting representation for DC residents, but it failed. Having failed to amend the Constitution legally, the article notes the Democrats in Congress are “resolved to simply ignore” the Constitution. What contempt for the US Constitution and for their own oaths of office! If President Obama signs this bill which openly defies the U.S. Constitution, he will also be displaying his contempt for the US Constitution. This kind of attitude among the USA’s leaders augurs ill for the future.
What kind of “extraordinary powers” might be asserted by the federal government if the US economy collapses or the nation sinks into a new Great Depression? The third link below covers a story that is being ignored by the major media. Many State Legislatures are apparently already concerned about the Federal Government’s disregard of the Constitutional Powers of State Governments. The link notes that 11 state legislatures have taken some kind of action to assert their Tenth Amendment Powers under the US Constitution. As the link notes, a Constitutional Crisis is brewing in the United States of America. I checked with some of my own state legislators about this and found out that the House of Representatives in my own state, South Dakota, had also just passed a similar measure by a wide margin (see fourth link below). At least 12 states have now taken such actions.
If the federal government can free itself from the constraints of the US Constitution, anything is possible. It can rule by decree. Revelation 13 infers that the end-time Beast system will at some point “rule by decree.” The stage is being set for Americans to accept this kind of unrestrained authority. If you are a devout Christian or Jew, you can expect to be targeted by the Beast system. You might want to add to your prayer list an item asking God to strengthen the US Constitution so your rights are preserved…for as long as possible.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20090303/ciatapes03_st.art.htm
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2009/03/dcs-speed-bump.html
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=30807
http://legis.state.sd.us/sessions/2009/Bill.aspx?Bill=HCR1013
