Response to Born on the Fourth

Response to Born on the Fourth
Pastor Sam Green

In FLORIDA TODAY'S editorial entitled Born on the Fourth the author asks the question: What makes America great? The editorial rightly identifies the Declaration of Independence and Constitution as the bedrock documents that define America. Strangely, tolerance is listed as one of history's most eloquent summations of the highest aspirations of mankind along with liberty, democracy, justice for all, and human dignity.

Oddly, those who profess belief in the doctrine of tolerance are the loudest voices crying out on so many issues. Easily recognized is the hypocrisy of these voices of tolerance as they criticize and call for censure of: Christian prayers uttered in the name of Jesus, the Ten Commandments Monument displayed by former Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court Roy Moore, the National Motto “In God We Trust,” the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance and, most recently, the Christian cross in the Mount Soledad National War Memorial in San Diego

While launching an all out attack on Christianity, its symbols and the free expression of Christian faith, these voices of tolerance are heard extolling the supposed virtue of the indefensible. Evidence of this is overwhelming when one considers their promotion of: the injustice that abortion-on-demand inflicts upon the innocent babies and their mothers, the injustice that same-sex marriage imposes upon the children of our culture, the indignity that pornography reflects upon human sexuality

What truly makes America great is the intolerant fortitude it took for our Founding Fathers to throw off the chains of tyranny, oppression and injustice. They were men who understood that those who “fail to stand for something are liable to fall for anything.” America is desperately close to falling for the oxymoronic notion that its citizens should tolerate all that liberal ideologists try to cram down their throat. The doctrine of tolerance fails when put to the test of Christianity for these liberal ideologues refuse to tolerate all that we Christians hold dear.

Too often, these voices manifest in the arguments made by lawyers representing the ACLU who received half a million dollars in the Alabama Ten Commandments Case and $950,000 in attorney's fees in a lawsuit against the Boy Scouts. All this, of course, and much more at tax payer's expense.

It's time for Americans to display the same brand of intolerant fortitude that made this nation great and exercise discernment in squelching tyranny, oppression and injustice. It's time to de-fund the injustice of the ACLU by supporting Congressman John Hostettler's Public Expression of Religion Act (PERA), H.R. 2679. And finally, it's time for all Americans to recognize the doctrine of tolerance for what it is -- an elusive ideal that cannot be realized.

Pastor Sam
Palm Bay Baptist Church
Palm Bay, Florida