---

By many or by few

[J]ust as the sun rose over the eastern mountains, the American guard-boat on the watch was seen rowing swiftly into the harbor. It reported the enemy in sight. ... [Y]oung McDonough summoned his officers around him, and there, on the deck of the Saratoga, read the prayers of the ritual before entering into battle. . . . "Stir up thy strength, O Lord, and come and help us; for thou givest not always the battle to the strong, but canst save by many or by few." It was a solemn, thrilling sight, and one never before witnessed on a vessel-of-war cleared for action. . . . Of the deeds of daring done on that day of great achievements, none evinced so bold and firm a heart as this act of religious worship.
The battle that day near Plattsburgh, New York, would be one of the crucial and decisive battles of the war, preventing the British from entering and controlling northern New York.

When we were attacked 187 years later on Sept. 11, 2001, the president, Congress, and many in our land again turned to God in prayer. Now six years later, on Sept. 11, 2007, we will witness another tragic offensive on our country when criminal trials will commence for three brave individuals charged with allegedly disrupting Congress. Their so-called "crime" was that they spoke in protest as the United States Senate recently opened with a Hindu ritual and prayer to an unknown god.

One of those individuals, Ante Pavkovic, audibly prayed on that occasion that the Lord would have "mercy on our nation." "We have no other gods before you," he continued, "You are the one true and living God." Ante's stepdaughter Christan also prayed, "Lord Jesus, forgive us for betraying you, the only one who can save us from our sins." Ante, his wife Katherine, and Christan were all arrested for simply demonstrating the courage and fortitude of Commodore McDonough and the men and women who gave birth to our nation.

I recently had the pleasure of meeting the Pavkovic family and found them to be sincere, humble, and dedicated individuals. While some will smugly dismiss them as "intolerant" or "radical," their actions reflect the patriotism of our fathers for which they should be commended, not convicted of a criminal offense. They certainly understood the Christian heritage of our nation much better than our United States senators.

At times, God has often used a few to be a righteous example to many. In ancient Babylon when three Hebrew men were ordered by King Nebuchadnezzar to fall down and worship his golden image they continued to stand and suffer the consequences. God delivered them from the fiery furnace and even the king was forced to recognize their God and the fact that no other god could "deliver after this sort." Like the Pavkovic family, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to shrink from their duty to God no matter how hot the fires they would endure.

Edmund Burke, a well-known British statesman and orator, once said, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." A number of good men and women serving as United States senators did nothing as Rajan Zed for the first time in our history sprinkled "holy water" from the Ganges River around the Senate rostrum and then uttered a Hindu prayer to an unknown god. In fact, perhaps because of timidity or apathy, very few senators even bothered to attend, and none voiced an objection to this official government recognition of a false religion.

For whatever reason, it was left to Ante, Katherine, and Christan to stand for our country and our faith in God and face the raging fire of criticism, intimidation, and persecution which has followed. For my part, I admire and appreciate their courage. I believe that God who saves "by many or by few" answered the prayers of Commodore McDonough and our forefathers, and He has heard those of Ante, Katherine, and Christan. May their example encourage and inspire others to take a stand.