By Angela Wittman“Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for?
And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons;”
(Deut. 4: 5-9, KJV)
As a Christian pro-life activist who supports “personhood” for the preborn, I have been following the Right to Life Act of South Carolina (S.450 / H.3526) and political maneuverings in the South Carolina General Assembly for several years now. I have often wondered why lawmakers in what is known as the “Bible Belt” would allow the continued murder of preborn children by abortion and reject “personhood” legislation that would stop the slaughter. Oh, they might posture themselves as being “kind of” pro-life and throw their concerned constituents pro-life bills without any teeth, such as those designed to regulate prenatal child-killing without banning it altogether, but when they have the opportunity to pass meaningful pro-life legislation, such as the Right to Life Act of SC, they don’t have the boldness or sincerity needed to do so.
But the nagging question is “WHY?” Why does a state with a reputation for being alive in Christ appear to be so dead to His commandments? Weren’t these legislators taught the Ten Commandments in Sunday school as children? Don’t they have pastors who preach and teach the whole Word of God? Or have they forgotten that there is a God in Heaven who judges the nations? (Job 12:23, Psalm 2, Psalm 9:17, Psalm 22:28, Psalm 66:7, Psalm 67:4, Psalm 72:11, Psalm 82:8, Isaiah 2:4, Micah 2:3, Rev. 11:18, KJV )
Well, dear friends, I believe I may have a partial explanation for the lukewarm South Carolinian legislators. While reading the South Carolina Senate Journal for April 28th, 2010, I came across this opening devotion and prayer:
The Psalmist proclaimed:
"Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy." (Psalm 96:11-12)
Let us pray:
O God, somehow Earth Day slipped by many of us last week. Yet that doesn't mean we fail to have a passion for the natural beauty and the incredible resources of this State we love. From the mountains to the seas, from forests and meadows to our rivers and lakes, we are surrounded by precious treasures. During these days when this Senate must understandably focus upon dollars and cents, don't let any of us, dear God, fail to recall the wondrous resources which already surround us--especially the treasure we have in the good people of South Carolina. Thank You, Lord, for all of Your marvelous riches!
In Your name we pray. Amen.
At first I was encouraged to see the Senate had begun their day with a Psalm... Then as I read the prayer, my heart dropped... Instead of humble, heartfelt repentance for their lack of desire and action to effectively end the killing of preborn human beings made in the image of God, the Senate Chaplain made an apology for not acknowledging Earth Day, which isn’t even a Christian day of observance. In fact, Christians have traditionally been suspect of the New Age implication of observing Earth Day.
The controversial feminist Margaret Mead declared this about Earth Day in 1978:
"EARTH DAY is the first holy day which transcends all national borders, yet preserves all geographical integrities, spans mountains and oceans and time belts, and yet brings people all over the world into one resonating accord, is devoted to the preservation of the harmony in nature and yet draws upon the triumphs of technology, the measurement of time, and instantaneous communication through space.
“EARTH DAY draws on astronomical phenomena in a new way – which is also the most ancient way – by using the vernal Equinox, the time when the Sun crosses the equator making the length of night and day equal in all parts of the Earth. To this point in the annual calendar, EARTH DAY attaches no local or divisive set of symbols, no statement of the truth or superiority of one way of life over another. But the selection of the March Equinox makes planetary observance of a shared event possible, and a flag which shows the Earth, as seen from space, appropriate."
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Day )
And Ken Ham, president of Answers in Genesis and the Creation Museum writes in his article “Earth Day – A Creationist Perspective:”
“There is more behind what has been designated today as Earth Day (April 22) than planting trees, reducing pollution, and conserving natural resources. Of course, a lot of what is promoted on this day certainly sounds admirable. Furthermore, Christians are to be good stewards in caring for the earth (Genesis 1:28). But there is a lot more to Earth Day than meets the eye.
“For instance, at some Earth Day celebrations, you will find New Age crystals for people to “channel” through, and material can be found on how to worship “Mother Earth.” For many people, this day is really a religious service for the New Age movement (and it’s often based on evolutionary thinking). While we may be responsible for caring for the earth, we are not to worship it but to use it for man’s good—and to God’s glory.
“The founder of Earth Day, Gaylord Nelson, believed: ‘The fate of the living planet is the most important issue facing mankind.’1 In reality, the most important issue facing mankind is that everybody needs to recognize their sin and need for salvation in Jesus Christ.
“Also, the fate of the planet is, ultimately, not in the hands of mankind. While we are responsible for earth care, we are not in control of the earth. It belongs to the Creator (Psalm 24:1), and we are His stewards. We care for the creation, which was once “very good” (Genesis 1:31), but now suffers from the curse of sin (Genesis 3).”
But perhaps I am just confused and this South Carolina Senate prayer was directed to the God of the Bible, instead of some unknown, unnamed, fuzzy deity and the Senate Chaplain just forgot to include Jesus name?
May those whom the LORD has placed in the South Carolina Legislature take these words to heart:
“Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” (Acts 17: 22-31, KJV)
Dear Heavenly Father,
I pray you will grant the South Carolina General Assembly humble and sincere repentance for disregarding your laws and commandments. May they take real action to outlaw the murder of the preborn children created in Your image and may You grant them the wisdom that is only found in keeping Your Law.
In Lord Jesus Name I pray. Amen.
© 2010 Angela Wittman. All rights reserved.
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