Karl Marx Made Me Think

I have been attending a class at my church for the last several weeks called The Truth Project. It's been very interesting to see how God really is intertwined into everything that surrounds man, there is nothing that He is not a part of.

In last night's class the host was laying the foundation of history, and gave us a quote by Karl Marx that made me sit up and take note, literally. It said, "A people without a heritage are easily persuaded." That is where we are at right now in the United States. A people without a heritage. I don't mean that we don't have a heritage in the United States, because we do and it is an amazing one actually filled with all kinds of characters and actions that molded this great country into what it has become.

No, we have a society that has forgotten it's heritage. Take for instance one of the instances that was discussed in last night's class. The Mayflower Compact. Here it is:

In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are under-written, the loyal subjects of our dread sovereign Lord, King James, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, etc.

Having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith, and honor of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God, and one of another, covenant and combine our selves together into a civil body politic, for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions and offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the Colony, unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. In witness whereof we have hereunder subscribed our names at Cape Cod, the eleventh of November [New Style, November 21], in the year of the reign of our sovereign lord, King James, of England, France, and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Dom. 1620.

Now look at how it is taught in most text books in school:

Having undertaken, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually,covenant and combine our selves together into a civil body politic, for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions and offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the Colony, unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. In witness whereof we have hereunder subscribed our names at Cape Cod, the eleventh of November [New Style, November 21], in the year of the reign of our sovereign lord, King James, of England, France, and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Dom. 1620

Did you notice the difference? They have taken the parts about God out of what is being taught to the children of America. They have taken out part of our heritage. This is something that truly concerns me for the simple reason that the people that came here to the new land came for religious reasons. But you take God out of the equation, and it appears that they just came here for the heck of it, because it sounded like a good idea.

I'm reminded of a story that I read in a biography on George Washington. In it, he wrote a letter to his family while he was serving in the French/Indian war. He stated that he had had several horses shot out from under him, and that when the battle was over and he retired back to his tent, when he removed his powdered wig, several bullets fell out of it. It was years later in the story, when he was President that an Indian chief came to visit him. The Indian chief told Mr. Washington that he had to meet the man that God would not let die in battle. It seems that during the battle that George had written home about, this Indian had told his braves to target the leader, (George Washington), which they had done, shooting several horses out from under him in the process. But they were unable to kill him, and this chief said that he personally had shot him numerous times as well.

Now that is an amazing story of God's protection on a man who would end up leading our country in one of it's most dire times. Yet how many of you have read that story in your history books in school? I know I never did. What I did learn about him however, was that he chopped down his father's cherry tree and could never tell a lie. Which of those two stories gives you a better perspective on the heritage of our country?

I think Karl Marx was correct in his statement, and an even scarier thought is that we may be living that out in our lifetime...remember where you came from, because if you don't, you are destined to repeat history...and sometimes that's not a good thing to do. Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!