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Real men love Jesus.  That is the solution.  Period.

Why do we always turn to God after the tragedy?
(I wrote this well before September 11, 2001)

This Page Last Updated 05/15/2008

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The owner, author, publisher and founder of www.SaveTheGuns.com is a descendent of William Brewster who was the pastor and religious leader of the Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620.  It seems as though some of the preacher's blood still runs in my veins.  This page does sound a little preachy but maybe that is what we need today.

The freedom of choice that was bought by the sacrifices of the founders of the United States is being taken for granted today.  Your freedom to choose your lifestyle should be constrained by moral and religious values.  Sure, we have freedom and personal liberty in the United States, but it does not mean that you have no higher responsibility to the American people to make good choices.

The level of freedom and personal liberty that is enjoyed by all Americans, must be constrained by religious and moral values.  Freedom, without moral values can be a very dangerous combination.

Let me quote,

"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion.  Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.  It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
John Adams (1735-1826) Second President of the United States.

Identifying the most major problem in society should be the first step in determining what the solution should be.  It's my sincere belief that the most major problem in the United States and perhaps around the world is simply this:

• Multi-generational Dysfunctional Families.  These dysfunctional families who either don't know how to properly discipline their children, don't care about their children or have no moral and religious boundaries to their own personal conduct, is the biggest problem we have in America.

Dysfunctional families who have children who grow up and start dysfunctional families of their own is a colossal problem and is tearing up the fabric of the tapestry of freedom and liberty forged by the Founding Fathers.

Firearms have been around since the mid-1200's to late 1200's.  Guns have played some role in humanity for more than 750 years.  It's absolutely ludicrous to place the blame of firearm homicides on firearms or the supposed "availability" of firearms.

The United States ranks 8th in the world in rates of firearm homicide per 100,000 citizens.  We are behind the following countries in firearm related homicides:

South Africa 74.57
Columbia      51.76
Thailand        33.00
Guatemala    18.50
Paraguay         7.35
Zimbabwe        4.74
Mexico            3.66
United States  3.60

When one thinks of Benjamin Franklin, one conjures up images of an old guy flying a kite in a thunderstorm, perhaps the image of an inventor or publisher who participated in the American Revolutionary War period and a patriot in every sense of the word.  But who would have guessed that he single-handedly would have written the prescription for what ails America in the twenty first century?

"Educate your children to self-control, to the habit of holding passion and prejudice and evil tendencies subject to an upright and reasoning will, and you have done much to abolish misery from their future and crimes from society."
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American printer, author, philosopher, diplomat and scientist.

Are You Ready To Spend Some Time Reading Today?

What are the real solutions to correcting the problems that America is facing today?

The best place to start such a pursuit is to identify the problems so we know how best to approach the subject.  I have placed below seventeen subjects that I believe play a prominent role in the solutions to the problems that we face in America as it relates to firearm freedom and the course that the United States in on.  Feel free to send me feedback on this page.

Where Are The Dads?

“[F]athers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” (Paul of Tarsus)

The problems are many faceted and complex, but  I believe the most critical problem in America today is immorality and the apparent abandonment of traditional family and religious values.

When I speak of the destruction of the American family, what I really mean is that there are too many fathers of children who have abandoned their families.  I am not going to beat around the bush here.  This entire Web site is totally based on the truth as best as I know it.  Non-existent Dads are to blame for a large portion of America's ills.

As I previously mentioned, the biggest problem is dysfunctional families who raised children without biblically-based, religious and moral values, who are raising children within even a higher level of dysfunction.

God intended the family structure to consist of a mother, father and their children.  The erroneous notion that a woman does not need a man to raise a child is nonsense.  God knows best, not the Feminist Movement.

Former Vice-President Dan Quayle was right, Murphy Brown was wrong.  Thank you Dan for standing up for what you thought was right.

These statistics are really alarming:

90% of runaway and homeless children had no father in the home.

85% of all youths in prison cells right now grew up with no Dad in the home.

85% of all children with some degree of behavioral disorders had no father in the home while young.

80% of all convicted rapists had no father in the home to guide them in true religious morality.

75% of all drug-addicted adolescents come from fatherless homes.

*Highly Recommended Reading

The average American child gets only 37 seconds of fatherly interaction each day.  Most experts agree that the first seven (7) years of a child's life are the most important to proper social, emotional, intellectual and spiritual growth.  In these first seven (7) years, the average American child receives just 28 hours of fatherly interaction.  That is shameful and wholly inadequate...what will you do to change???

"It should be your care, therefore, and mine, to elevate the minds of our children and exalt their courage; to accelerate and animate their industry and activity; to excite in them an habitual contempt of meanness, abhorrence of injustice and inhumanity, and an ambition to excel in every capacity, faculty, and virtue.  If we suffer their minds to grovel and creep in infancy, they will grovel all their lives."
John Adams (1735-1826) Founding Father, 2nd US President
Source: Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law, 1756

Focusing our energy trying to control possession of firearms is simply a useless and futile diversion from the central aspects of the real problems we must face.

Why are fathers leaving the home?  I believe that the answer to this question is quite simple.  They feel dissatisfied.  God designed a Christian, Bible based marriage to be satisfying to the soul.

A secular, non-Christian, non-religious marriage will not satisfy the soul.

Marriage does have a manual... The Bible.  Get yours above today.

"Good government generally begins in the family, and if the moral character of a people once degenerate, their political character must soon follow."
Elias Boudinot (1740-1821) President of the Continental Congress (1782-1783), later a congressman from NJ, and president of the American Bible Society

Fathers are responsible for the proper discipline of children.  This job was largely shoveled off to the wife because of the Industrial Revolution that took the father out of the home for most of the day.  Now today, when an alarmingly high number of fathers don't even live in the same household as their children, this lack of proper discipline and moral guidance is reaping misery across the nation and indeed the rest of the world.

This is not merely my opinion, the Bible says so as well.

Check out:

Genesis 18:19
Leviticus 20:9
Proverbs 13:24
Proverbs 19:18
1Timothy 3:4
1Timothy 3:12
Titus1:6
Hebrews 12:7

"Children should be educated and instructed in the principles of freedom."
John Adams  (1735-1826) Founding Father, 2nd US President
Source: Defense of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America, 1787

The "separation of church and state"

I never cease to be amazed at the number of people who believe that the term "separation of church and state" can easily be found in the founding documents of the United States of America.  The term "separation of church and state" was first written into American jurisprudence in 1947.  The attack on Christianity began in deadly earnest with several Supreme Court decisions beginning in 1947 with Everson v Board of Education (330 USC 1, 18) and McCollum v Board of Education (333 USC 203) in 1948.

The Founding Fathers never intended for the First Amendment's freedom of religion clause to take prayer out of the public scene.  They would be horrified at how this part of the Bill of Rights has been corrupted.  To give you an example of what I'm talking about, let's take a quick look at Article II and Article III of the Massachusetts State Constitution:

Article II. It is the right as well as the duty of all men in society, publicly, and at stated seasons to worship the Supreme Being, the great Creator and Preserver of the universe. And no subject shall be hurt, molested, or restrained, in his person, liberty, or estate, for worshipping God in the manner and season most agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience; or for his religious profession or sentiments; provided he doth not disturb the public peace, or obstruct others in their religious worship.

Article III. [As the happiness of a people, and the good order and preservation of civil government, essentially depend upon piety, religion and morality; and as these cannot be generally diffused through a community, but by the institution of the public worship of God, and of public instructions in piety, religion and morality: Therefore, to promote their happiness and to secure the good order and preservation of their government, the people of this commonwealth have a right to invest their legislature with power to authorize and require, and the legislature shall, from time to time, authorize and require, the several towns, parishes, precincts, and other bodies politic, or religious societies, to make suitable provision, at their own expense, for the institution of the public worship of God, and for the support and maintenance of public Protestant teachers of piety, religion and morality, in all cases where such provision shall not be made voluntarily.

And the people of this commonwealth have also a right to, and do, invest their legislature with authority to enjoin upon all the subjects an attendance upon the instructions of the public teachers aforesaid, at stated times and seasons, if there be any on whose instructions they can conscientiously and conveniently attend. 

Provided, notwithstanding, that the several towns, parishes, precincts, and other bodies politic, or religious societies, shall, at all times, have the exclusive right of electing their public teachers, and of contracting with them for their support and maintenance. 

And all moneys paid by the subject to the support of public worship, and of the public teachers aforesaid, shall, if he require it, be uniformly applied to the support of the public teacher or teachers of his own religious sect or denomination, provided there be any on whose instructions he attends; otherwise it may be paid towards the support of the teacher or teachers of the parish or precinct in which the said moneys are raised. 

Any every denomination of Christians, demeaning themselves peaceably, and as good subjects of the commonwealth, shall be equally under the protection of the law: and no subordination of any one sect or denomination to another shall ever be established by law.

If you take the above quotation from the Massachusetts State Constitution that speaks about how essential it is for the "...public worship of God" and compare it to today where you can't even place a manger scene on public property at Christmas, you can very clearly see how far we have strayed off the path that was set forth for us by the Founding Fathers.

Moral Relativism?

Clearly identifying the real problem for us, is this quote:

"Man is the measure of all things.  Truth is merely opinion, and, therefore even morality is relative."
Protagoras (480?-411? B.C.) A 5th century B.C. Greek Sophist

Morality is not relative.  God's rules and God's standards don't change.  There is such as thing as moral absolutes.

The future of America revolves around our ability to adhere to the moral absolutes found in the Ten Commandments of God.

They are called the Ten Commandments, not the Ten Suggestions.

"We have staked the whole future of American civilization not upon the power of government.  Far from it.  We have staked the future of all our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."
James Madison (1751-1836) Fourth President of the United States.

Please forgive me, I am a bit emotional about this.

If everyone tried not to break the Ten Commandments Of God, we would have a much better place to live.  We would be the absolute envy of the world.  Nearly every household in the United States has a Bible in it.

Take it out and read Exodus 20 to your family tonight and absorb its true meaning.  God knows what is best for us.

"It is the eternal struggle between these two principles -- right and wrong -- throughout the world.  They are the two principles that have stood face to face from the beginning of time..."
Abraham Lincoln  (1809-1865) 16th US President

The truth is that too many American youth are consciously doing things that they know to be morally wrong.  Firearms have nothing to do with violent criminal acts whatsoever.  It is the all important moral compass of America's youth that is off kilter and not pointed North.

Too often I look around and clearly see that the nation's moral compass is not functioning correctly.  Our moral compass that compels us to do right things and not wrong things is out of calibration or perhaps even non-existent in some dysfunctional families.

<<Alarming Statistic Warning>>

One (1) in every thirty two (32) American adults is either in prison, in jail, on probation or out on parole.  We don't have a gun problem, we have a morality problem.  We have a religion problem.  We have a virtue problem.  We have a lack of upright, moral, ethical and righteous people, mostly men, who can be good role models for our young generation.

"To educate a man in mind, and not in morals, is to educate a menace to society."
Theodore Roosevelt  (1858-1919) 26th US President

I believe that largely, the answers to most of America's problems can be found, if we would simply look back into our own history.  We should closely examine how things were when America was truly a great nation.  Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't live anywhere else, this is the best nation that ever existed, but we can do so much better.

The Blame Game

We always seem to feel a need to place the blame for a school shooting, workplace violence or street crime on something.  Let's put the blame right where it belongs, in our nation's mirror.

Should we blame firearms for murder, matches for arson or knives for rape?  Perhaps we can even blame pencils or keyboards for misspelled words?  Maybe forks and spoons for obesity...  You get my point I'm sure.

Of course not...but could it have been...

• Because we give more attention to the cat or dog, than our own children?  Which makes them feel like their needs are not important to us?

• Because American fathers interact with their children only 37 seconds a day?

• Because only 14% of African-American led homes have the father and mother of the children, married and living under the same roof and the numbers for Hispanics, Caucasian and other races don't fare much better in this regard?

• Because we gleefully hand our children off to day care centers, who have no real investment in our children's future and who really just try to make sure kids are fed, changed and not hurt too badly each day?

• Because our children watch an average of seven (7) hours of television a day, where the borders of decency and acceptable norms keep getting pushed further and further away, while the principles of conduct outlined in the Bible and the word of God are ignored or made light of?

• Because video games and computer games are quickly becoming more graphic and contain an increasing amount of killing and criminal violence?  Because going to the movies today likely involves seeing images and situations that impressionable children and some adults should not be seeing?

• Because we spend so little time filling our children's needs and so much time pursuing material gain, that our children associate love with getting more stuff?

• Because we allow bullying in school to go on uninhibited?  In almost every school shooting, vicious acts of bullying by other students toward the shooter were present.  In quite a bit of school shootings, the bullied student is desperately reaching out for a solution and chooses a firearm to solve his problems.  There needs to be a nation-wide "no-tolerance policy" for school bullying.  Most often, teachers and school administrators look the other way and write off school bullying as some sort of rite of passage for adolescents.  That MUST stop and it must stop now.  We allow "bullying" in school to go on unabated without pushing very hard to develop programs to effectively deal with school bullies?  The cradle of America's future is in school right now!!!  There is no place for ANY violent behavior in school!!!  Furthermore, we should pay and respect our children's teachers and school administrators more AND be more involved as well.

• Because since 1959, our schools have taught our children that we are just glorified circus monkeys and that we emerged from a "Primordial Soup" filled with muck and seaweed, which modern science has already dispelled, but is afraid to tell us?  It's statistically impossible for even a single protein chain to arrange itself in a puddle of mud in ancient pre-life Earth, but that's not being taught to our children either.  Even Charles Darwin in The Origin of the Species created God with originally creating life.

"It is interesting to contemplate ... [all the many forms of life on earth] ... so different from each other, have all been produced by laws acting around us. ... There is grandeur in this view of life, having been originally breathed by the Creator into a few forms or into one; and that from so simple a beginning, endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved."
Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
On the Origin of the Species Chapter 15, Recapitulation and Conclusion

• Because we give very lenient sentences to teenage girls who hide their pregnancies from their parents and toss their vulnerable and dependent newborns into the nearest dumpster?  Or out a window to the neighborhood dog?  (True story)  Shouldn't we be teaching America's children about the value of life, so that they don't try to flush their newborns down the toilet?  Morality and religious values are so far gone in some communities that even the natural mental blockade against harming a newborn has vanished.  WHAT IS HAPPENING TO US?

• Because we have allowed ourselves to be intimidated by state agencies into not properly disciplining our children for disobedience, disrespect and misbehavior.  (The Bible tells us the appropriate way to discipline a rebellious child.  Anyone who allows their own elected officials to dictate to them, how to raise a child, is a sheep and has no courage.)
  
  Proverbs 13:24  He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.

• Because we tend to think of our children as interruptions to our important work, when they should be our primary concern?

• Because we teach our children that there are no moral absolutes and that the concept of morality can change from one individual to another?

• Because we allowed our own government to tell us that the church and the state should be completely separated?  And we believed them?  (The Founding Fathers never intended for prayer and the Ten Commandments to be removed from school.  That came from Supreme Court rulings in the middle of the last century.)  The term "separation of church and state", is not found anywhere in the founding documents of the United States, but is rather a "politically correct" term, that has been floating around in media circles since the 1950's.
  
  Indeed, the very first textbook, in the very first public school was the Bible and it remained in the classroom until the late 1950's and early 1960's, when American society interestingly enough, began its precipitous slide toward oblivion.

• Because we allow our school age children to be taught about the mechanics of sex in school and be handed condoms by school officials, and we didn't even bat an eyelash?  We didn't even demand that abstinence to sexual intercourse be a mandatory part of this program at the very least?

• Because we hand over hundreds of millions of dollars to Hollywood to see the latest Hannibal the Cannibal movie, buy the latest Grand Theft Auto video game for our kids or the latest shoot 'em up movie and then hypocritically shake our collective heads about the violence in the entertainment industry?

The time has come for us to take a long, cold, hard look in the mirror and STOP LOOKING TOWARD CONGRESS TO HELP US WITH OUR SELF-CONTROL PROBLEMS.  Congressmen are among the most unlawful and immoral professionals among us.

Get Involved...

Another major problem that we face is the unwillingness of people to get involved in their own  neighborhoods.  Many of us, don't even have a clue what our neighbor's name is.  Please take time to visit the Lighthouse Movement Web site at http://www.lighthousemovement.com.

Yet another problem is our unwillingness to accept the consequences of our own immorality.  Instead, we allow government to restrict our freedom in an effort to artificially improve our social condition.

We seem to be pursuing material gain, wealth and pleasure while we let our children raise themselves.  We force them to glean their morals and values from their peers, daycare workers and the entertainment industry.

Our children hold the key to the future of America.

Yet American children get six hundred times (600X) more interaction with the television than they do with their own dads.

When will we start meeting our children's needs.  There is an entire generation of children in America that are crying out for change, but are we listening?

Our Hypocrisy

We cry out about violence, bloodshed and sex in the entertainment industry, but still go see the latest "Hannibal The Cannibal" movie, the latest R rated trash or the latest drug movie.  We buy the latest and greatest shoot'em up video games for our children, then wonder how they get so violent...

Who can blame Hollywood, when we Americans are throwing billions of dollars at them?

The answer is staring back at us from the mirror, take a look...

We are comfortable with the latest Supreme Court ruling on the separation of Church and State, but wonder why our children don't obey the Ten Commandments of God.  Why do we seek God's help after the tragedy instead of seeking His guidance beforehand?  We disagree about the removing of the Ten Commandments of God from our nation's public places, but only complain about it to our family members over a cup of coffee.

We gladly accept that cheap forty dollar ($20) VCR or stereo from an acquaintance of a co-worker, that you know was probably stolen, but we shake our collective heads when home break-ins are on the rise in our neighborhood.

Hypocrisy, pure hypocrisy

Don't Diminish Freedom

Freedom and personal liberty should not be abridged because of the immoral, unlawful and uncivil actions of a miniscule segment of the population, but that is exactly what today's federal and state governments appear to be doing.

We're losing our own freedom and liberty because as a nation, we no longer conduct ourselves according to the traditional values of America's past.  We have strayed too far from the path set before us by the Founding Fathers.

We have all said "They've got to do something."  I assume that "they" means the government.  The real answer lies in not "they", but rather "we" have to do something.

We elect government officials and tell them to do something about drug abuse, do something about robbery, do something about aggravated assaults, do something about murder.  And then the government officials feel the public pressure and do whatever is in their power to help solve the problem.

The trouble with that approach lies in the fact that nobody can legislate a populace into conducting their lives within the framework of moral, religious and family values.

Furthermore, the government can only pass laws that are within their power.  Laws that include regulating, restricting and diminishing personal liberty and freedom.  Our own state and federal lawmakers simply strike out at freedom to solve our problems.  Man, is this frustrating for the man who conducts himself and his family properly and lawfully at all times.

The true answer lies within each one of us.  The answer is that we as individuals must refine our character.  We must pursue truth and real justice.  We should depend upon our God's ability to help us change ourselves.  We have to strive for a better America by getting involved.  We desperately need to get back to the America who not only respected the Ten Commandments of God, but actually knew all ten of them.

I believe that our primary duty (aside from our families) as honest, upright and involved citizens of the United States, is to elect good, moral, honest and hardworking people to state governorships, congress and our state legislatures.  To protect freedom and not diminish it, we must do a better job at electing our own government.

"When you become entitled to exercise the right of voting for public officers, let it be impressed on your mind that God commands you to choose for rulers, "just men who will rule in the fear of God."  The preservation of [our] government depends on the faithful discharge of this Duty; if the citizens neglect their Duty and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted; laws will be made, not for the public good so much as for selfish or local purposes; corrupt or incompetent men will be appointed to execute the Laws; the public revenues will be squandered on unworthy men; and the rights of the citizen will be violated or disregarded.  If [our] government fails to secure public prosperity and happiness, it must be because the citizens neglect the Divine Commands, and elect bad men to make and administer the Laws."
Noah Webster 1758-1843 American Patriot and author of America's first dictionary.

Proper Punishment

Congress and the legislatures of the fifty (50) states must begin to develop policies that punish criminal use of firearms and not mere possession of firearms by lawful, honest and upright Citizens.

Here is my recipe:

• For mere possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime (rape, robbery, aggravated assault, attempted murder and murder), the convict should have five (5) years added to the time to serve for the crime.

• For brandishing the firearm during the commission of that crime, the convict should have ten (10) years added to the time to serve for the crime.

• For firing that gun during the commission of a crime, the convict should have fifteen (15) years added to the time to serve for the crime.

• For injuring or killing anyone with that firearm during the commission of a crime, the convict should have twenty (20) years added to the time to serve for the crime.

If my recipe for stopping violence committed with firearms was implemented, just as I have written it above, crime committed with firearms will disappear from the United States.

C'mon, let's go, who will be the first legislator or Congressman to put this in a bill?  I don't even need any credit for saving the nation...

The answers that we seek in this arena is to support such programs as Project I.C.E. and Exile, which focus upon violent criminals who choose firearms to commit crime with.

I HAVE SAID IT BEFORE, BUT IT BEARS REPEATING AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE, EACH STATE DESPERATELY NEEDS TO ENACT HABITUAL OFFENDER LEGISLATION SUCH AS "THREE STRIKES AND YOU'RE OUT".  FURTHER RESTRICTIONS ON GUN OWNERSHIP WILL BE IGNORED BY THE VIOLENT AND OBEYED BY THE LAWFUL.  WAKE UP!!!

Illegal Drugs

The reason we have a colossal drug problem in America is because of the immense demand from "normal everyday people".  If each young person, utterly and completely refused to use illegal drugs, even once, the problem would evaporate as soon as the current population of abusers dies off.  DON'T TRY DRUGS...EVER, IT'S NOT WORTH THE RISK.

The casual, one day a week drug user who says they are not hurting anyone, is where most of the illegal drug demand comes from.

The massive amount of casual users are responsible for the thousands of drug related deaths each year that result from within the illegal narcotics supply chain.  The casual, once a week, drug user, is perpetuating a colossal nationwide demand for illegal drugs.

The casual illegal drug user bears the responsibility for the more than 50,000 deaths each year due to the drug supply chain, drug turf wars, drug gang killings and law enforcement deaths all over the world.

The casual user is also supporting international terrorism, whether they know it or not.  The largest exporter of opiates is Afghanistan and the Islamic extremist terrorist groups that have control over the distribution chain.  If you're into narcotics, you're likely supporting terrorist activities, whether you mean to or not doesn't matter.

Mrs. Reagan had it right...JUST SAY NO TO DRUGS.

• The real problem here is not the heavily addicted street person.

• Nor is it the people who unlawfully import illegal drugs.

• Nor is it the drug kingpins in Central America.

• Nor is it the local organized crime boss.

But I will tell you where the real problem exists:

It is the casual user, who accepts illegal drugs, who has friends who use illegal drugs, who just wants a little bit, maybe once a week.  That is the central problem in the "War On Drugs", because there are so many of you.

The pure hypocrisy of the anti-gun advocate who casually uses illegal drugs is simply maddening to me.  The vast majority of deaths where firearms are used in the United States is related to illegal drugs in one way or another and the casual drug user must bear the responsibility for each of those young people's families having to bury a child.

Sometimes the truth hurts doesn't it?

The Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments of God that can be found in the Bible are the true answer to changing life in America and around the world.

"We have staked the whole future of American civilization not upon the power of government.  Far from it.  We have staked the future of all our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."
James Madison (1751-1836) Fourth President of the United States.

The Ten Commandments of God

Exodus 20 (NIV)

1. And God spoke all these words:
 
2. "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery." 

3. "You shall have no other gods before me."
 
4. "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below."

5. "You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 

6. but showing love to a thousand [generations] of those who love me and keep my commandments."

7. "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name."

8. "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy."

9. "Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

10. but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates."

11. "For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."

12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you."

13. "You shall not murder."

14. "You shall not commit adultery." 

15. "You shall not steal. "

16. "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor."

17. "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

It is a real shame that these Ten Commandments are not being taught in school.  Literally hundreds of millions of children have never been taught these basic rules of life.

1.)  You shall have no other Gods before me.

2.)  You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything...

3.)  You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.

4.)  Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

5.)  Honor your father and your mother.

6.)  You shall not murder.

7.)  You shall not commit adultery.

8.)  You shall not steal.

9.)  You shall not give false testimony.

10.)  You shall not covet your neighbor's house, wife, servants or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

Make no mistake about it... the reason for the condition of this country and the rest of the world for that matter is that the Ten Commandments of God are being broken and trampled upon by man.  It is far past time to take God and His word seriously.

Visualize for just a moment, that the world's population just made a decision to obey the Ten Commandments...what would life be like?  How would it change?

The Ten Commandments are etched in bronze and in stone in Washington D.C., but cannot be taught in public school??  Can somebody say the word hypocrisy for me?

Many many people ignore God's Commandments and take Him for granted.  As the famous bumper sticker goes...

"Those who plan to seek God in the eleventh hour sometimes die at 10:30."

The Full Armor Of God

Put on the Full Armor Of God when you go about your daily life.

EPHESIANS 6:10-18 NIV

10. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

11. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

12. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

13. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

14. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 

15. and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 

16. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 

17. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Change Ourselves...

We have to return America back to the days when it was ok for a neighbor to scold your children for misbehaving.  A time when neighbors were addressed by a title like Mr. or Sir and not by their first names.

We must revert to the days when families ate together at least five days a week.  A time when a family being raised by a single mom was a rare and unusual thing.

We have to go back to the days when teachers were revered and given the utmost in respect.  Today, nearly 12% of high school teachers have been threatened with physical assault.  That was not the case just 15 years ago.

"But Marc", you say, "how can I change America.  I am just one person in a very large country.  What affect can I have?  People are not going to change.  It is just going to get worse and worse.  Just wait until today's generation of children start having families in 12 years."

Wait just a minute, I would say.  I never asked you to take on such a burden, did I?  No single person, no civic group, no state legislature, no single United States Congressmen or President is going to change things either.

However, every single person that resides here can elevate their conduct, improve their character, and change their behavior for the good.

We all know the difference between right and wrong, between immoral choices and ethical choices.  Guidelines for making these choices can be found in the Bible.  (Read it!!!)

There would be a drastic drop in the robbery and burglary rates if the average person was not willing to accept that $40.00 video cassette recorder or car stereo that you know was stolen.

The incidence of drug abuse would come to a screeching halt if the young person refused to sacrifice their body's well being and not give in to peer pressure.  If the upcoming generation would just refuse to use illegal drugs even once, they would change America.  Without the public demand for harmful drugs, the problem would evaporate into thin air.  Mrs. Reagan had it right..."Just Say No."

Like I said a little while ago, this is a battle that wages on within each one of us.  A battle between good and evil.  A battle that MUST be won by the good side.

I fear that if this battle is not won, and the hearts and minds of the people are not changed, we will see the end of this free republic within 30 years.

A Native American Indian proverb

An elderly Cherokee Native American was teaching his grandchildren about
life...

He said to them, "A fight is going on inside me, it is a terrible fight and
it is between two wolves.

One wolf is evil:

He is fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt,
resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, competition, superiority, and
ego.

The other is good:

He is joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness,
benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.

This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too."
They thought about it for a minute and then one child asked his grandfather,
"Which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

The Void

I believe that in God's plan for us, He made a void within each one of us.  A void that yearns for spiritual things.  An empty space within our souls that longs to be filled with the things of God.

However, it seems like more and more often, people are trying to fill this emptiness with things like alcohol, illegal drugs, gambling, and perverse sexual behavior.  These things will NOT fill the emptiness.  The emptiness can only be satisfied with the Holy Spirit and the full knowledge of Jesus Christ.  The emptiness can only be satisfied by being born again.

What does being "born again" mean?

John 3:3-8 NIV

3. In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. "  

4. "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" 

5. Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 

6. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 

7. You should not be surprised at my saying, `You must be born again.'

8. The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.  So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

The A,B,Cs of Salvation

"Marc, I have heard about the ABCs of salvation before and I want to know what it means."

Knowing that your sins of the past have been forgiven and that you are ready for heaven is as easy and simple as the three following steps:

Admit that you have sinned in the past.

Everyone has sinned and comes short of the Glory of God.

Romans 3:22-24 NIV

22. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 

23. for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 

24. and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Believe in Jesus Christ.

John 3:16 NIV

16. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Jesus came here to teach us how to live and also to become a holy and atoning sacrifice for sin.  In the Old Testament days, animals like doves, bulls, goats and lambs were slain on the alter for forgiveness of sins.  Jesus Christ was the Lamb of God and the final necessary sacrifice.

Confess and leave your sin behind you.

1John 1:9 NIV

9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Once you have become "born again", you will no longer have a taste for your old ways.  You will have put on the "new self".

Colossians 3:9, 10 NIV

9. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 

10. and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

The sins of your past will be forgotten and will not be remembered by God.

The Holy Spirit will come and live within you and be a part of your soul.  A strong feeling inside of you will tell you the difference between right and wrong.  The lines between right and wrong will no longer be blurred for you.

Admit
Believe
Confess

It is as easy as ABC.

If you would like to pray with someone about your decision to become born again and model yourself after Jesus Christ.

• Contact an Assembly of God Church near you.  I'll bet that there is one in your phone book.

• Or call Toll-Free 1-800-4PRAYER.

• Or visit our National Prayer Center http://www.prayer.ag.org/

• Please take time to visit the Web site of my church's weekly publication called Pentecostal Evangel.  You can learn a lot about the true Christian religion here and at a local Assemblies of God Church near your home.

Other Miscellaneous Thoughts

Many people would say that poor family income is a cause of crime.  I say that is a total cop-out.  There are plenty of families living below the poverty level that are upstanding, respectable and moral in their conduct and character.

The liberal, left wing and feel-good Democrats would have America believe that the "availability of firearms" is the reason that our crime rate is higher than it should be.  I say that firearms have been around since about the year 1245-1280 and they are no more a cause of crime now than they were then.

Every time a crime is committed, every time a drug is swallowed, smoked or injected, every time an innocent person is harmed, there MUST have been a choice made to do something they know is wrong.

That is really it, isn't it?  Too many Americans are choosing to do things they know to be wrong.  There are far too many shameless and licentious choices being made.

Racism

Some would say that racism plays a part in the problems that we face today in America.  To a point, I agree with that.  However, let me say what I think about racism.

It makes absolutely and entirely no difference to me what country someone's family originated from.  I refuse to place judgment on someone's character and integrity because of the church, synagogue or temple in which they worship either.

It makes no difference whatsoever to me how much pigment (Melanin) is in someone's skin.  I evaluate someone's character by what they do, what they say, their intelligence and how they have chosen to conduct their lives and lead their families.

For a person to pass judgment on another person simply because of the level of pigment in their skin is very shallow, petty and small-minded.

In fact, I call on the United States Government to be a leader in eliminating racism in America.  The United States Government can take a large leap in abolishing racism by not including race on the 2010 census.  NOBODY should get special or unique treatment because of the color of their skin.

In fact, the major "leaders" in the "black community", such as Louis Farrakhan, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton and their ilk are much more racist than most people.

Let me quote Martin Luther King Jr. twice:

"I Have a Dream" speech Dr. King said: "I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968), US civil rights leader
Source: Speech delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963.

"The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges. But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred."
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968), US civil rights leader
Source: Speech delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963.

The colorblindness that he dreamt about in America has been replaced with color preference efforts such as racial quotas, affirmative action and in some circles, hatred of the other races.

I contend that the most racist people in America are the ones that are on the front lines of supposedly fighting it.

In the above quotation, Mr. King said "Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred."

Somebody should tell this to Louis Farrakhan who makes a living off of wrongfulness, bitterness and hatred.

The American that happens to have more melanin in their skin, otherwise known as an "African-American", must be empowered with the knowledge that they alone are responsible for their own success and happiness.

The small part of the African-American community who blames their social and economic condition upon the amount of melanin in their epidermis, is being misled by the Jesse Jacksons, Al Sharptons and Louis Farrakhans of America.

The individual American citizen is solely responsible for their own financial, family and social conditions.  No government agency is going to sweep into their homes, fix their family relationships, get them to church, get their kid's school grades up, get their kids to behave themselves and keep narcotics and alcohol abuse out of their homes.  It makes no difference whatsoever how much pigment is found in the upper layers of the individual's skin.

When young African-American youths hear the words of "black leaders", blaming their social and economic conditions on the "white man", they are doing great harm to their young and impressionable minds.  They walk away believing that they cannot succeed because of the color of their skin and that's where the real tragedy lies.

If I was to have the ear of every African American youth in the United States, I would tell them a few very specific things.

• Don't listen to the hateful words of the likes of Louis Farrakhan and so called "black leaders".  They're making a living off of the tragic misconception that the social and economic condition of African American families is to be blamed on people with less melanin pigment in their skin and that they have no individual power to change their own lives.  That's a copout!
  
  

• I would tell them that nobody owes you anything.  You have the freedom of choice to educate yourself, succeed and make a great life for yourself or to get into narcotics and violence and throw your life into the junk pile of humanity.  It's your choice and yours alone.
  
  

• Only you and a close relationship with God can change your situation for the better.  Life itself is all about choices.  Your life is full of choices.  From birth to death, we all make choices everyday.  Some of us make more good choices than bad choices.  The color of your skin has nothing whatsoever to do with making good choices in life.  I encourage you to make good choices and make a great life for yourself.  Only you have the power to do that.  Do not look to others to empower you, empower yourself.
  
  

• Lastly, I would repeat a thought that came from the mouth of Martin Luther King Jr. on August 28, 1963, in his famous "I have a dream" speech.  He dreamt of the day when his children would be judged solely on the content of their character.  I have one question for you now.  If I was to really get to know you, inside and out and spend every single day of the year with you, what would I see in your character?  Mr. King wanted you to be judged on the basis of your character, your integrity and your personal honor alone, instead of your skin color and nationality.  If you were to be judged on these things alone, what would we find?  You're in charge of your own life.  Nobody else is going to step into it and make all your decisions for you.

The tragic and cowardly terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, brought us all closer together.  For a while, we were all just Americans.  Let's not get back to "normal".  Let us all just be Americans again...

Yes, of course slavery was wrong.  In the 1860's, more than 622,000 Americans died in the Civil War to change that.  Yes, slavery in America created a long lasting injury to our country.  But that was then and this is now.  There is nothing we can do about the wrongs of America's past.  But slavery ended more than one hundred forty (140) years ago.  Just simply get over it, pick yourselves up and make the biggest difference in America that you possibly can while you are still walking on God's green earth.

Every single day, each of us should try to make an effort to get closer to Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of having everyone simply judged by their own character and conduct.

I believe that efforts like Affirmative Action and racial quotas, both in the workplace and in college admissions run contrary to the vision of Martin Luther King Jr..  Every American should be evaluated by the content of their individual character and their morality and abilities.  The pigment in one's skin should not play a role in anybody's judgment of another or in the opportunities afforded to them.

Yes, racism was a big problem, but today racism is being perpetuated by those who are most vocal in fighting against it.  The real struggle lies in improving character, integrity, morality and righteousness and not seeking to blame social and economic conditions upon skin color.

The Quotes
(On Morality and Religion)

Listen to these people.  The following people have advice for us today.  With the wisdom that these people had, it is no surprise to me that they were able to change the world.

The answers to the questions posed by the ills of modern day society can be found in America's past.  Please take time to read these quotes.

I know it will take a while to read them, but believe me, it took even longer to compile them.  I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed researching and publishing them.  You may copy them, forward them, print them, post them or otherwise use them any way you wish.  Just please don't misquote them.  Copy them as they stand.  If you use them in a publication of any sort, please place www.SaveTheGuns.com somewhere in your article as a reference.  Enjoy...

"Religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged."
Northwest Ordinance, Article III, 1787

"Respect for religion must be reestablished, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of public officials must be curtailed, assistance to foreign lands must be stopped or we shall bankrupt ourselves.  The people should be forced to work and not depend on the government for subsistence."
Marcus Tullius Cicero, Roman orator and philosopher (106-43BC)

"If you pursue evil with pleasure, the pleasure passes away and the evil remains; if you pursue good with labor, the labor passes away but the good remains."
Marcus Tullius Cicero, Roman orator and philosopher (106-43BC)

John Winthrop

"Our task and our duty must be to do justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God, for we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill and the eyes of all are upon us."
John Winthrop (1588-1649) Puritan and Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1630 to 1649

"Let every student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternally life."
Harvard University (Pamphlet published in 1643)

Timothy Dwight

"Christ is the only, the true, the living way of access to God."
Timothy Dwight, Yale University President (1795-1817)

"Give up yourselves therefore to Him, [God] with a cordial confidence, and the great work of life is done."
Timothy Dwight, Yale University President (1814 Baccalaureate Discourse)

"To commit our children to the care of irreligious people is to commit lambs to the superintendency of wolves."
Timothy Dwight, President of Yale from 1795-1817

"The chief Thing that is aimed at in this College is to teach and engage the Children to know God in Jesus Christ, and to love and serve Him, in all Sobriety, Godliness, and Righteousness of Life, with a perfect Heart, and a willing Mind."
Columbia University publication (1754)

George Washington

"It's the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for his benefits and to humbly implore his protection and his favor."
George Washington (1732-1799) First President of the United States.

"We have therefore to resolve to conquer or die: Our won Country's Honor, all call upon us for vigorous and manly exertion, and if we now shamefully fail, we shall become infamous to the whole world.  Let us therefore rely upon the goodness of the cause, and the aid of the Supreme Being, in whose hands victory is, to animate and encourage us to great and noble Actions."
George Washington

"There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily."
George Washington

"Tomorrow being the day set apart by the Honorable Congress for public Thanksgiving and Praise; and duty calling us devoutly to express our grateful acknowledgements to God for the manifold blessings he has granted us, the General... earnestly exhorts, all officers and soldiers, whose absence is not indispensably necessary, to attend with reverence the solemnities of the day."
George Washington (December 17, 1777)

"And now, Almighty Father, if it is Thy holy will that we shall obtain a place and name among the nations of the earth, grant that we may be enabled to show our gratitude for Thy goodness by our endeavors to fear and obey Thee.  Bless us with Thy wisdom in our counsels, success in battle, and let all our victories be tempered with humanity.  Endow, also, our enemies with enlightened minds, that they become sensible of their injustice, and willing to restore our liberty and peace. Grant the petition of Thy servant, for the sake of Him whom Thou hast called Thy beloved Son; nevertheless, not my will, but Thine be done."
General George Washington 1779

"O most Glorious God, in Jesus Christ my merciful and loving Father, I acknowledge and confess my guilt, in the weak and imperfect performance of the duties of this day.  I have called on Thee for pardon and forgiveness of sins...  Let me live according to those holy rules which Thou hast this day prescribed in Thy holy word; make me to know what is acceptable in Thy sight."
President George Washington (From a booklet of prayers he wrote.)

"Almighty God; We make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy holy protection; that Thou wilt incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government; and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow citizens of the United States at large. And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, hu