On this day in 1787, delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia begin debating the first draft of the Constitution.
Our post from June 21st, (edited slightly) the day in 1788 that the Assembly ratified the Constitution, bears repeating:
“God Governs In the Affairs of Men”
The Constitution is the second of two of Our essential founding documents. The first, the Declaration of Independence, explains the basis of Our nation, and contains several direct references to God.
So, Our Constitution, firmly rooted in the Declaration, explains how Our nation is to function. Despite the apostate assertion that God is not ‘in’ the Constitution, it’s clear He is indeed inherent and indispensable.
First, when the framers used the term “religion,” as in the First Amendment, they were referring to the Protestant denominations of Christianity. For, it was the Anglican Church that was the state religion when the colonies were under British rule.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof….” is to prevent one of these denominations from becoming a state religion once again. It does not lend itself pluralism or even neutrality in regards to faith. Despite attempts to pervert the meaning of the phrase “separation of church and state,” that language does not even appear in Our founding documents.
Also, Article I, Section 7 states: “If any Bill shall not be returned by the President within ten Days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the Same shall be a Law, in like Manner as if he had signed it….” Sundays. Not Fridays (Islam). Not Saturdays (Judaism). Not any other day of the week. Sundays.
After all, the Constitution was “Done in Convention by the Unanimous Consent of the States present the Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven..,”
That is, “the Year of our Lord,” as in Anno Domini, as in A.D. Not C.E. (Common Era) and not A.H. (Anno Hegirae).
“See… God governs”
While we’re discussing years, it was elder statesman (81 years of age) Benjamin Franklin who, at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 in Philadelphia, urged the Assembly toward daily prayer to seek guidance from “the Father,” and said this:
“I have lived a long time, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth—that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?”
So, we paired his famous quote with his sketch of bifocals found in personal correspondence. These elements inspired Our “Benjamin Franklin “See… God Governs” t-shirt design: