In the wake

of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals' decision Wednesday to rule the

Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional because of the phrase "under

God," it's time for a condensed history lesson so that those who

continually try to push God farther out of American society can be reminded

of why this country has survived and thrived these past centuries.

The vast majority

of settlers from Europe who colonized the Western Hemisphere came for

one of two reasons: God and gold. Most of those who came and colonized

our nation did so in an attempt to worship God as they saw fit with no

government interference. Much of the land to the south, from Mexico to

Argentina, was settled by people whose top priority was material wealth.

The ones who

put God first became the most powerful nation on earth, while much of

the rest of the Western Hemisphere teeters on the brink of Third World

status. Some people today will insist that God had nothing to do with

that, but many of those same people believe we're all simply here by an

accident of evolution anyway. Anyone with a sound mind knows better.

Our three-tier

system of government was based on a passage found in the book of Isaiah:

"For the LORD is our judge [executive branch], the LORD is our lawgiver

[legislative branch], the LORD is our King [executive branch]; he will

save us." The founding fathers knew what they were doing.

According to

the book of Genesis, God told Abraham several thousand years ago that

he would "bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse thee,"

and that through him "all nations of the earth will be blessed."

He was referring to those who would bless or curse Abraham's direct descendants,

the Jewish people.

Fast forward

to the present. The United States, which led the effort in the 1940s to

stop a madman who would have wiped out the Jewish race, and which has

been the best friend of the nation of Israel the past 50 years, is the

most powerful nation on earth. This is not a coincidence, either.

In short, the

United States is great for three main reasons: it was founded on principles

that honor God by people who wanted to follow Him; it still sends more

missionaries around the world than any other country; and it has stood

attempts to push God out of so many areas of American life.

Fifty years

ago, the most commonly reported problems in public schools were students

talking in class and chewing gum. Today, we have middle school students

participating in oral sex on school buses, police constantly keeping watch

on campuses for dangerous weapons, and a laundry list of other nightmares

in our educational system. But at least we're trying hard not to offend

anybody by mentioning God too much.

In the months

since Sept. 11, there have been reports of schools where students are

not allowed to have Bible study on their own time after class, but the

study of Islam is encouraged throughout the day. Every public school graduation

ceremony where there is the possibility of a student prayer has become

a firestorm of controversy. Meanwhile, academic standards have plummeted,

drowning in a sea of political correctness.

Students in

America are taught daily that America is to blame for most of the world's

problems, mainly because our nation is filled with evil capitalists and

racists. They are taught that right and wrong no longer exist, and that

morality is based on individual choice. They are taught that they are

no more important than animals, so when they act like animals, it's no

big deal.

Now our hearts skip a beat every time we see footage

of a school on the evening news, and we pray (well, some of us, anyway)

that another disenchanted student hasn't brought an arsenal to class and

opened fire. But there's little danger of seeing a bullet-riddled copy

of the Ten Commandments, because the Ten Commandments aren't allowed on

campus.

People across the country asked why God didn't intervene

at Columbine three years ago. They should ask the ones who have been pushing

God out of schools for nearly 40 years.

[Monroe Roark can be reached at [email protected].]