Knoxville Mayor Needs to Read the Tennessee Constitution
Atheists who don’t believe in God are preoccupied with God. Douglas Wilson has stated.
“There are two tenets of atheism. One, there is no God. Two, I hate Him.”
The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) has once again shown their hate for God. Don’t ever believe that atheists don’t know God. They do know God. They suppress the truth of that knowledge in unrighteousness (Rom. 1:18-23). They hate it when Christians remind them of this truth. They do what those who stoned Stephen to death after he told them the truth:
“Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him … and covered their ears … and thy went on stoning Stephen” (Acts 7:54, 57, 59).
Instead of throwing stones, the FFRF files lawsuits. The latest legal stone was thrown at the city of Knoxville, TN, for the display of a plaque with Romans 8:31 written on it that was displayed at the Knoxville Police Department employee entrance.
“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”
Not anymore. The Mayor has caved into the demands of the FFRF:
“In her prepared remarks, Mayor Rogero said, “We are not aware of any complaints or issues raised in recent history by KPD staff or members of the public. It has become part of KPD tradition, providing strength and comfort to our officers as they perform their daily – and often dangerous – duties.”
“I know that people both inside and outside City government are upset with this ending of a tradition,” she added. “As a person of faith, I understand and respect the passion that people feel for this issue.”
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As a consolation, Rogero said in a statement the piece will be moved to a new “Hall of Inspiration” at KPD’s headquarters in the Safety Building, “along with other inspirational writings from a variety of faiths and philosophers.” (Tennessee Star)
Here’s what should have happened.
First, Mayor Rogero should have pointed out that there is nothing in the United States Constitution that prohibits such a display. The First Amendment is addressed to Congress, not the states. The states wanted it that way so they could do what the Knoxville Police Department did.
Second, she should have noted that we are “One Nation Under God” and our currency includes the words “In God We Trust.”
Third, she should have referenced the United States Constitution that states that the Constitution was “done … in the Year of Our Lord” 1787. The use of “Lord” is a reference to Jesus Christ.
Fourth, she then could have appealed to Tennessee’s constitution that uses the phrase “year of Lord” five times in the Preamble. While “in the year of our Lord” does not make either the US Constitution or the Tennessee Constitution Christian documents, it does mean that they are not atheist documents.
Fourth, citing the Tennessee Constitution, Mayor Rogero could have noted the following from Article IX, Section 2:
“No person who denies the being of God, or a future state of rewards and punishments, shall hold any office in the civil department of this state.”
This would mean that atheists do not have any standing on the issue regarding God.
For a study of the role Christianity played in the founding of the United States, you can download a PDF of my FREE book The Case For America’s Christian Heritage.