"I WILL THAT 
MEN PRAY EVERYWHERE"
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 SOMEHOW this choice bit of newsworthy information escaped my attention when it happened three years ago. Having checked it out in the archives of The Oak Ridger newspaper and other places, I feel it is good to share this with you (especially if you likewise were not aware of it at the time). And as a matter of public record, the local legislative representative from Tennessee had this inserted in the Congressional Record in Washington. Our country is in bad shape and has wandered far from what the founding fathers had in mind as secular humanists have largely hijacked it for their own godless, and many times ungodly, purposes.
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 On September 1, 2000 Jody McLoud the principal of Roane County High School, Kingston, Tennessee stood up and delivered a much-needed and an alarming statement over the public address system at the season’s opening football game, protesting a recent Supreme Court decision against having prayer before football games. Here is the full content of what he said.
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 "It has always been the custom at Roane County High School football games to say a prayer and play the national anthem to honor God and country. Due to a recent ruling by the Supreme Court, I am told that saying a prayer is a violation of federal case law. 
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 "As I understand the law at this time, I can use this public facility to approve of sexual perversion and call it an alternative lifestyle, and if someone is offended, that’s OK. 
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 "I can use it to condone sexual promiscuity by dispensing condoms and calling it safe sex. If someone is offended, that’s OK. 
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 "I can even use this public facility to present the merits of killing an unborn baby as a viable means of birth control. If someone is offended, no problem. 
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 "I can designate a school day as Earth Day and involve students in activities to religiously worship and praise the goddess, mother earth, and call it ecology. 
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 "I can use literature, videos and presentations in the classroom that depict people with strong, traditional, Christian convictions as simple minded and ignorant and call it enlightenment. 
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 "However, if anyone uses this facility to honor God and ask him to bless this event with safety and good sportsmanship, federal case law is violated. 
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 "This appears to be, at best, inconsistent and, at worst, diabolical. Apparently, we are to be tolerant of everything and everyone except God and his commandments. 
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 "Nevertheless, as a school principal, I frequently ask staff and students to abide by rules with which they do not necessarily agree. For me to do otherwise would be, at best, inconsistent and, at worst, hypocritical. I suffer from that affliction enough unintentionally. I certainly do not need to add an intentional transgression. 
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 "For this reason, I shall ‘Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s,’ and refrain from praying at this time. However, if you feel inspired to honor, praise and thank God, and to ask him in the name of Jesus to bless this event, please feel free to do so. As far as I know, that’s not against the law yet."
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 I find the vocalization of most of this very commendable and well worded. From what we understand, spontaneous prayer followed at that football game. Too long the silent majority has been silent as our freedom of speech and of religion has been bit by bit chiseled away. 
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 Mr. McLoud’s words were well expressed, and we laud him for them, but we question the last part of his statement. Christ’s words, "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s" had reference to taxation, not prayer (Matthew 22:15-22). Prayer is not in the jurisdiction of "Caesar." Christians are citizens of a heavenly kingdom, as well as an earthly, and the authority of the heavenly supersedes that of the earthly. If the laws imposed by man conflict with the spiritual laws laid down by God, there is no question mark about where a Christian stands. 
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 Let us illustrate. Christ, who has all authority (Matthew 28:18), commanded, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). In the process of doing this, the apostles clashed with the rulers in Jerusalem. In the 4th chapter of Acts we read about Peter and John’s experience, and in the 5th chapter all of the apostles. Peter and John were jailed over-night for preaching and before being released the next day were commanded "not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus" (4:18). "But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard" (4:19,20). In chapter 5 all of the apostles were jailed, but during the night the "angel of the Lord…opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life" (5:18-20). They did just this in accordance with the Great Commission and what the angel said. Again with hostility they were apprehended and brought before the highest court of Israel (the "council," the Sanhedrin). Here they were strongly reprehended with the words, "Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? And, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine…" "Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men" (5:28,29). This word "obey" in the original language of the New Testament is peitharcheo, which means to obey a ruler, one in authority. Really, what the apostles were saying is that God was their ruler, superseding what anyone else had to say. He is over all. We do what He says.
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 This is likewise true in this matter of prayer. The apostle Paul plainly stated, and his words stand as the Word of God (1 Corinthians 14:37), "I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting" (1 Timothy 2:8). The Supreme Court of the United States is not supreme. The court of heaven is. "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29).

 
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