Fluvanna BOS: Public Prayer vs Moment of Silence

I spoke during the initial public comments section of this afternoon's (9/2/09) BOS meeting. Here's what I had to say:

My name is Carrie Wigal. I live at [edited for privacy purposes].

About a month or so ago there was an article in the Central Virginian that featured my plea to you to put prayer back into your public meetings. To be honest it surprised me that it received media coverage that long after my comments were made. But I read that piece and could hardly believe Attorney Tom Paine’s response. It was reported that he advised you a moment of silence would be more appropriate than prayer because he was afraid of litigation that might come as a result of public prayer in your meetings.

I have to tell you, I laughed out loud when I read this. Because as you know, my father, Doug Johnson is currently suing you for your failure to order a referendum over the formation of the Joint Water Authority. Your very own Mr. Ott warned you all at the public hearing in March that litigation might ensue if you didn’t act on the petitions of the people. Your attorney obviously didn’t fear that litigation when he advised you to disregard the two sets of petitions. So, needless to say, that particular statement struck me as rather funny.

But after my chuckle subsided, I thought to myself why does this man fear men over God? Wouldn’t God’s wrath cause more harm than some disgruntled citizen? Why are we more concerned about offending people than we are of offending the Almighty? Where are the priorities here?

Shortly after this article hit the newsstands I discovered that you all voted unanimously to include a moment of silence in your public agendas – and some thought I should be proud of my participation in getting this issue to the forefront. But I have to tell you, I was more proud of getting my concerns on the front page of the paper.

A moment of silence? My initial response…You all actually voted to have a moment of silence in your meetings? You already have a multitude of moments of silence in your meetings – everybody just needs to stop talking for a minute at the same time, and voila! There’s your moment of silence – you didn’t have to vote on it! This is crazy.

What purpose does this moment serve? Are you honoring fallen soldiers or mourning the loss of a loved one? – Or are you just trying to gather your thoughts for the next subject at hand? Maybe your honest intention was to allow individuals to pray if they chose to do so before you proceeded with your agendas. And I believe it was your honest intention. But, individuals can pray whenever they want – they don’t need a public “moment of silence” to permit that.

So many thoughts raced through my mind upon my hearing this news, but the most significant one was how much of a slap in the face to God this was.

Who do you think you’re fooling? Why are you afraid to talk to Him in public? Oh, it’s okay to publicly pledge allegiance to our nation – under God…and tender money publicly claiming we put our trust in God, but we just can’t publicly talk to Him. Can you see the lunacy in this?

He is the Creator of the Universe! When the sun goes down and you gaze up into the sky, marveling at the blanket of lights visible to the naked eye, know that he breathed them into existence…and the size of this little planet here pales in comparison to many of the stars flying around out there. Yet he knows each and every one of us. He knows the number of hairs on our head at any given moment of the day, and He knows our innermost thoughts, desires and fears. He designed us – and He loves us – even when we screw up!

God wants good things for us – He wants to help us. We have so much evidence in our nation’s history of his divine intervention. The Revolutionary War was won because He stepped in as a result of prayer. The huge success in the birth and life of our nation is a direct result of His providence and our recognition of Him and obedience to His laws. The Abolition of Slavery was realized because He intervened on the hearts of men.

God is real – He is all-knowing, all-powerful and willing to give wisdom to those who ask Him. He sees the big picture. He knows what goes on in the homes and hearts of every citizen in this county, and He not only knows what’s best for us, He wants it.

Quit ignoring Him. Quit dismissing Him. Quit offending Him.

Please, throw away your “moment of silence” – get a backbone when it comes to standing up for God in this county and exercise some humility by calling on His wisdom and direction through public prayer.

Thank you.

There is a God and He Created...

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1 NIV

I believe there are two very significant factors that we as a nation have forgotten.

1. There is a God, and
   
2. He created.

If America would once again unabashedly return to this premise, I think we could stand a fighting chance in getting our country back. If not, we're sunk.

Our Founding Fathers recognized the fact that there is a God and that He created mankind with certain inalienable rights. This is clearly laid out in our Declaration of Independence. In fact it is the whole premise behind our breaking from Great Britain. The fundamental truth that we are all created equal is the very foundation of our freedom.

Why on earth have we allowed any reference to God to be removed from our public institutions? And why have we ushered in the notion that "creationism" is not only just a "theory" but in some cases a crock? What are we thinking?

We must get back to recognizing God as the Creator, and more specifically our Creator, lest we as a nation be completely destroyed. Not only do we need to know this truth for ourselves, but we also must teach the current generation as well as the next by incorporating this knowledge back into the Public School curriculum.

TAKE ACTION:

1. Read The History of Creation below right now.
2. Share The History of Creation with your loved ones (children, nieces & nephews) this week.
3. Contact each member of your local School Board and ask that they include The History of Creation in the county schools' curriculum. Explain that it is a matter of preserving our national heritage and the very foundation of our country's future. "...We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights..." - US Declaration of Independence, 2nd Paragraph.
4. Attend the next School Board meeting in your county/community and suggest ways to incorporate The History of Creation into the school system's curriculum (ie. art or essay contest).
5. Write a Letter to the Editor of your local newspaper suggesting the importance of The History of Creation in our way of life in America.
   

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The History of Creation
(Genesis 1:1 - 2:3)
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"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." Genesis 1:1-2 NIV

DAY 1: Day & Night
"And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light. God saw that the light was good and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light 'day,' and the darkness he called 'night.' And there was evening, and there was morning -- the first day." Genesis 1:3-5 NIV

DAY 2: Sky
"And God said, 'Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.' So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. God called the expanse 'sky'. And there was evening, and there was morning -- the second day." Genesis 1:6-8 NIV

DAY 3: Land & Vegetation
"And God said, 'Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.' And it was so. God called the dry ground 'land,' and the gathered waters he called 'seas.' And God saw that it was good.

"Then God said, 'Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.' And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning -- the third day." Genesis 1:9-13 NIV

DAY 4: Sun, Moon & Stars
"And God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.' And it was so. God made two great lights -- the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning -- the fourth day." Genesis 1:14-19 NIV

DAY 5: Sea & Flying Creatures
"And God said, 'Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.' So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, 'Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.' And there was evening, and there was morning -- the fifth day." Genesis 1:20-23 NIV

DAY 6: Land Animals & Man
"And God said, 'Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.' And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to the kinds. And God saw that it was good.

"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

"God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.
"The God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the the air and all the creatures that move on the ground -- everything that has the breath of life in it -- I give every green plant for food.' And it was so.

"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning -- the sixth day." Genesis 1:24-31 NIV

DAY 7: God Rests
"Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

"By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done." Genesis 2:1-3 NIV
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Whether you consider yourself a religious person or not, I encourage you to take the time to truly reflect on the truth that there is a God and He created everything, including you.

The cosmos did not haphazardly fall into place and you are not some freak accident of nature. You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) and He's got the whole world in His hands.

Share this with your loved ones, your county's School Board and your local community newspaper. Let's get the truth out there.

Do you have some ideas of your own on how to get this message out? Please share them with us, we'd love to hear them.