There are those who say that this nation is not a nation under God, that there was no godly foundation. However, if we go back to the first beginnings of America, to 1606, we find that there were some people leaving England to come and found Jamestown. Before they left England, they drew up the First Charter of Virginia which stated:

We . . . hereafter tend to the Glory of His Divine Majesty, in propagating the Christian Religion to such People, as yet live in Darkness and miserable ignorance of the true Knowledge and Worship of God. . .

That is why these first people came here—to further the knowledge of God and the building of the faith. They landed in 1607, then in 1620 the Pilgrims came to America. Before going ashore, they gathered in the captain’s quarters and wrote the Mayflower Compact.

The Compact begins with these words. “In the name of God, Amen.” This country had nothing to do with God? That would have come as an amazing bit of news to the Pilgrims. The Compact continues: “. . . having undertaken for ye gloire of God, and advancements of ye Christian faith, and honour of our king and countrie, a voyage to plant the first colonie in ye Northern parts of Virginia . . . ”

What was the first thing the Pilgrims did upon landing, according to Governor Bradford, who wrote of its history? He said, “Being thus arrived in a good harbor and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven . . .” Likewise, in 1607 at Jamestown, the first act performed by the settlers was to erect a large wooden Cross, and then they fell upon their knees and thanked God.

Yes, that is the way America started, and this continued through numerous other charters and constitutions down through succeeding years. In 1643, all of the settlements joined to form what is known as the New England Confederation. There they declared why all of them had come to this new continent as they stated in the New England Confederation of 1643: “Whereas we all came into these parts of America with one and the same end and aim . . .” What was this “end and aim” that all of the colonies joined together and said they came here for? “. . . namely, to advance the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ and to enjoy the liberties of the Gospel in the purity with peace. . . .”

And this country had nothing to do with God—nothing to do with the Christian faith? Nothing could be further from the truth! If we jump ahead to the Declaration of Independence, we find that a number of times it mentions the Creator. To wit:

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, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

This nation does indeed have a godly foundation.