By Many or by Few
By Judge Roy Moore
August,
2007
During
the War of 1812, Commodore Thomas McDonough
was in charge of an American naval fleet
defending Lake Champlain in New York against
the attacking British forces. A report of
the Committee on the Judiciary of the House
of Representatives in 1854 tells the story
of one memorable morning: September 11,
1814.
[J]ust
as the sun rose over the eastern mountains,
the American guard-boat on the watch was
seen rowing swiftly into the harbor. It
reported the enemy in sight. ... [Y]oung
McDonough summoned his officers around him,
and there, on the deck of the Saratoga,
read the prayers of the ritual before entering
into battle. . . . "Stir up thy strength,
O Lord, and come and help us; for thou givest
not always the battle to the strong, but
canst save by many or by few." It was
a solemn, thrilling sight, and one never
before witnessed on a vessel-of-war cleared
for action. . . . Of the deeds of daring
done on that day of great achievements,
none evinced so bold and firm a heart as
this act of religious worship.
The
battle that day near Plattsburgh, New York,
would be one of the crucial and decisive
battles of the war, preventing the British
from entering and controlling northern New
York.
When
we were attacked 187 years later on Sept.
11, 2001, the president, Congress, and many
in our land again turned to God in prayer.
Now six years later, on Sept. 11, 2007,
we will witness another tragic offensive
on our country when criminal trials will
commence for three brave individuals charged
with allegedly disrupting Congress. Their
so-called "crime" was that they spoke in
protest as the United States Senate recently
opened with a Hindu ritual and prayer to
an unknown god.
One
of those individuals, Ante Pavkovic, audibly
prayed on that occasion that the Lord would
have "mercy on our nation." "We have no
other gods before you," he continued, "You
are the one true and living God." Ante's
stepdaughter Christan also prayed, "Lord
Jesus, forgive us for betraying you, the
only one who can save us from our sins."
Ante, his wife Katherine, and Christan were
all arrested for simply demonstrating the
courage and fortitude of Commodore McDonough
and the men and women who gave birth to
our nation.
I
recently had the pleasure of meeting the
Pavkovic family and found them to be sincere,
humble, and dedicated individuals. While
some will smugly dismiss them as "intolerant"
or "radical," their actions reflect the
patriotism of our fathers for which they
should be commended, not convicted of a
criminal offense. They certainly understood
the Christian heritage of our nation much
better than our United States senators.
At
times, God has often used a few to be a
righteous example to many. In ancient Babylon
when three Hebrew men were ordered by King
Nebuchadnezzar to fall down and worship
his golden image they continued to stand
and suffer the consequences. God delivered
them from the fiery furnace and even the
king was forced to recognize their God and
the fact that no other god could "deliver
after this sort." Like the Pavkovic family,
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused
to shrink from their duty to God no matter
how hot the fires they would endure.
Edmund
Burke, a well-known British statesman and
orator, once said, "The only thing necessary
for the triumph of evil is for good men
to do nothing." A number of good men and
women serving as United States senators
did nothing as Rajan Zed for the first time
in our history sprinkled "holy water" from
the Ganges River around the Senate rostrum
and then uttered a Hindu prayer to an unknown
god. In fact, perhaps because of timidity
or apathy, very few senators even bothered
to attend, and none voiced an objection
to this official government recognition
of a false religion.
For
whatever reason, it was left to Ante, Katherine,
and Christan to stand for our country and
our faith in God and face the raging fire
of criticism, intimidation, and persecution
which has followed. For my part, I admire
and appreciate their courage. I believe
that God who saves "by many or by few" answered
the prayers of Commodore McDonough and our
forefathers, and He has heard those of Ante,
Katherine, and Christan. May their example
encourage and inspire others to take a stand. [an error occurred while processing this directive]
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