Scripture in Washington DC

Scripture in Washington, D.C.

There are Bible verses etched in stone all over the Federal Buildings
and Monuments in Washington, D.C.

The very first Supreme Court Justice, John Jay, said, "Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers." Jay wrote it in a private letter to Jedidiah Morse in 1797.

Remembering our Christian Heritage

WASHINGTON - Our nation has a very rich and substantial Judeo-Christian heritage. Our founding fathers believed the Bible to be the word of God. As we remember our nation's history, we want to give you an idea of just how much of our Christian heritage is on display in Washington D.C., our nation's Capitol.

Washington D.C. is a city of power and influence, but it is also a city sparkling with the Christian heritage of this nation. Groups like the ACLU want the name of God and government to be separate but that will be pretty difficult here in our nation's capitol.

As a matter of fact, right at 17th and Constitution Avenue is a pretty good place to start. Literally, within a few minutes walk, you bump into so many references to God that the ACLU very well might have a fit.
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Moses with the Ten Commandments in the rotunda of the Library of Congress

Carrie Devorah is an investigative photojournalist behind a project called "God in the Temples of Government." She has been searching Washington for signs of a godly heritage, and boy, has she found some. She led us to the prophet Daniel, literally.

He is actually tucked behind some bushes on the property of the Organization of American States building, which is partly funded by Congress." Many employees there did not even know about the statue.

Devorah said, "None of them had a clue where he was, and I don't think anybody knows the condition he's in. He's made from concrete and as you can see he's falling apart, but I have faith in Daniel."
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Moses on the rear facade of the U.S. Supreme Court

Her tour was not finished. Just down the block, there is an inscription at The Daughters of the American Revolution building. It says, "Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair the event. The event is in the hands of God." There is also Proverbs 22:28 quoted for everyone to see. Maybe it is a message for the ACLU: "Remove not the ancient landmark which thy fathers have set."

When we walked by The Department of the Interior, it looked like one of your run-of-the-mill government buildings. But Carrie revealed to us that, behind one of the corner walls, is a time capsule and inside is, among other things, a Bible. It was put there by archaeologists years ago.
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Moses with the Ten Commandments inside the
Supreme Court's courtroom

Then Devorah brought us to the statue of General Jose Artigas in the middle of this busy intersection on Constitution Avenue, right on federal government property. As our camera peered in, we noticed a cross on his boot. That made Devorah wonder.

She said, "All it takes is one person to walk by and say I don't believe in God, I don't believe in religion, and every time I look at that, it may be just be a decoration on a boot, but I see it as being a cross and I want it taken off."

Then she took a walk over to the Korean Veterans Memorial. Talk about Judeo-Christian Heritage. She found a cross and the Star of David, right there on the Korean Wall!

Devorah said, "It's become almost like being a kid in a candy shop, because there's so much to find."

David Barton, president of the Christian heritage group, Wallbuilders, says that is so true. Take the U.S. Capitol, for instance.
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"Liberty of Worship" statute resting on the Ten
Commandments outside the Ronald Reagan Building

Barton said, "Just walk into the Rotunda. In the Rotunda, four paintings hang on the wall. You have two prayer meetings, a Bible study and a baptism. That's just walking into the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol."

Besides the Capitol, you will find references to God at the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the National Archives, Senate and House office buildings, the U.S. Supreme Court, the Jefferson Memorial, and the Library of Congress.

As we walked into the main reading room of the Library of Congress, there is a bronze statue of Moses holding The Ten Commandments. On the ceiling, a painting called "Judea" shows a young Israeli woman raising her hands in prayer to God. And there are also quotes on the wall like this: "The heavens declare the glory of God." And down the hallway in the main lobby, two Bibles are on display.

In the National Archives, as our camera panned down from the majestic rotunda, we found a bronze medallion on the floor and right at the top, this: The Ten Commandments, front and center.
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The Ten Commandments in the floor of the National Archives

At the Jefferson Memorial, God's name is mentioned numerous times, including the famous quote, 'God who gave us life, gave us liberty."

At the Lincoln Memorial, words like "Nation under God," "Bible" and "prayer" are everywhere.

In the Senate and House office buildings, there is a plaque that says "In God we trust."

At the Washington Monument, our cameras managed to get inside the dark stairway. We found almost 200 carved plaques donated by the states. Many of them show scripture verses from the Bible, and others have sayings like "holiness to the Lord." On the outside aluminum tip, there is a Latin phrase inscribed that says 'Laus Deo,' which means 'Praise be to God.' They actually have a replica of the tip inside. But the 'Praise Be to God' phrase is not visible. It is actually against the wall, so it is hard to see.

At the U.S. Supreme Court, The Ten Commandments are located in a few different places, including above the judge's courtroom bench. Yet even with all these references to God in our federal buildings, there are some judges out there who say God and government just do not go together.
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The Adams Prayer Mantel in the White House

Barton said, "You have judges that say we don't believe that and we don't like that religion in politics, so we're going to stop this. And that's what we have, and that's why nearly every decision we have [from] the court will break down between whether the constitution really means something, or whether they'll rewrite it according to [their] will."

And so you see scenes like The Ten Commandments rolled away in Alabama. And that is just the beginning. But the reality is, God's name is cemented in stone, and that is something that cannot be disregarded.

Our Nation's Godly Heritage

Visit the nation's capitol and read the inscriptions on the memorials. The Word of God is evident of our past American leaders whom we hold high in respect, those who laid the American foundation. Why does America now separate these words from the men who were driven by these words? It is evident that our American leaders today do not share the same source of inspiration. What do liberals proclaim today? What do liberals encourage? Which organizations support liberal Democrats? Do today's American leaders proclaim the Word of God or or reject it?
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Painting called "Knowledge" in the North Hall of the
Library of Congress

Our Founding Fathers wanted future generations to acknowledge the hand of God in the founding of our nation. Therefore, even the Capitol Building is a witness of this. Its mighty Rotunda, the center of the Capitol, features a dramatic oil painting that impresses upon visitors the direct intervention of God from the earliest days of our history. The painting portrays the landing of Columbus in the Western World in 1492. Columbus' eyes are cast toward heaven in thanks and praise as others around him kneel in gratitude to God.
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Sculpture in front of the U.S. district court building

This painting depicts the gratitude Columbus felt in the fulfillment of what he believed was his God-given calling. "It was the Lord who put into my mind (I could feel His hand upon me) the fact that it would be possible to sail from here to the Indies." Those who commissioned this painting knew what we have known all along, that God in His grace and wisdom guided those who first came to these shores.
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An excerpt from Virginia's Statute of Religious Freedom, authored by Thomas Jefferson, on the wall of the
Jefferson Memorial

When the Capitol Building was built, its designers were well aware of the dependence of the members of Congress upon God and prayer. The 83rd Congress designated a small room in the Capitol, near the rotunda, that is always open for the private prayer and meditation of members of Congress. This room is open whenever Congress is in session, and stands as a witness to the need for prayer by our nation's leaders. The focal point of the room is an intricate stained glass window that depicts George Washington kneeling in prayer. Surrounding him are words from Psalm 16: "Preserve me, O God, for in Thee do I put my trust."
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Painting in U.S. Capitol of Pocahontas' baptism

Inscription on a wall of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. "God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of people that these liberties are a gift from God?".

Inscription inside the Washington Monument

The Washington Monument stands as a lofty and inspiring tribute to our first president, George Washington. It is the anchor on the west end of the National Mall. Few people know that engraved on the metal cap to the monument, towering 555 feet above the ground are the words, "Praise be to God." In addition, several tribute blocks line the staircase, and they are inscribed with Bible verses: "Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not; for such is the Kingdom of God (Luke 18:16)," "Search the Scriptures (John 5:39; Acts 17:11)," and "Holiness unto the Lord (Exodus 28:36); 39:30; Zechariah 14:20).".

A stained glass window of George Washington praying, in
the chapel in the U.S. Capitol

For most of us, handling money is part of every day. Even the design of our currency acknowledges God's hand and His providence in the founding of our nation. Toward that end, the Founding Fathers insisted that meaningful symbolism be incorporated into the design of the Great Seal of the United States that appears on the back of the one dollar bill. It features a great pyramid that symbolizes our republic and its qualities of strength and democracy. Across the top are the Latin words Annuit Coeptis expressing our confidence in God and in His gracious leading in the founding of our nation.
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An excerpt from Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural speech carved into the interior of the Lincoln Memorial

Translated they mean: Providence [God] has favored our undertaking. The pyramid is unfinished to remind each of us that our country is a work in progress, and the contribution made by each of us is significant. Over all, is the prevailing eye of God Himself, watching over the development of our nation, from its earliest moments to now. While some have misinterpreted the symbolism of this seal, the reality is that it was designed to honor God and show our nation's trust in Him.
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A phrase from Lord Tennyson in the rotunda of the
Library of Congress

The Supreme Court in 1892, Church of the Holy Trinity vs. United States, in a unanimous decision concluded that "this is a Christian Nation." And again in 1931, Justice George Sutherland reviewed that decision and declared American are a "Christian people." And yet again in 1952, Justice William O. Douglas wrote "we are a religious people and our institutions pre-suppose a Supreme Being." Yet ten years later, the Supreme Court began turning their face against God and now 50 years later, America is now ensnared in Satan's web of immorality, "tolerant" of unnatural acts, Gay Pride Days at Disney and other "family" oriented parks, coerced by groups like the ACLU, probably worse of all the deceptive reporting of the popular liberal media which has resulted in unspeakable apathy.
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A memorial plaque from the Free Press Methodist Episcopal Church inside the Washington Monument

Amen!

Do You Know Your States Preamble?

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