By Ray Cardello for April 8, 2023, Season 17 / Post 23

In the grips of Easter Weekend, it seems appropriate to reflect on what has happened to our country created out of a need for people from Europe to have a safe place to practice their religion. We were not a nation of one religion but one based on the principles of Christianity. We needed never to lose the perspective of being mentored by a higher being. I am a Mason, and one of the prerequisites before climbing the degrees of Masonry is acknowledging your belief in a supreme being. To me, that is done to keep you from the goal of assuming excessive power. Having a Higher Power to look to is a humbling experience. You only need to look to the highest spot in Washington, D.C., to see the message from our forefathers. The Washington Monument rises 555′ above D.C. and, by law, will always be the tallest structure in our Capitol. At its peak may be the most significant message from our founders.

When the cornerstone of the Washington Monument was laid on July 4th, 1848, many items were deposited, including the Holy Bible. When completed nearly fifty years later, in 1899, an aluminum pyramid was placed atop the obelisk. On the pyramid were engraved the words LAUS DEO, which translates to “Praise to God.” Such was the discipline, the moral direction, and the spiritual mood given by the founder and first President of our unique democracy:” One Nation, Under God.”

We have weakened our grip on religion and spirituality throughout our short history. We have removed God from our schools, and there are always efforts to remove the words “In God We Trust,” from our lexicon. Our wrongful priorities were exposed during the Pandemic in 2021 when churches and places of worship were padlocked. Places of prayer were off limits while Walmarts and Targets were designated as essential.

We must review our current body of work and hold it against our fundamental beliefs. We need to retire the words Racist and Racism. These words conjure hatred and have become the go-to reason for our ills by people too weak to form a logical debate on any subject. The terms have become a weapon for people who would rather cancel you than debate. These words are used to divide our country, not unite her, because a weaker country is easier to control. Control and power are the lifeblood of the ruling class. This mission to control the masses is why indoctrinating our children and teaching them to hate our history begins at such an early age.

Movements like BLM or LGBTQIA+ claim to be for inclusion and diversity, while isolating these groups and seeking special considerations and reparations does precisely the opposite. The Trans movement is elevating to the most dangerous threat to this country. Coaching gender reassignment to our elementary-aged children, blurring the difference between men and women, and tearing apart families by placing educators above parents makes no sense to logically God Fearing people.

There are signs of hope. Churches are filling once again. Young people are holding weeklong prayer meetings instead of protests. The loud Progressives who openly hate our country are identified as loud but the minority. Conservatives who love God and this great country must be equally loud. We must keep spreading our beliefs and stay strong enough to face opposition. We can win this battle and regain our land, but we must remain patient, steadfast and remember we have Right and a Higher Power on our side.

Happy Easter and Passover Season and Laus DEO.