Beware the faith-stealers

The Freedom from Religion Foundation is at it again — and this time close to home. Following its lawsuit against Hamilton County, Tenn., commissioners for opening their sessions with prayer, they are now pressuring the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Ridgeland High School, where they are targeting coach Mark Mariakis, who prays before each football game. I don’t know about you, but I feel that schools especially need prayer today. Whether it is to begin the day or at a football game, our young people need the protection of the Lord around them. I have long admired coach Mariakis and pray that he is continued to be allowed to pray for his team and school before each of the Panthers’ games this season. When will this end? Why cannot I be offended because I am denied the freedom to pray? This is getting real old, real fast. We have been a nation of prayer for as long as we have existed. Our founding fathers prayed during the congress to create our constitution. We have prayed through wars, natural disasters, times of celebration, football games and at the beginning of each day of school. Now, because a vocal few are “offended,” we are being told it is unlawful for us to pray in public. What’s next? A ban on prayer over our meals at the Cracker Barrel? “I’m sorry sir, but you asking grace is a bit offensive and would you mind not to do that.” I don’t see the problem. Atheists don’t believe in anything anyways — unless it is a belief in stopping those of us who believe in prayer from exercising our rights. Will we one day see government agents storming private homes to break up prayer groups? I am afraid it might be coming — unless we as Christians begin to stand up for our rights. We must beware the faith-stealers, for that is exactly what they want to do — steal our faith and have us join them in their unbelief. What a sad existence it must be to not believe in a Christ, who gave His all for us on the cross, to not have anything to look forward to when their lives are over. We have been studying about heaven in my small group at church and I am so looking forward to getting there. I cannot wait to see the glory of the Lord and sit at His feet. I have wondered for some time now why God is allowing this happen. Is He expecting us to take up for our own selves? Do we need to step forward and reclaim our religious freedoms? What do you think? I’d love to know. Another item in the news recently on “Fox and Friends” was that the ACLU is now suing the 9/11 Memorial in New York City to remove a cross made from two I-beams from the destroyed towers because it is causing mental anguish to non-believers. What about the mental anguish the removal will cause to those who lost loved ones in the disaster who find comfort in that cross? The good news is that the folks in charge of that cross are not caving in. It just seems that at every turn we are being persecuted. Are the end times close? It would seem that way. But there is good news. I’ve read the back of the Book and we do win in the end. Standing ises... My mom gave me some pretty good insight the other day. We were talking about how long the music service was during worship and how many people were complaining about how long they had to stand up. Mom said, “If Jesus could hang on the cross all that time for our sins, then surely we could stand up for 20 minutes to sing.” I agree. As usual, God bless... on the prom- Dennis Norwood is a reporter for The Catoosa County News. He can be reached at dnorwood@catoosanews. com or 706-935.2621.