JOHN C VAN BUSKIRK my views on the 9/11 anniversary 2002

I am a product of the melting pot of American Pioneers from Europe and of various religious faiths. From Denmark, Probably Frisian and definitely Lutheran,

From Holland, Dutch Reformed most of my paternal ancestors

From England Anglican first, Presbyterian Puritan and Pilgrims , Quakers

All were devout Christians with deep faith in God, and confident of His leadership to build a new life in America. All were honest hardworking families working together with their neighbors to create the country we know and love.

Definitely America was founded by people who believed in God, and the value of the individual person. They started schools for children and instilled these values. This was a Christian nation but tolerant and welcoming to other faiths.

My own experience is similar: Methodist and Presbyterian parents, attended Methodist Sunday Schools from age 2, went to a small town public school, definitely strong on moral values. College at Roberts Wesleyan near Rochester. a Free Methodist -fundamental Bible believing school, in the army found myself at Southern Baptist and Independent Bible churches. Then back home my Methodist local church merged with the local Baptist Church; I married a girl who was Roman Catholic, then got a job with the American Baptist Churches of New York State denominational office. I feel very much ecumenical and conversant with several views of the Christian Faith.

As a result I feel that I can make the following observation. God is able to work through all of his established churches. I feel that he "talks" to us individually, and does try to entice us to follow His lead. He does not force. He did "talk" to the various church leaders of the past, and his message to them was relevant and meaningful to that era. Sometimes the denominations they founded think they have the only true message - that I feel is not necessarily true. 90% of the message of each of them is the same, the little points that differ are important to them, but may not be as relevant to the others. The Bible says IN THE BEGINNING GOD made the Heavens and the Earth. The scientists have been trying for years to explain how he did it. They have had many theories, currently the Big Bang and evolution are leading. These are still compatible with an intelligent starting force - I accept that that force was God, and we are still trying to figure out how he did it. The first seven "days" were not earth time, but is His time when a "day" could be 10 thousand years, 10 million years, or 10 billion years. Until the earth and Sun and moon got the present orbits, and people became aware of the cycles creating the calendar, who knew?!!. We may still be in his 7th day of rest.

One problem in today’s American Society is the concerted effort to leave God out of the picture. Democracy works only when people are educated in how it works, self disciplined to behave according to the law without being forced. With the banning of religion in schools came the several generations of people without moral compass and self discipline to obey laws. This is leading to anarchy where everyone does as they please, ( How many times if you are on the highway going the speed limit find people passing you as if you were standing still?) So far there are enough of the older generation to hold the line, trying to instill the old values in the new generation. But the rash of mass murders, and shootings, kidnappings all are symptoms of the growing problem. Somehow the nation needs a wake up call or revival.

The first amendment to the constitution states: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, and their petition of the government for a redress of grievances. The government was not supposed to interfere with the exercise of religion.

Personally, I do not feel that providing federal funds for schools still operated at a state and very local level constitutes any position on the operation of the schools, nor support for any given religion over any other. There is not a single Christian Church united in any sense as a single organized church, therefore the government has no business supporting, nor interfering with the right to pray and celebrate holidays without interference. Others like Jews and Moslems can do he same. Most of the Eastern Faiths, and Native American beliefs had a sense of a higher power, and rules for living as well. Those who do not accept these values may remain silent, or even speak about their views and reasoning, but should not prevent those who wish to exercise their rights.

As one who has studied genealogy, my families, and history, I feel the new efforts of sanitizing history and being politically correct does a disservice to us all. The pioneers were real people, with real emotions, and whatever they did was done with reason and purpose. Some of the stories would make good soap opera plots, romances , most families had deaths and remarriages.. combined families were living together. Some of the political problems today were not yet concerns to them, such as slavery. It took civil war to establish a national policy. We cannot expect the colonials to have adopted current political views. They expected immigrants to conform to us, to become American citizens. not that America conform to the immigrants standards. They learned English, learned about our society and values, often that was why later immigrants wanted to come in the first place. the Statue of Liberty was a gift from France in the 1880s commemorating the compassion we showed to all new comers

. We were not perfect. We apparently did not treat native Americans and the slaves equally, but around the world almost all invasions were done by war and take over. and with much more brutality to the local populations. Most of the history books are filled with the wars and mans inhumanity to other men. We atleast have finally recognized the problem, and are still trying to correct it. We have tried to support causes of peace, and stay out of the problems around the world, but still get drawn in to them by others who resent our success. We seem to need a reminder of our founding fathers faith in God, and return to his sense of purpose, providence, and revive the idea of obedience to moral as well as legal laws...return to the destiny HE planned for this new Promised Land.