Solemn Prayer at the Supreme Court: When God is in His Temple

We aren't used to selfies

Paulie and I drove to Washington D.C. last weekend.  We joined Coach Dave on the steps of the Supreme Court to pray.  Ken Morse wrote up a good account of the event.  He writes:

The question being asked these days by the secular community is, are Christians asleep at the wheel? In many demonstrations fueled by societies peeves, whether it is gay rights, abortion activists or a plethora of politically induced campaigns, the involvement from a human perspective borders on a riotous atmosphere numbering in the thousands.

Yet, when it comes to rising up and speaking out on their own beliefs centered by a righteous plumage Christians are far and few between. That doesn’t bode well in a lost and dying world that is only getting darker by the day.

You couldn’t convince the 150 plus Christians that took up refuge at the steps of the Untied States Superior Courthouse in Washington D.C. on Sunday in an effort to shed light on the decadence that is crippling this nation over the argument of same sex marriage.

It's true that a "righteous plumage" set us apart.  The group spent three hours at the Court engaging in forms of prayer and action that the Bible describes many times.  For example, it is not uncommon for Christians to assume postures that speak of humility.  Lying prostrate is one example.

John Freshwater reading scripture
at the front door of the Court

Pictured here is John Freshwater.  He chose to read scripture lying prostrate at the front door of the Supreme Court.

It was an honor to meet John at this event.  I'd heard of him.  Pagans in a public school that he served faithfully for many years as a science teacher stirred up enough foolish controversy to get him fired.  Just before the event he'd been turned down for a teaching job at the final stage of the interview process.  Though qualified he suspects that the administration googled his name and decided to prostrate themselves to the god of our age -- evolution.

It's ironic that John is a science teacher.

John and I are similar now.  God has literally moved us on.  We are both in the driving profession.  He teaches folks how to drive trucks and I drive a medical van.  Tent making is a blessing from heaven.

Before we got to praying I delivered a short statement on the steps of the court building.

Here's the text of the statement.

When God is in His Temple

Statement by Rev. Michael S. Heath in front of the United States Supreme Court on Flag Day, Sunday, June 14, 2015.

To the Christians of America and to all men of good will:

Look well, my friends.

The building behind me is a temple.

The Supreme Court building is made with a special white marble from Vermont that sparkles in the sun.  There are white tiles on the roof, made to reflect the sunlight. I am told that on sunny days the light from this building is blinding. Say what you will, that light is an imitation of the divine presence.

In Rome, the government offices were housed in temples. That is why many of our government buildings resemble a Greek or Roman temple.

That is a legacy of Thomas Jefferson and the Founding Fathers who looked to Rome as a model for their new nation.

A builder must know the strength and durability of his stone and steel, its ability to bear a heavy weight and to endure stress over the years. These properties are not subject to an architect’s whims and desires, but are the same in all times and in all places

An architect cannot say, “I will build this temple with pink or purple or rainbow-colored stone because it is prettier than sturdy, white marble; or more popular this year; or because the owners of the building have all voted for a weak and dangerous stone which will quickly crumble into sand and gravel.”

Universal truths are not subject to the whim of man.

The laws pertaining to the right conduct of man are more important than physical laws, since it is man who builds the temple. And law, both human and divine, exists for the care and preservation of a community. There is an expression, one which is found in Black’s Law Dictionary, “the welfare of the people is the supreme law.”

As in the physical laws used by the architect, these laws exist independently of man, and must be known through divine revelation and human reason, unsullied by private and practical considerations. If practical, political, or personal considerations intrude, the result is confusion.

But American law is no longer based on divine revelation and human reason.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, who was for a time Acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, changed how we view law. Influenced by Darwin’s principle of “survival of the fittest,” Holmes believed that our laws should be based on the power of certain groups to secure their rights. Thus American law is no longer based on a consideration of right and wrong, but on the ability of the strong to prevail. What is this other than the principle of “might is right” and a return to the law of tooth and claw, and the law of the jungle?

That is why our courthouses today no longer resemble temples in which man seeks wisdom from Heaven; rather, our courthouses today resemble well-guarded fortresses which express the power of government and the will of man.

The sole justification for any law is its principle of correctness. To base law on the will of the majority, or on the will of a powerful minority, is in itself, a form of lawlessness.

The arguments offered in favor of same sex marriage are not based on reason and logic; instead; the proponents of same sex marriage appeal to freedom, equality, pleasure and the rights of the individual in a deceptive effort to cry down the institution of marriage. But this is the definition of sin itself, because original sin is the inborn disposition to believe a lie, to excuse our own evil acts by substituting an apparent good for a true good. Thus the sin of sodomy is justified in the name of the apparent good of equality and freedom.

And does not the meaning of Christianity begin with Creation and the union of one man and one woman? What is to become of the story of Creation, Adam and Eve, the transmission of original sin, the Holy Family, and the redemption of mankind by Christ, once our nation is given over to the Sodomites?

The fundamental question is this, and it is a question which must be considered apart from each and every practical or political consideration:

Should sodomy be put on a par with marriage?

Should America honor sodomy as much as it honors marriage, procreation, and its continued existence?

If the Supreme Court puts sodomy on a par with marriage, the element of procreation will be removed from the legal definition of marriage. The wrong decision will not only destroy marriage, it will destroy the meaning of the family and the institution of the family.

If the Supreme Court puts sodomy on a par with marriage, the Supreme Court will be telling God that America no longer values marriage and the continued existence of our people. That is not wisdom; that is the supreme folly.

History is littered with the ruins of failed civilizations.

The Parthenon, the most beautiful building of the ancient world, lies in ruins. The Colossus of Rhodes, more impressive than our own Statue of Liberty, toppled over and was sold as 900 cart-loads of scrap metal.  The city of Angkor, the world’s largest city, with a population of millions, disappeared without a trace.

The Bible tells us that sodomy is one of the four sins which cry out to Heaven for punishment. The highest court in the land must not honor sodomy with the name of “marriage.”

The Supreme Court must not sanctify and gives its blessing to perversion.

On the one side, the Court hears the shouts, the clamor, and the cursing of the homosexual rights movement, and above the noise, they hear the wailing voice of the high priests of perversion. On the other side, the Court hears the quiet prayers for the family and for the lives of the unborn.

Let the Supreme Court heed the words of the prophets and the words of Solomon, the wisest of judges, who wrote the following words as a hymn for pilgrims entering the Holy City of Jerusalem.

“Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the LORD protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good.” (Psalm 127:1)

I will close with the words of Henry van Dyke, the American author, clergyman, and friend of Helen Keller:

“The cornerstone in Truth is laid. The guardian walls of Honour made. The roof of Faith is built above, the fire upon the hearth is love. Though rains descend and loud winds call, this happy house shall never fall.”