By Donald S. Conkey – The first amendment of the U. S. Constitution begins with these words: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; …” Powerful words! How often have you ever pondered what this ‘land of the free and home of the brave’ would be like today without these powerful words, words that have been held inviolate for over 223 years, words that have guaranteed the right of every citizen of this nation to choose the God they will worship, or not worship, and the religious organization they will affiliate with?

I often think of what America, even the world, would be like today had not three courageous Founders refused to sign the original Constitution in 1787 while insisting that the ‘individual rights’ of the citizens of this new nation be ‘written’ into the Constitution. I thought of these words this past week end as Joan and I sat in our living room and listened to the counsel and admonition of our church leaders, via satellite, for ten hours. And we were but two of many millions, in nearly every nation of the world who heard these powerful messages – in their own languages. Their messages: be grateful for the blessings we all have, including the right to choose our own religion, and to watch out for the enticements of Satan that will, if not rejected, bring about a loss of inner peace.

Ironically when these words became a part of the Constitution in 1791 the church I have chosen to affiliate with did not even exist. My church was not organized until 1830 in upstate New York, with six people. It is often referred to as America’s religion. And it was just fifty years ago, in December, that I joined this new church. Its restoration message of Christ’s church, delivered to me by His ‘fishers and hunters,’ strongly resonated with me. This action by me changed my life forever, along with the lives of my ever growing family. Included among those Joan and I worshipped with this weekend were family members who are now scattered over many states.

The purpose of this story is to remind each of us that three men had the courage to stand up and say the Constitution they had just created in 1787 was not enough – that the individual freedoms and liberties we cherish, like the freedom to chose our own religious beliefs, had to be written into that document. And they were! They are today called America’s Bill of Rights. The courageous action by those three men 223 years ago literally changed my life, and your life, whether you believe it or not, and the lives of my, and your, ever growing family.

Today evil men and women are attempting to destroy those freedoms we all believed to be inviolate and are under serious attack. Here in the United States ‘We the people’ blindly voted for unknown change based on the promises of a Pied Piper. The changes now being implemented are far from what we the people had ‘hoped’ for. These same evil men and women would, if we allow them to, destroy the very foundation of America’s freedoms and liberties – its Constitution and its beloved Bill of Rights, including our right to vote – to vote those who would destroy our liberties out of office. I am grateful for this right to vote, and have not missed voting since 1952.

Further study of America’s early history shows how the vote of just one person changed the world we live in. Jefferson, one man, with God, wrote the Declaration of Independence. Washington, one man, also with God, led his rag-tag army against the British army – and won.

Today, as one man or one woman, you are needed to turn around this nation. You, as ‘the one’ can make a difference by pledging to vote; and then getting ten others to pledge to vote on November 2. But, before going to the polls arm yourself with knowledge of those on the ballot by googling ‘Georgia Department of State” and studying both the candidates and the five amendments that will be on the ballot November 2. This MVP (My Voting Page) will arm you with the knowledge to vote intelligently, and then you, like Washington, need to reach out and encourage ten other voters to vote to restore the foundational principles found in America’s foundational documents. Pledge now to vote – and then pledge to encourage 10 others to vote intelligently!