The American Soul
The American Soul
Rediscovering God's Word in a Lukewarm Nation
What does it mean to truly treasure God's Word in a nation drifting toward spiritual lukewarmness? In this reflective episode, Jesse Cope challenges listeners to examine their relationship with Scripture and asks whether we genuinely appreciate the freedom to read the Bible without fear of persecution—a privilege denied to countless believers throughout history and in many parts of the world today.
Diving into Revelation 5, Jesse emphasizes the unparalleled uniqueness of Jesus Christ, cautioning against any teaching that elevates other figures to His level. The discussion threads through John Quincy Adams' profound wisdom that "duty is ours, results are God's," offering a liberating framework for faithful living that focuses on obedience rather than outcomes. This perspective transforms how we approach both our spiritual walk and our responsibilities as citizens.
The episode unveils surprising insights from Thomas Jefferson's writings about Christianity, challenging modern misconceptions about our founding fathers. "Had nothing been added to what flowed from Jesus' lips, the whole world would at this day have been Christian," Jefferson wrote, revealing a deep appreciation for Christ's teachings that rarely appears in contemporary education. These historical threads connect to powerful accounts of Medal of Honor recipients whose courage exemplifies the highest ideals of sacrifice, followed by sobering historical accounts of religious persecution that highlight the preciousness of religious liberty.
As our culture increasingly distances itself from biblical foundations, Jesse encourages listeners to strengthen relationships between Christians and conservatives across all spheres of influence—from family and education to business and politics. The spiritual battle for America's soul continues in each generation, requiring intentional effort to uphold the principles that once defined our national character. Whether you're a longtime listener or newcomer to the American Soul Podcast, you'll find both challenge and encouragement in this thoughtful exploration of faith, freedom, and our collective heritage.
The American Soul Podcast
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Hey folks, this is Jesse Cope, back with another episode of the American soul podcast. Hope y'all are doing well, wherever y'all are. Sort of appreciate y'all joining me, as always, giving me some of your time. For those of y'all who have been around for quite a while now, going into our fifth year, thank you so much. For those of y'all who are new, hope y'all enjoy it, hope you get something out of it. Hopefully it draws you a little bit closer to God and Jesus Christ and helps our nation draw back a little bit closer to God and Jesus Christ. Therefore, and hopefully you come back For those of y'all who continue to pray for me and for the podcast, thank you so much.
Speaker 1:I'm incredibly grateful for your prayers. I need them and want them, and for those of y'all who share the podcast with others. Thank you, father. Thank you for today. Thank you for you, father, and your Son, jesus Christ and your Holy Spirit. Thank you for your love and your mercy, your grace and your forgiveness. Thank you for all the blessings you bestow upon us, father, the ones we admit, the ones we don't, for whatever reason. Forgive us our sins. Help us to truly repent of our sins, father, and to turn back to you. Bless the marriages across our nation and across the nations of people, wherever they're listening around the world. Guide our leaders. Be with them. Be with those who are listening to the podcast today, father. Be with their families. Help us to feel your presence. Give us a strong faith, wisdom and courage. Fill us with your Holy Spirit. Help us to do your will above all else, to love you with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. And help us to spread the gospel of your son, jesus Christ, to people in places that don't know it. Father, to be a light, a shining lamp as a nation, a shining city upon a hill. Lord, giving hope to those who are in darkness, be with those around the world who are suffering for the name of your son Jesus Christ, whether they're in China or North Korea or Iran or Nigeria or Syria or any other place. Father, give them comfort. Help us to give them as much comfort as we can. Father, help us to not be lukewarm toward you or your son Jesus Christ, but to be hot, to be passionate. Father, forgive us when we're lukewarm. Guide our steps. Guide my words here, father, please. In your son's name, we pray Amen. Have you made time for God today? And if you haven't, why? What are you treating as more important than God and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit For that matter?
Speaker 1:Folks, when you're talking about the Bible and the fact that we have the ability to read the Bible anytime we want in our own homes without fear of repercussion from either the state or the church, do you really appreciate that blessing? I don't. Too often, too often, I treat it as just far for the course. That's just the way we are now and there's some things that it's okay to treat that way. But the fact that we can read the Bible freely without fear of persecution, either by churches who put their own denominational doctrine over Scripture and don't want people reading the truth, or false religions which I guess you could really put those denominations under if they're going to put scripture above, or their own denominational doctrine above scripture, or Islam, buddhism, hinduism, communism, etc. Right, those places where people they don't have the ability to read God's word freely without persecution but we do, at least for now Do we treat it like a blessing, god's word, like our most precious treasure, and do we try and share it with other people? Folks and you don't have to be loud and obnoxious. You can be if that works for you, whatever works to spread the gospel, but you don't have to be. You can just spread the gospel by setting an example and following scripture. And this is true in your marriage too. And how are you treating your spouse in your marriage? Are you treating them as that treasure, one out of seven billion or are you just kind of ho-hum for them each day? I hit on this each day, folks, because you know the old saying we talk about it often here beating a dead horse. But we are not beating a dead horse. This horse is alive and healthy and fat and kicking and running around having a great time wreaking havoc in our nation. And that horse is there's two of them really. One is a lukewarm attitude toward God and Jesus Christ and the other is a lukewarm attitude toward our spouse.
Speaker 1:Revelation, chapter 5. Y'all know, you tell me, yeah 5. The Book with Seven Seals. I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne, a book written inside and on the back sealed up with seven seals, and I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, and no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me Stop weeping. Behold the lion that is from the tribe of Judah. The root of David has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.
Speaker 1:Folks this, just as I'm reading this, the part that just screams out to me is Jesus Christ is unique in all of history. There's no one else like him, not Mary, not Joseph, not the disciples, not the thief on the cross, not any Pope or pastor or priest or bishop or cardinal. No one else even remotely comes close to Jesus Christ. And if you've got somebody that's telling you that there is another human being that comes close to Christ, you need to be super suspicious of them close to Christ. You need to be super suspicious of them and that's why you need to read scripture constantly and probably you need to pray for that person quite a bit, because you don't see anyone else talked about. If there was one other single human being that had lived a perfect, sinless life and that was any work close to Jesus Christ, the Bible would talk about them constantly, but they don't.
Speaker 1:God talks about his son, jesus Christ, the lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the root of David that has overcome no one else. Jesus Christ, the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth and he came and took the book out of the right hand of him, who sat on the throne. When he had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints, and they sang a new song saying Worthy are you to take the book and to break its seals, for you were slain and purchased for God with your blood, men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God and they will reign upon the earth. Angels exalt the Lamb.
Speaker 1:Then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders and the number of them was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands saying with a loud voice Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing, and every creature, every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth, and under the sea or under the earth, I'm sorry and on the sea and all the things in them. I heard saying To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever. And the four living creatures kept saying Amen, and the elders fell down and worshiped Amen, and the elders fell down and worshiped. There's a lot here, folks. It's just above my pay grade.
Speaker 1:But one thing that I got out of this today and maybe it's a strange connection, but when? Let me see if I can find it when it talks about the elders sitting on the thrones with Jesus and falling down before the lamb, I thought of the fact that. But to me that the elders right there, they're more important, they're special, they're leaders, they're rulers, right. And then, for whatever reason, my brain jumped to the sons of Zebedee, their mother. I think that's right, correct? Some of y'all correct me if I'm wrong their mother asking Jesus to make sure that her son sat at his left hand and his right hand. Fact that we may end up in heaven as rulers in some version, some form or another, with honor, more honor than others, or we may not. And then I jump to John Quincy Adams' quote that I use so often duty is ours, results are God's. And if you're not familiar with that quote, if you're just joining the podcast, we talk about that quote often.
Speaker 1:John Quincy Adams fought against slavery for years and years, took all kinds of abuse because of his stance, particularly in the House of Representatives, against slavery, and when they finally made I think it was when the gag order was removed so that they could actually talk about slavery or some facet of it or something. I can't remember that right now, but a reporter asking you know, how did you keep going through all this trial time when everybody was so hateful or so many were so hateful to you? And that was his response to this reporter. I need to go back and read that story with y'all again. Make sure I'm not getting the details completely messed up. But he said duty is ours, results are God's.
Speaker 1:I need that mentality more about my time here on earth relative to my time in eternity. Duty is mine. I need to do what God tells me to, regardless of anything else, anything at all, and let God worry about the results. That means I need to get up each day and my top priority needs to be doing the will of God above all else. And then I need to let God worry about fairness or justice or mercy or whatever else. And that doesn't mean that I don't strive to as Micah tells us right, that I don't strive to act justly and love mercy and walk humbly before God. I do that's part of doing God's will. I just don't need to be concerned with the results of that. I need to do it and then I need to let God worry about the results, especially the eternal result.
Speaker 1:If I live in the, if I'm the smallest house mouse we used to have that's what they used to call. We used to call ourselves or our fellow candidates and OCS officer candidates candidacy school for the Marine Corps, basically boot camp for officers. I think the enlisted did it too and you had certain candidates every so often maybe each week or whatever, each month or something that were assigned to come in and clean the drill instructor, sergeant instructors, hooch, where they lived in the barracks, and they were called house mice. Right, where are my house mouses? They had all sorts of fun with us. If I'm the smallest house mouse in the smallest cupboard in the smallest mansion and all of heaven, that will still be amazing. That will be amazing beyond anything that I can possibly imagine here on earth, and I get to experience that for all of eternity. It doesn't matter, that's God's concern where I sit and what I do eternally. My job is to do what he tells me to do here and let him worry about the results. I need to remember that, and I thought maybe some of y'all might too.
Speaker 1:We're going to read a quote by Thomas Jefferson. I need to remember that, and I thought maybe some of y'all might too. We're going to read a quote by Thomas Jefferson. I stumbled across a different quote to start with and I kind of got sucked in, because Jefferson, you know, is kind of has been the darling of the left for a long time and they like to use him as an example of why America is supposed to be this secular pagan republic. And that always kind of cracks me up, because when you really read Jefferson, it doesn't take long to see that that's not the case at all, but which goes to the point that we just don't do a very good job educating anymore. And so I'm going to read a couple of quotes here.
Speaker 1:Jefferson's had the doctrines of Jesus been preached always as pure as they came from his lips, the whole civilized world would now have been Christians. And as my father says, you always think people are really bright who agree with you. And this quote by Jefferson agrees with something that I've said for a long time, believed myself, and that is that the extremely smart people in the world, if they're really interested in truth, you don't have to worry about doing anything other than handing them a Bible and you probably don't even have to really worry about that. If they're truly concerned with truth, if they're truly seekers of truth, they're going to end up Christian 100% of the time, no doubt Because the really bright people, if they really dig into it. The only conclusion that you can come to logically, if you're honest, if you don't have an ulterior motive, is that Jesus Christ is the risen son of God, who died for our sins and is the only hope of salvation and eternal life that any of us have. I have always said, I will always, I always will say, that the studious pursual of the sacred volume will make better citizens, better fathers and better husbands. The doctrines of Jesus are simple and tend to the happiness of man. There is only one God and he is all perfect. There is a future state of rewards and punishment. To love God with all the heart and thy neighbor as thyself is the sum of all, these are the great points on which to reform the religion of the Jews.
Speaker 1:I remember the first time this thought popped into my head. We were recording a podcast. I was actually out walking in the pasture at this point. For those of y'all that are new, when I first started the podcast, I used to record outside quite a bit and at this point I was recording in the pasture and the thought came to me and it stuck that one of the really frustrating things to those who reject God whether you're talking about Muslims, buddhists, hindus, atheists, communists, socialists, leftists is that one inescapable truth is, if you took a person and you made a carbon copy of them and you, I mean exactly the same, down to the DNA. Everything was exactly the same and the only difference was that one of those two followed Christ and one didn't.
Speaker 1:The one that followed Christ is always, 100% of the time, going to be the better citizen, the better father, the better husband or the better wife, the better mother, and that's really frustrating. You can see that's frustrating to a lot of people today. Even, sadly, inside the church there's a lot of people who want to pretend like they can follow some of what God says, and they can still be the best version of themselves. You hear that often, right, I need to be the best version of myself, of themselves. You hear that often, right, I need to be the best version of myself. Well, the best version of yourself for your spouse, for your children, your family, your parents, for your nation, the best version of yourself is always going to be the version that follows scripture the most closely. That means, if you have two versions of yourself and one of you follows scripture 10% of the time and one 30% of the time, the one that follows it 30% of the time is always going to be better, always. And that keeps going. And so, of course, the goal is to follow scripture 100% of the time, because that person that does they're always going to be the better citizen, the better husband or wife, the better father or mother. And then the other thing this I'll read one more Well, these four points of Jefferson's the doctrines of Jesus tend to the happiness of man.
Speaker 1:There's only one, god. He's all perfect. There is a future state of rewards and punishments, and he quotes the two greatest commands Love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself. Right, and then the interesting thing is his little comment. These are the great points on which to reform the religion of the jews, meaning that the jewish religion needs reformation, as does certain denominations that claim to be christian but don't follow scripture or follow doctrine over scripture, as do the imposters like Buddhism, hinduism, islam, right. One more quote from Jefferson, and we'll leave him alone for today.
Speaker 1:No one sees with greater pleasure than myself the progress of reason and its advance toward rational Christianity, and my opinion is that if nothing had ever been added to what flowed from his lips, the whole world would, at this day, have been Christian. Had there never been a commentator, there never would have been an infidel. I have little doubt that the whole country will soon be rallied to the unity of our creator and, I hope, to the pure doctrines of Jesus. Also, where is that quote taught in our public schools when Jefferson is taught? You hear a lot of comments about Jefferson rejecting God and Jesus Christ. Where is that quote from Jefferson Talking about the fact that I have little doubt that the whole country will soon be rallied to the unity of our creator and, I hope, to the pure doctrines of Jesus also, to the pure doctrines of Jesus also, and that no one sees with greater pleasure than myself the progress of reason in its advance toward rational Christianity. Also, folks, it's a pretty good reason, at least for me. It reminds me, as a non-theologian, non-pastor, non-priest, to be really careful the comments that I make.
Speaker 1:Y'all aren't going to agree with everything that I say on this podcast, and that's fine. We don't agree with everything with any person, even those of us who are lucky enough to be married to somebody that we are infatuated, with somebody that we are infatuated with. If you're in one of those marriages, you know that even in those great marriages, there are times when you don't see eye to eye with your spouse, right, and that's the closest person in all the world to you. So I don't have any delusions that y'all are going to agree with everything I say on here, and that's fine, that's great. That y'all are going to agree with everything I say on here, and that's fine, that's great. There's a lot of people that I like a lot, that I follow online, that I don't agree with everything they say. In fact, there's nobody that I agree with everything they say.
Speaker 1:Here's what I would ask, though, is, every time you disagree with me not because I think I'm right, folks just because this is what we need to do, any of us is to go back to Scripture. That's the point is to go back to Scripture. I throw my father under the bus again here. When he got back from Vietnam and was in the process of talking to a pastor about some things, and that pastor anytime any subject came up, that pastor would say well, let's see what the Bible has to say about that, and he would literally get his Bible and they would start to go through it. And anytime we disagree with someone, folks, or anytime we're struggling with an issue, that's what we need to do. We need to go well, let's see what God has to say about that. And we need to open our Bible and we need to look.
Speaker 1:If somebody's telling you something about your relationship with your parent and you're not quite sure that's true, look at the Bible. If somebody tells you something about how you're supposed to raise your children and you're not quite sure that that's true, look at the Bible. If somebody tells you something about how you're supposed to raise your children and you're not quite sure that that's true, look at the Bible. If somebody tells you something about how you're supposed to interact with your spouse as either a husband or a wife, and you're not real sure that that's true, look at the Bible. If somebody is telling you how you're supposed to act as a citizen of a nation and you just don't know if that's true, look at the Bible. If somebody's telling you something about a particular person maybe the disciples, maybe Mary or Joseph, maybe a priest or a pastor and their role, or a deacon or elder, and you just don't know if that's really the way things are supposed to go, look at the Bible. The way things are supposed to go. Look at the Bible. And maybe, perhaps certainly as often, when we are just absolutely 100% certain that we know what's right, maybe every once in a while, just to make sure that we're walking humbly before God, we need to go back and read Scripture and look at the Bible.
Speaker 1:All right, make some pretty good quotes from Jefferson. There we're going to read a couple of Medal of Honors John Baker, indian campaigns, rank musician Now, that is a rare one Indian campaigns, delta Company, fifth US Infantry, us Army, october 21st 1876 through January 8th 1877. Medal of Honor, action Place, cedar Creek, etc. Montana, usa. Gallantry and Engagements Accredited to Brooklyn, kings County, new York. Montana, usa. Gallantry in Engagements Accredited to Brooklyn, kings County, new York, not awarded, posthumously Presented June 18, 1877 at Parade at the Cantament at the Yellowstone and Tongue Rivers, montana Territory, by General William T Sherman, born 1853, hessen, germany. No comment on their death.
Speaker 1:John Baker, musician Gallantry and engagements Thomas a Baker jr. Thomas Alexander Baker jr. Rank sergeant rank at the time of action private World War two Alpha Company, 105th infantry, 27th infantry Infantry Division, us Army. Date June 19th through July 7th 1944, saipan, mariana Islands.
Speaker 1:For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, at Saipan, mariana Islands, 19 June to 7 July 1944, when his entire company was held up by fire from automatic weapon and small arms, fire from strongly fortified enemy positions that commanded the view of the company. Sergeant, then private Baker voluntarily took a bazooka and dashed alone to within 100 yards of the enemy. Within 100 yards of the enemy, through heavy rifle and machine gun fire that was directed at him by the enemy, he knocked out the strong point enabling his company to assault the ridge. Some days later, when his company advanced across the open field, flanked with obstructions and places of concealment for the enemy, sergeant Baker again voluntarily took up a position in the rear to protect the company against surprise attack and came upon two heavily fortified enemy pockets manned by two officers and ten enlisted men which had been bypassed. Without regard for such superior numbers, he unhesitatingly attacked and killed all of them. 500 yards farther, he discovered six men of the enemy who had concealed themselves behind our lines and destroyed all of them.
Speaker 1:On 7 july 1944, the perimeter of which sergeant baker was apart was attacked from three sides by from 3 000 to 5 000 japanese. During the early stages of this attack, sergeant baker was seriously wounded, but he insisted on remaining in the line and field at the enemy and fired at the enemy at ranges sometimes as close as five yards until his ammunition ran out. Without ammunition and with his own weapon, battered and useless from hand-to-hand combat, he was carried about 50 yards to the rear by a comrade who was then himself wounded 50 yards to the rear by a comrade who was then himself wounded. At this point, sergeant Baker refused to be moved any farther, stating that he preferred to be left to die rather than to risk the lives of any more of his friends. A short time later, at his request, he was placed in a sitting position against a small tree. Another comrade, withdrawing, offered assistance. Sergeant Baker refused, insisting that he be left alone and given a soldier's pistol with its remaining eight rounds of ammunition. When last seen alive, sergeant Baker was propped against a tree, same position, gun empty, with eight Japanese lying dead before him. His deeds were in keeping with the highest traditions of the US Army.
Speaker 1:Accredited to Troy, rensselaer County, new York. Awarded posthumously born 25 June 1916, troy Rensselaer County, new York, united States. Died July 12, 1944, saipan, mariana Island. Buried at Saratoga National Cemetery MH 8, tac 530. Remains moved from National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific F TAC 162, mh. National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific F-TAC-162MH. Honolulu, hawaii, saratoga, new York, united States. Thomas Alexander Baker Jr. Add that to John Baker, the musician from the Indian campaigns. We'll move on.
Speaker 1:So we're going to go back into Fox's book of the martyrs and get back into. This is the persecutions of the Albies. That's what I'm calling them, the Alba Alba Geniz's. I'm saying that horribly. So I, like Albies, I'm going to stick with that.
Speaker 1:Many persons of the Reformed persuasion were, about this time, beaten, racked, scourged and burnt to death in several parts of France, but more particularly at Paris, malta and Limousin Limousin, I'm not sure. A native of Malda was burnt by a slow fire for saying that mass was a plain denial of the death and passion of Christ. At Limousin, john de Caderco, a clergyman of the Reformed religion, was apprehended, degraded and ordered to be burnt to the Cardinal de Valle for speaking in favor of the Reformed, had his tongue cut out and was then burnt. Ad 1545, james Cobard, a schoolmaster in the city of St Michael, was burnt AD 1545 for saying that mass was useless and absurd. For saying that mass was useless and absurd. And about the same time, 14 men were burnt at Malda, their wives being compelled to stand by and behold the execution. Ad 1546, peter the pot brought a number of Bibles in the French tongue to France and publicly sold them there, for which he was soon brought to trial, sentenced and executed. A few days later, soon after a cripple of Moe, a schoolmaster of Pharaoh named Stephen and a man named John English were burnt for their faith, for the faith Interesting folks, you know the preface that we read a couple days one of the claims of the Roman Catholic Church is infallibility and that their position has always been the same.
Speaker 1:And I can't even begin to tell you if that's still the position of the Catholic Church today or not, I don't know. I don't know their doctrine. But if it is, then they would have to claim these executions as perfect and therefore they would have to claim that those executions are people who, for example, shared the Bible, as this man did, peter Shepot, that they would have to claim that executing them for sharing the Bible was still the right thing to do. And so either they're not doing what they're supposed to be doing as an infallible organization, or they are infallible, and that brings a whole different set of problems for them. Right? But again, it's just.
Speaker 1:This isn't that long ago, folks, historically speaking. A few hundred years, I mean. I know a lot can change in that amount of time, but also not a lot. Monsieur Blondel, a rich jeweler, was AD 1548, apprehended at Lyons and sent to Paris Like that ought to be Lyons. I wish I knew French folks, I don't.
Speaker 1:Where he was burnt for the faith by order of the court, ad 1549. Herbert, a youth of nineteen years of age, was committed to the flames at Dijon, as was Florent Venote in the same year. In the year 1554, two men of the Reformed religion, with the son and daughter of one of them, were apprehended and committed to the castle of Navarne. On examination, they confessed their faith and were ordered for execution. Being smeared with grease, brimstone and gunpowder, they cried Salt on Salt on the sinful and rotten flesh. Their tongues were then cut out and they were afterward committed to the flames, which soon consumed them by means of the combustible matter with which they were besmeared. Good Lord in heaven, god forgive us.
Speaker 1:The Bartholomew Massacre at Paris, etc. On the 22nd of August 1572, commenced this diabolical act of sanguinary brutality. You think you have a good vocabulary until you start to read something like this and then you realize perhaps your vocabulary is not so great after all. It was intended to destroy at one stroke the root of the Protestant tree which had only before partially suffered in its branches. The king of France had artfully proposed a marriage between his sister and the prince of Navarre, the captain and prince of the Protestants. This imprudent marriage was publicly celebrated at Paris, august 18th, by the cardinal of Bourbon, upon a high stage erected for the purpose. They dined in great pomp with the bishop and supped with the king at Paris. Four days after this, the prince, as he was coming from the council, was shot in both arms. He then said to marreur his deceased mother's minister o, my brother, I do now perceive that I am indeed beloved of my god. The Vitam advised him to fly, yet he abode in Paris and was soon after slain by Bemgis, who afterward declared he never saw a man meet death more valiantly than the Admiral.
Speaker 1:The soldiers were appointed at a certain signal to burst out instantly to the slaughter in all parts of the city. When they had killed the admiral, they threw him out at a window into the street where his head was cut off and sent to the pope. The savage Papus, still raging against him, cut off his arms and private members and, after dragging him three days through the streets, hung him up by the hills without the city. After him they slew many great and honorable persons who were Protestants, as Count Rochefoucault, helenus the Admiral's son-in-law, antonius the admiral's son-in-law, antonius Laramontus, marquise of Ravli, louis Busius, bandinus, pluvilius, ornius, etc. Etc. And falling upon the common people, they continued the slaughter for many days In the three. First, they slew all of all ranks and conditions to the number of ten thousand. The bodies were thrown into the rivers and blood ran through the streets with a strong current and the river appeared presently like a stream of blood. And the river appeared presently like a stream of blood. So furious was their hellish rage that they slew all Papists, whom they suspected to be not very staunch to their diabolical religion.
Speaker 1:From Paris, the destruction was spread to all quarters of the realm. At Orleans, a thousand were slain of men, women and children. At Orleans, a thousand were slain of men, women and children, and six thousand at ruin. At Meldeth, 200 were put into prison and brought out by units and cruelly murdered. At Lyons, 800 were massacred. At here, children hanging about their parents and parents affectionately embracing their children were pleasant food for the swords and bloodthirsty minds of those who called themselves the Catholic Church. Here, 300 were slain only in the bishop's house, and the impious monks would suffer none to be buried. Monks would suffer, none to be buried. There's a point here in this last little bit. The monks would suffer none to be buried, and 300 were slain in the bishop's house alone.
Speaker 1:You see this today in Islam and you get a lot of apologists for Islam saying well, the terrorists today, that doesn't represent all of Islam. And yet the problem is, folks, that you never see the followers, the adherents of Islam. Whether you're talking about the common folk or you're talking about the imams and their leaders, you don't see them unapologetically or without restraint. Reject the actions of the terrorists, condemn them without any hesitation or caveats, right? You just don't see that. And the reason you don't is because the terrorists we've talked about this a number of times on the podcast over the years the Muslim terrorists, quote-unquote terrorists. They're not fringe Muslims. It's not like they're doing something on the edges, the extremes. They're really being good Muslims. They're doing what the Quran and the teachings of Islam call them to do. That's the problem. That's the reason, one of the reasons that you don't see the condemnation from the Muslim world as a whole when any of these atrocities right now there's.
Speaker 1:I just saw this within the last 24 hours of video coming out of Nigeria, I think, where some Muslims had broken into this village, and it was. It was honestly folks. It was like the old Nintendo game duck hunter or whatever. If you remember that, it was just like a shoot them up. They were just sitting there as the Christians were running away, shooting them like a carnival. And and you don't? You don't hear any outcry. You don't, sadly. You don't hear any outcry, even from the western media about that. But you certainly don't hear any outcry from the Muslim world about those Muslims killing the Christians, murdering them, massacring them. I wish I could remember the name of the little town, the village, but I can't.
Speaker 1:And so when you see here the Catholic Church before, you hear somebody tell you well, that wasn't really sanctioned by the church. Of course it was, because there was no condemnation of it, right. And then you see here the bishop and the monks involved too. So leaders within the church were participating. This was not, and they sent the severed head of the man to the pope. So don't let somebody tell you that the church wasn't condoning this, you that the church wasn't condoning this.
Speaker 1:Let me see how much time we have. Yeah, we'll switch over for today and go back into Miss Warren and the history of the rise, progress and termination of the American Revolution. Pick up where we left off. I think we're in. Let's see chapter three.
Speaker 1:Within a few days after the separation, the troops arrived from Halifax. This was indeed a painful era. The American war may be dated from the hostile parade of this day, a day which marks with infamy the councils of Britain. At this period, the inhabitants of the colonies almost universally breathed an unshaken loyalty to the King of England and the strongest attachment to a country whence they derived their origin. Thus was the astonishment of the whole province excited when, to the grief and consternation of the town of Boston, several regiments were landed and marched, sword in hand, through the principal streets of their city. Then in profound peace, the embarkation of the king's troops, which took place on October 1, 1768, was viewed by a vast crowd of spectators who beheld the solemn prelude to devastation and bloodshed with a kind of sullen silence that denoted the deepest resentment. Yet, whatever might be the feelings of the citizens, not one among the gazing multitude discovered any disposition to resist by arms the power and authority of the King of Great Britain. This appearance of decent submission and order was very unexpected. But some too, some whose guilty fears had led them to expect a violent and tumultuous resistance to the landing of a large body of armed soldiers in the town. The peaceable demeanor of the people was construed by the party who had brought this evil on the city as a mark of abject submission. As a mark of abject submission, as they supposed from the present acquiescent deportment, that the spirit of the inhabitants was totally subdued on the first appearance of military power. They consequently rose in their demands.
Speaker 1:General Gage arrived from New York soon after the King's troops reached Boston. With the aid of the governor, the chief justice of the province and the sheriff of the county of Suffolk, he forced quarters for his soldiers in all the unoccupied houses in the town. The council, convened on this occasion, opposed the measure. But to such a height was the insolence of power pushed by their passionate, vindictive and wrong-headed governor, that, in spite of the remonstrances of several magistrates and the importunities of the people he suffered, the state house where the archives of the province were deposited, to be improved as barracks for the king's troops. Thus, the members of the council, the magistrates of the town and the courts of justice were daily interrupted and frequently challenged in their way to the several departments in business by military sentinels posted at the doors. A standing army thus placed in their capital, their commerce fettered, their characters produced, their representative body prevented meeting the united petitions of all ranks that they might be convened at this critical juncture.
Speaker 1:Rejected by the governor and still threatened with a further augmentation of troops to enforce measures of ever view repugnant to the principles of the British Constitution, little hope remained of a peaceful accommodation. Little hope remained of a peaceful accommodation. The most rational arguments had been urged by the legislative assemblies, by corporate bodies, associations and individual characters of eminence to shake the arbitrary system that augured evils to both countries, but their addresses were disdainfully rejected. The king and court of Great Britain appeared equally deaf to the cry of millions who only ask a restoration of their rights. At the same time, every worthless incendiary who, taking advantage of these miserable times, crossed the Atlantic with a tale of accusation against his country, crossed the Atlantic with a tale of accusation against his country, was listened to with attention and rewarded with some token of royal favor. In this situation, no remedy appeared to be left short of an appeal to the sword, unless an entire suspension of that commercial intercourse, which had contributed so much to the glory and grandeur of Britain, could be effected throughout the colonies.
Speaker 1:As all the American continent was involved in one common danger, it was not found difficult to obtain a general combination against all further importations from England, a few articles only, excepted. The mercantile body through all the provinces entered into solemn engagements and plighted their faith and honor to each other and to their country, that no order should be forwarded by them for British or India goods within a limited term, except for certain specified articles of necessary use. These engagements originated in Boston and were for a time strictly adhered to through all the colonies. Great encouragement was given to American manufacturers and if pride of apparel was at all indulged it was in wearing the stuffs fabricated in their own looms. Harmony and union, prudence and economy, industry and virtue were inculcated in their publications and enforced by the example of the most respectable characters.
Speaker 1:In consequence of these determinations, the clamors of theish manufacturers arose to tumult in many measures relative to the colonies, assuring them in the strongest terms that the interruption of commerce was but a temporary struggle or rather an effort of despair. No one in the country urged his opinion with more indiscreet zeal than Andre Oliver Esquire, then Secretary in the Massachusetts, and Andre Oliver Esquire, then Secretary in the Massachusetts. He suggested that government should stipulate with the merchants in England to purchase large quantities of goods proper for the American market, agreeing beforehand to allow them a premium equal to the advance of their stock in trade if the price of their goods was not sufficiently enhanced by a tenfold demand in future, even though the goods might lay on hand till this temporary stagnation of business should cease. He concluded his political rhapsody with this inhuman boast to the correspondent. By such a step, the game will be up with my countrymen. See the original letters of Mr Oliver to Mr Watley and others, which were afterwards published in a pamphlet, also in the British Remembrance 1773. Or the British Remembrance-er 1773.
Speaker 1:Folks, there's a lot of pretty good wisdom here for us today, just in the simple fact, together as Christians, as conservatives, as people who love America at every level, that's possible, and encouraging each other at every level, that's possible, whether that's politically, between our cities and states, towns, churches, whether it's churches, whether it's schools, right educations, whether it's business, every chance you get to support and encourage someone politically, financially, educationally, toward clinging to Christ, toward clinging to our founding faith and principles as a nation, we need to do that. I'm doing a really bad job here of stating this. I don't know, my brain is not working clearly today, which is probably not shocking to those of y'all that have been around the podcast for a while, but we ought to be doing everything that we can. Folks, who strengthen those relationships between Christians and conservatives and, as President Roosevelt said, the true citizen is the true Christian. We need to shore up those defenses to strengthen those relationships as much as we can with whatever time God gives us left, because it's hard not to see more and more the likelihood of a fight.
Speaker 1:Folks, the left, the bucket of isms, socialism, communism, Nazism, fascism, leftism they're never going to stop, they're never going to be willing to peacefully coexist. Islam is the same. It goes hand in glove with the bucket of isms. And all the more reason to, in your individual life, folks, to turn to God, to trust God, to take your cares and worries to him and to encourage others to do the same in every possible way, by any means that you have in your sphere of influence. And your sphere of influence includes people that you talk to and interact with and includes how you spend your money. It includes how you educate your children, not just formally but informally, at home. You have a sphere of influence, folks, and, as Patrick Henry told us, we need to try and act virtuously in our own lives and encourage it in all those that we interact with. God bless y'all. God bless your families. God bless your marriages. God bless America. We'll talk to y'all again real soon. Folks Looking forward to it.