[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 62 (Thursday, April 11, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H2310-H2314]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
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RECOGNIZING FAITH MONTH
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 9, 2023, the Chair recognizes the
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gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Miller) for 30 minutes.
General Leave
Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend
their remarks and include in the Record extraneous material on the
topic of this Special Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Illinois?
There was no objection.
Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, tonight, I am incredibly
privileged to join the patriots at Concerned Women for America for the
third year in a row by recognizing April as Faith Month. It is a time
when we can set aside our differences and talk about the most important
aspect of our lives: our faith.
Since our founding, in America, we have believed that God governs in
the affairs of men. Actually, every day here in Congress, we
acknowledge God by opening Congress with daily prayer.
It was my faith in God that first inspired me to run for public
office. As a Christian, my faith is at the heart of everything I do.
Before any major decision and during moments of conflict, I ask for
God's guidance and wisdom to guide me in accordance with his will.
For my husband, Chris, and I, our Christian faith was central to
raising our seven children. Now, they are making faith a central pillar
for the upbringing of our 20 grandchildren. We also put our Christian
faith first in running our family farm, seeking to honor God as
stewards of the land and everything he has blessed us with.
Faith was key to our Nation's founding. In fact, the Pilgrims came to
the new world in search of religious freedom, making the voyage across
the Atlantic to the shores of Massachusetts. The right to publicly
express their faith was so important that they risked their very lives.
Contrary to public opinion, our Founders did not believe America
should be an atheistic society that shuns God. Benjamin Franklin called
for prayer at the Constitutional Convention when it seemed destined for
failure. The convention then proceeded smoothly, and a few weeks later,
the delegates adopted the Constitution that endures to this day.
John Adams believed that our Republic could not function without
faith. In fact, he said: ``Our Constitution was made only for a moral
and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any
other.''
Thomas Jefferson attended and promoted a church service in this very
building every Sunday.
Our Founders never meant for faith to be separate from public life.
Quite the opposite, they intended for faith to play a central role in
our Nation.
In Matthew 17:20, Jesus said: ``If you have faith as small as a
mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, `Move from here to there,'
and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.''
I believe faith is what is needed in this body today. We need faith
to overcome our mountains of division so we can do what is right for
our country and the American people.
I am humbled to share my faith on the House floor and recognize that
this sacred right has been preserved by those who have selflessly laid
down their lives for our freedom.
I am honored to share this Special Order with several other friends
and colleagues in this body.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Aderholt).
Mr. ADERHOLT. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Miller for
organizing this and working with Concerned Women for America to make
April Faith Month. It is an honor to be a part of this, to recognize a
country where we can recognize our faith.
I know and understand and recognize the distinct opportunity that we
have as Americans to worship freely, to come alongside each other with
great respect and also to respect various viewpoints. We are blessed to
live in a country where we can worship freely. It is a very important
part of the fabric of the United States of America.
When I have visitors come to the United States Capitol, I like to
take them into the rotunda. In the rotunda, there is a painting called
the ``Embarkation of the Pilgrims.'' That painting depicts a pastor as
they are getting on board the deck of the Speedwell in 1620, gathered
in prayer as they go toward and look for a new nation where they can
worship freely, which would ultimately become the United States of
America. I like that painting because it reminds us of the freedom that
we have here in this country even today.
Tonight, there are about 11 pastors in Nicaragua who don't have that
freedom. They are in prison for 12 to 15 years, because of their faith,
in the country of Nicaragua.
Here in the United States, we don't have to worry about that. As a
young boy back in Alabama who recognized that I needed Christ in my own
life and accepted Christ as my Savior, I am reminded that I have that
freedom and don't have to worry about going to prison or facing jail
time merely because of my faith to follow Christ, which is something I
try to do, as you say, Congresswoman, on a day-to-day basis, even
though, as you know, we all fall short of that standard.
In closing, I thank my colleague from Illinois for organizing this
time, bringing us together, and reminding us that this country was
built not on mountains of money and not on great prosperity but on the
faith of so many people who came before us wanting to worship freely
and to honor our God and maker.
Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, before I yield to Mrs.
Harshbarger, I thank her for being a co-chair of the Congressional
Family Caucus. We know two things made our country not only good but
great, and that is faith and family.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs.
Harshbarger).
Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Mr. Speaker, our Founding Fathers believed that
democracy and our system of government could only prosper in a Western
society guided by Judeo-Christian values. I raised my son with these
values, and he is raising his sons with this same set of values. For
nearly 30 years, I have instilled these same values to our youth as a
Sunday school teacher.
As we have all observed, America is at a social and political
crossroads, which stems from a profound loss of traditional Judeo-
Christian values that make up the foundation of our families and,
therefore, our Nation. Religious devotion among Americans is
collapsing. More than a third of the country declines to attend
religious services. Less than 75 percent of the country holds strong,
solid religious beliefs.
Is there any wonder we see the crime rates continue to surge and
America's mental health crisis continue to worsen? The conclusion is
simple. It is the direct effect of the erosion of our Christian values,
and it started with taking prayer out of the schools.
America needs spiritual guidance now more than ever. Christian values
promote personal responsibility, compassion, and a sense of community.
These are the essential pillars missing in today's society. When these
values are absent in a family or in a society, you will see a decline
in morality that can be generational.
We, as leaders, need to not only remind ourselves but our colleagues
and constituents that restoring the Judeo-Christian values that our
country was founded upon offers a pathway for our country to heal. If
our country or our families fail to embrace the principles that made
our Nation great, our Nation risks further division and decline.
That is why I am proud to co-chair the Congressional Family Caucus,
which seeks to restore the guiding Judeo-Christian values and
principles that exemplify our Nation's greatness by promoting God-
driven and family-focused policies.
It is time to reinstate the teachings of Jesus Christ and chart a
course toward renewal, reconciliation, and revival for our great
Nation.
Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, as I yield to my friend,
Congressman Andrew Clyde, I thank him for making it obvious that his
faith is so important to him by being such a principled and courageous
man in how he handles his opportunity here as a Congressman.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Clyde).
Mr. CLYDE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, Congresswoman Mary Miller,
for hosting this Special Order and for being a leader in defending
religious freedom.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and celebration of Faith Month.
During Faith Month, we rejoice in God's gift of salvation, thank our
Lord and Savior for his many blessings, and celebrate the everlasting
power of prayer and His Word.
As is said in Matthew 5:16, ``Let your light shine before others that
they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven.''
The Bible calls on us to proudly demonstrate our faith and boldly
champion our Christian beliefs. As a believer, I am thankful for this
opportunity to celebrate our faith and our precious freedoms,
especially at such a time as this when it is critical for Americans to
be grounded in faith.
Our country is hurting, and Americans are crying out for strong,
effective leadership. It is becoming harder to achieve the American
Dream. Communities are being overwhelmed by violent crime, dangerous
drugs, and illegal aliens. Our unalienable rights are being chipped
away by the very people responsible for safeguarding our Constitution.
We need more leaders here in Washington who are rooted in faith, who
put their trust in the Lord, and who use His Word as a guiding light
through these challenges.
Our Founders not only knew the importance of Christianity in society
but proudly acknowledged and gave deference to our creator in the
foundation and core principles of our Nation. They correctly declared
that our liberties are not granted by the government but by our
Almighty God. This includes our most fundamental freedoms outlined in
the First Amendment, which preserves our unalienable right to religious
liberty.
By safeguarding religious freedom and drawing the Lord into our
government, our Founding Fathers were ensuring unity and prosperity for
generations to come. As George Washington asserted in his farewell
address: ``Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political
prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.''
I pray that we don't lose sight of those supports, especially as we
work to save our country and protect our freedoms.
Let us proudly join together to rejoice in and lead with our faith.
May others come to know the salvation that only comes through faith in
Jesus Christ.
Let us continue finding strength and wisdom in God's Word, and let us
preserve and maintain our Founders' religious principles. A government
whose foundation is built on God and His Word is a government that will
have peace, prosperity, and liberty.
Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, the freedom to share our faith
is not something we should take lightly. To preserve that right, we
need to exercise it.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Allen), my
friend, and I thank him for always taking opportunities to share his
faith.
Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Miller for giving me
this opportunity and for hosting tonight's Special Order recognizing
this week as Faith Week. I am deeply honored to stand here tonight to
express my personal faith and all that God's Word has meant to me in my
life.
As I reflect on the timeless teachings of the Bible, I am reminded of
the divine wisdom of Exodus. In those sacred passages, God established
laws and governance to uphold justice and righteousness.
I am looking right now at the full face of Moses, who led with
unwavering faith and divine guidance, looking down on this body. So too
must we ensure that our actions align with the purpose of restraining
evil and promoting good in our society.
Above the flag is ``In God We Trust.'' That means we are without
excuse in this body.
During times of such division and uncertainty, the words of Mark 3:24
resonate deeply within me, reminding us that a kingdom divided against
itself cannot stand.
It is through our collective faith and drawing near to the Word of
God that we find the path to unity, truth, and freedom.
Joshua 1:8 speaks to the power of Scripture in guiding our actions
and decisions. In fact, God's instructions to Joshua in Joshua 1:8 is
one of the greatest promises in the Bible. He says do not let this book
of law depart from your lips. Be careful to do what it says. Meditate
on it night and day, and you will be prosperous and successful.
As we meditate upon God's Word, we are promised prosperity and
success. Like Abraham, whose faith was credited to him as
righteousness, we must trust in God's promises and live obediently by
His Word.
Our lead House ministry is reading through the ``Change Your Life''
study Bible. Easter was especially meaningful this year, as I was
reading on that particular day about the transfiguration of Jesus in
Luke 9:28-36.
Now, you have to understand there were three witnesses here in this
passage, which I would like to share with you. Jesus took Peter, John,
and James with him and went up onto the mountain to pray.
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He was praying, and while he was praying, the appearance of his face
changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.
Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor talking with
Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which was about to be brought to
fulfillment at Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were very sleepy,
but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men
standing with him, and they were afraid.
As the men were leaving, Peter said to Jesus: ``Master, it is good
for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters, one for You, one for
Moses, and one for Elijah.''
As he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were
afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud saying:
``This is my Son, whom I have chosen. Listen to Him.''
``Listen to Him.''
Jesus also said in Luke: ``If you love me, you will obey my
commands.''
During this special week, let us seek God's blessing and protection
as we navigate through the complexities of government and acknowledge
his sovereignty over all things. During this special week, we are aware
of so many things that profoundly impact our faith. One is hope guiding
us through life's trials and triumphs, and it unites us in a bond
stronger than earthly ties.
I hope those watching will join me in reaffirming our commitment to
worship the Lord and to draw strength and inspiration from His Word.
What was so meaningful at Easter was that here we had three
eyewitnesses of the transfiguration of Jesus Christ.
In 2018, Billy Graham was laid in honor in our Capitol. I have read
many of his inaugural prayers as a reminder, and every week for the
past 16 years, it has resonated with me. This prayer was given in 1969.
It is as if Billy Graham was predicting the future.
He said:
Our Father and our God, Thou hast said: ``Blessed is that
nation whose God is the Lord.''
We recognize on this historic occasion that we are ``a
nation under God.'' We thank Thee for this torch of faith
handed to us by our forefathers. May we never let it be
extinguished. Thou alone hast given us our prosperity, our
freedom, and our power. This faith in God is our heritage and
our foundation.
Thou hast warned us in the Scriptures: ``If the foundations
be destroyed, what can the righteous do?''
As George Washington reminded us in his farewell address,
morality and faith are the pillars of our society. We confess
these pillars are being eroded in an increasingly
materialistic and permissive society.
The whole world is watching to see if the faith of our
fathers will stand the trials and tests of this hour. Too
long we have neglected Thy Word and ignored Thy laws.
Mr. Speaker, does that sound familiar today?
Too long we have tried to solve our problems without
reference to Thee. Too often we have tried to live by bread
alone. We have sown to the wind and are now reaping a
whirlwind of crime, division, and rebellion.
And now with the wages of our sins staring us in the face,
we remember Thy Words: ``If my people who are called by my
name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and
turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven and
will forgive their sin and heal their land.''
Mr. Speaker, I also served as the chairman of the Congressional
Prayer Caucus. One thing that is important to highlight is that prayer
has played a vital role in strengthening the fabric of our society and
the bond in this Chamber. The Congressional Prayer Caucus
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is a bipartisan congressional Member caucus consisting of Members from
across the country who meet at first votes every week and who believe
in the power of prayer.
Mr. Speaker, you can go to my website, Allen.House.gov, and submit
your prayer requests, and members of the prayer caucus will lift you up
in prayer.
May God bless each of us abundantly during this Faith Week as we seek
to help others understand the faith that we share and that we hold so
dearly.
Mr. Speaker, as we walk in his faith and righteousness, we are
grateful. May God's grace be upon you and the peace of Jesus be with
you.
Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Allen for his
words. I can give testimony that he is very faithful to share the
prayer requests of other Members, and we pray over them.
Mr. Speaker, may I ask how much time is remaining.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman has 8 minutes remaining.
Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, it is hard to constrain
ourselves when we are talking about our faith and the impact that the
faith of many Americans who have gone before us have had on our country
and the world.
We know that faith without works is dead, and when you consider, Mr.
Speaker, just the amount of missionaries that have been sent from our
country into the world, it is very profound. It is something to really
celebrate tonight.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Webster). It
is a real privilege to meet regularly with Mr. Webster and another
group to pray for our country on a weekly basis.
Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for the
opportunity to talk about an important subject.
This is a simple word, faith. Faith is defined in the Scriptures as
the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, for
by it the elders obtained a good report.
So faith has substance. It is evidence. It is touchable. It is
tangible. It is not just something in the air, although it is a simple
word.
Where does faith come from? Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the
Word of God. It comes from the Bible. That is where we get faith from.
We hear it, read it, study it, understand it, and then practice it. By
doing so, our faith grows.
It is important to note, though, we can't please God without faith. A
lot of people want to please God in all kinds of ways, but the
Scripture says that it is impossible to please Him--impossible--without
faith.
So without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who cometh
to God must believe that he is and that He is a rewarder of them who
diligently seek Him.
Then, also, though, with all that, it adds up to really a simple
life, a life that takes a simple word, turns it into a real faith,
believes it, and lives it out.
The Scripture says: ``Thou hast held me by my right hand.'' That is
when we find that first initial faith, faith in Christ, faith that He
is our Lord, faith that He is our Savior, and faith that He is the God
He said He is.
Not only does He take me by the right hand, but Thou shalt guide me
with Thy counsel. Where is his counsel? It is in the Bible, so we study
the Bible. We know it, and we live a life. Eventually, that life comes
to an end.
The Scripture says: Then Thou shalt take me to glory. That is Heaven.
It is a simple life. God holds us by our hand. He leads us by his
counsel, and afterward, He takes us to glory, to Heaven. What a great
thing.
It is a simple word. It is a simple life. It is a simple faith.
Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from
Virginia (Mr. Good).
Mr. GOOD of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Miller for
hosting this important initiative tonight.
After ratifying the Constitution in 1789, the Founders had the wisdom
to compose and pass the Bill of Rights in 1791 to further protect
Americans from a potentially oppressive Federal Government. They
believed that we needed to codify into law, in fact, into the highest
law of the land, the enumeration of certain rights, God-given rights,
for which it was the specific responsibility of the Federal Government
to ensure and to protect.
The Bill of Rights did not begin with the right to free speech, to a
free press, to assemble, to petition our government, to keep and bear
arms, or even the right to be free from unreasonable searches and
seizures. No. The first enshrined protected right was the freedom of
religion, the free exercise thereof, and the freedom from a government-
established religion.
Founders understood that the most important, most precious, and most
fundamental right is the right to freely believe or not to believe, to
worship or not to worship, and to exercise or practice our faith or not
to do so.
Throughout human history and across every corner of the globe,
mankind has exercised the God-created yearning to reconcile with his
creator. Mankind has wrestled with the purpose of life and the question
of the afterlife.
Sadly and unfortunately, those questions cannot be asked freely and
those rights cannot be practiced freely in many parts of the world
today.
Be that as it may, we are so blessed to live in a country where we
still have that freedom today, and it is critical that we endeavor to
ensure that unobstructed freedom endures for those who come behind us.
The good news is that those questions about the purpose of life and
the reality of an eternal afterlife have been answered in the Bible:
God's inspired, inerrant, and infallible written Word.
The Bible is the good news of Jesus Christ, the death and
resurrection of the Savior, the Son of God, the Savior of the world.
2,000 years after his sacrificial death on the cross, which is an
undisputed historical fact, this son of a carpenter remains the most
prominent figure in human history.
How did someone who had no formal education, never traveled more than
a few miles from his home, never held any kind of public office, had no
material wealth, and was executed at the young age of 33, how did he
literally change the world, with billions of followers ever since,
including around the world today? This, despite many efforts to
prohibit the distribution of the Bible and the free exercise of the
Christian faith around the globe and throughout history.
The answer is that He was and is the Son of God and the Savior of the
world. That is why his disciples, his inner circle of chosen followers
who witnessed his crucifixion, died in testimony of having also
witnessed his resurrection. They gave everything to spread the gospel,
the good news of their Savior, Jesus Christ, so that others might know
the salvation they had experienced.
I am eternally grateful that others shared that faith with me, as
when I was a young child of 9 years old, I surrendered my life to Jesus
Christ, my Lord and Savior. It is my Christian faith that shapes every
area of my life. It is my purpose, my joy, my peace, and my confidence
in my eternal destination.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Miller, again, for hosting this
Special Order recognizing the importance of our faith.
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Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from
Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman).
Mr. GROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, as has been said earlier tonight, John Adams said: ``Our
Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is
wholly inadequate to the government of any other.''
We are right now in danger in this country. We know that the
government cannot establish a religion, but we live in a time in which
our government is outright hostile to religion in general and to
Christianity in particular.
We live under a welfare state in which we are openly hostile or
certainly financially hostile to a traditional family.
During the 1960s, Kate Millett, a famous feminist, said that one of
her goals is to destroy the American family, and the feminists had a
lot of influence in the 1960s.
We have Black Lives Matter desiring to destroy the so-called western
nuclear family, and countless Members of Congress stand with people
like that.
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The Marxists, of course--and many people are apparently following
Marx--were hostile to the family.
We live in a time in which our sex education class is partly paid for
by the Federal Government. When the Governor of Florida tries to delay
these classes with graphic sex education until a person is 10 years old
and that should have been 17 or 18 anyway, he is under attack.
We have the FBI monitoring Christian or religious parents who object
to this anti-Christianity.
We are using our material wealth to lean on other countries around
the world--Hungary, in particular, African countries, hostile to the
practice of religion in those countries.
It is important that Congress, in particular, and Americans, in
general, stand up and protect the Christian values and religious values
that our country was founded under and stand up and prevent our current
government from the hostility--not just neutrality; hostility--to the
moral and religious people that our country was founded to protect.
Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. I thank my friends and colleagues for
participating in this year's Special Order on Faith Month.
None of us knows what tomorrow holds, but we can rest assured that
our sovereign God is watching over our Nation.
America has endured nearly 250 years, and I believe the secret to our
greatness has been our faith in God.
Through vicious wars, economic hardships, and conflicts that threaten
to rip us apart, God has graciously preserved the United States of
America as a shining city on a hill.
As 2 Chronicles 7:14 says: ``If my people, who are called by my name,
will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their
wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and I will forgive their sin
and heal their land.''
If we truly humble ourselves, pray, repent, and turn from our sins, I
believe that God will hear our prayers, forgive us, and heal our deeply
divided land. We are never beyond the reach of His grace.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
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