[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 18415]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  THANKING GOD FOR HIS MANY BLESSINGS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
South Carolina (Mr. Duncan) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, this past weekend I joined 
millions of Americans in celebrating Thanksgiving with friends and 
family. As Americans, each of us has so much to be thankful for this 
holiday season.
  America is the greatest, most free country in the history of the 
world. As a Nation, we can do anything we set out to accomplish. We 
have built the world's most free and successful Republic right here in 
America. We've used innovation to cure disease, fight hunger, and 
spread the message of freedom all across the globe.
  We've changed the way societies interact by inventing things like the 
telephone, the automobile, and the airplane. We've built some of the 
finest schools and universities in the history of the planet. We've 
changed our world for the better, but none of it would have been 
possible without the grace and blessing of our Almighty God.
  That's why I was both surprised and disappointed that President Obama 
failed to make a single reference to God during his Thanksgiving 
address to the Nation. Since the President has a history of doing this 
sort of thing, it's hard to believe that this was simply an oversight 
on his part. Perhaps this glaring omission was an attempt at being 
politically correct. But regardless of the intention, there is no 
excuse for once again leaving out the One on whom the foundation of our 
liberties rest.
  What did our Founding Fathers say in the Declaration of Independence? 
Not that our rights come from governments, but rather that our rights 
come directly from God.
  As the Apostle Paul said, ``In everything give thanks, for this is 
the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.''
  We should never pass up an opportunity to thank the Lord for the 
blessings he has bestowed upon our great Nation.
  I know the specter of political correctness looms over our country 
more than ever before. There's a lot of pressure from elements within 
our society to censor public comments about faith in Jesus Christ. 
Groups like the ACLU seek to drive God out of our schools and our 
classrooms. Universities are discouraged from praying before graduation 
and athletic events.
  Some shopping malls and radio stations would rather play Christmas 
music only about Santa Claus, and never mention the reason for the 
season, Jesus Christ. Seeking guidance from the Lord through prayer and 
thanking Him for the blessings He has given our Nation is something our 
country should do more of, not less.
  Praying and giving thanks to God for all blessing was the example set 
for us by the first settlers who came to America for religious freedom. 
Times were tough for them. They endured bitterly cold winters, food 
shortages, and plagues. The early settlers faced insurmountable odds, 
but they kept the faith, persevered, and later thrived, leading to the 
formation of this great Nation.
  General George Washington, who went on to become our first President, 
was known for frequently stopping whatever he was doing and getting 
down on one knee to seek guidance from the Lord, and to praise Him for 
the blessings that were given his troops.
  Here in this building there's a chapel where Members of Congress can 
go to pray for our country. And in that chapel there is a beautiful 
stained glass window, depicting our first President, George Washington, 
in his colonial uniform, frozen, kneeling in prayer. That chapel should 
be a reminder for all of us that our country's faith should be nothing 
to hide, but rather something to embrace and protect. And that image of 
George Washington in prayer should be a reminder that our leaders need 
to seek wisdom of the Lord whenever possible.
  For the past several weeks, former Heisman Trophy winner and current 
starting quarterback of the Denver Broncos, Tim Tebow, has come under 
fire for publicly professing his faith. Facing mounting criticism from 
the media, from sports commentators, and even some of his own 
teammates, Tim Tebow gave the following response to reporters, a 
response that I believe perfectly explains how our country should 
recognize God.
  Quarterback Tebow said this: ``If you're married and you really love 
your wife, is it good enough only to say to your wife 'I love her' the 
day you get married? Or should you tell her every single day when you 
wake up and every opportunity?
  ``My relationship with Jesus Christ is the most important thing in my 
life. So any time I get the opportunity to tell Him that I love Him, or 
given the opportunity to shout Him out on national TV, I'm going to 
take that opportunity. And so I look at it as a relationship that I 
have with Him that I want to give Him the honor and the glory any time 
I have the opportunity.''
  Tim Tebow's brave comments are an excellent reminder that we need to 
look for every opportunity to thank the Lord for our blessings of 
liberty that He's bestowed upon this great country.
  May God forgive this Nation of its sins, may He overlook the times we 
forget to thank Him for His gifts, may our people turn to Him for 
guidance and salvation, and may He continue to bless the United States 
of America.

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