"America: More Secular, Less Free"

"Freedom is central to the Bible. This is especially apparent in America, which until now has linked its unparalleled commitment to freedom to God and the Bible," said Dennis Prager, founder of Prager University.

His opinion? "As America has become more secular, it has become less free."

Prager contends it is 'indisputable' that the two are correlated:

"To deny this, one would have to argue that it is merely coincidental that free speech, the greatest of all freedoms, is more seriously threatened than at any time in American history while a smaller-than-ever percentage of Americans believe in God or regularly attend church."

According to Prager, "the United States became the freest country in the world" because "this freedom was rooted in the deeply religious nature of its founding ideals."

The bottom line? "America was founded by God-centered individuals to be a God-centered country."

Some, of course, would deny that, but only those who either don't know history or want to erase it. Our capital, Washington D.C. is chock full of biblical references, as are our founding documents and our money.

In fact, "The founders linked freedom inextricably to God," Prager said. and while "the founders knew their Bible," the "present adult generation of Americans is more ignorant of the Bible than any in American history. And most young people know even less."

He says this to warn us, because as Joni Mitchell said, "You don't know what you've got 'till it's gone."

A wise man once said: "For the founders, the most obvious reason freedom was dependent on faith in God was that only if God is regarded as the source of freedom could men not rightfully take it away. If men are the source of the freedom, men can rightfully retract it. This is precisely what is happening today. Freedom is being destroyed primarily by those who scorn the idea that freedom comes from God." -- Dennis Prager

"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (JOHN 8:36).

👉👉👉"HOW TO GO TO HEAVEN"☝ 

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"Happiness: A Moral Obligation?"

"Happiness is a serious problem," at least according to the founder of Prager U, Dennis Prager. In his classic book by that title, Prager explores ideas about happiness, including our moral obligation to pursue it.

"We tend to think that we owe it to ourselves to be as happy as we can be," said Prager. "And this is true. But happiness is far more than a personal concern. It is also a moral obligation," and he gives three reasons why.

Reason#1
Happy people are pleasant to be around.

"We owe it to our husband or wife, our fellow workers, our children, our friends, indeed to everyone who comes into our lives, to be as happy as we can be." And this doesn't mean faking it or acting phony, Prager insists.

"But it does mean that we owe it to others to work on our happiness," because chronically unhappy people are difficult to be around.

"Ask a child," urges Prager, "what it was like to grow up with an unhappy parent, or ask parents what pain they suffer if they have an unhappy child (of any age.)"

Reason#2
There is a connection between being a "good" person and happiness.

"In general, people act more decently when they are happy," Prager said, explaining why he wrote an entire chapter on the wisdom of seeking goodness.

Reason#3
Unhappy religious people reflect poorly on their religion and on their Creator.

"Unhappy religious people should therefore think about how important being happy is--if not for themselves, then for the sake of their religion,' he advises.

Prager, a religious Jew, hits the nail on the head but many Christians will be quick to point out the difference between joy and happiness.

• Happiness is a feeling, joy is not.
• Happiness is fleeting, joy is not.
• Happiness depends on circumstances, joy is from God.

Bottom line? If a person is joyful, they are happy. There's no such thing as glum joy. Christians should be joyful and if that means they are happy...rejoice.

"Those who have been ransomed by the LORD will return. They will enter Jerusalem singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be filled with joy and gladness" Isaiah 35:10.

A wise man once said: "The Lord gives His people perpetual joy when they walk in obedience to Him." -- Dwight L. Moody

Link: "How To Go To Heaven"

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