President Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States of America, was clearly a Christian. His values, character and optimism reflected the same values of the Founding Fathers. In fact, when Ronald Reagan spoke in public, he drew his material from the writings of the Founding Fathers of the USA, often quoting verbatim from those texts. A natural leader, Reagan was president of the Screen Actor's Guild for many years. When communists were attempting to take over Hollywood to use as a propaganda tool to destroy America, it was Ronald Reagan who worked with the FBI to curtail and drive out these evil doers from Hollywood control. Finally, with his vast study of American history as well as first hand experience with battling communist regimes in Hollywood in the 1940's-50's, he was asked by governor Barry Goldwater's team to speak for Governor Goldwater on behalf of his Presidential run. Reagan's speak, so eloquent and wise, captured the attention of the nation. It was then he was asked to run for President himself, and if not, then at least governor of California. Over quite some time, finally he was convinced by polls his supporters arranged, that he could win the seat of governor of California. He won the 1967 election with 57% of the vote. Reagan emphasized two main themes: "to send the welfare bums back to work," and, in reference to burgeoning anti-war and anti-establishment student protests at the University of California, Berkeley, "to clean up the mess at Berkeley."
After two terms in office as California's governor, Reagan ran for president for the 1980 election and won, as well as the 1984 election win, became one of the most popular presidents on both the liberal as well as conservative sides.
Below, this is only one of many tremendous speeches of similar content by President Reagan.
President Ronald Reagan speech at an Ecumenical Prayer Breakfast at the Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas, August 23, 1984
This is truly a great day in Dallas. We're so appreciative of this choir and orchestra and the time and hard work which have gone into making this program a success we're so blessed as a city as
a people and certainly as a nation and I count as one of my blessings the man that I'm privileged to introduce what more could be said of any man then he has renewed the spirit of freedom loving
people all over this globe has shown strength in adversity has shown strength in adversity,
compassion in victory and faith in God and the people of our nation
[Applause]
He has restored pride in America but he has also restored pride in Americans. He certainly needs no introduction because he's the president of our country. He has however established the
needed sense of oneness in our nation again he stands for those values which
all Americans hold dear. He keeps his promises,he keeps council with integrity and he has kept the faith with the people of this nation. Ladies and gentlemen the President of the United States
[ Loud continual Applause]
(President Reagan):
“Thank you, thank you very much, thank you, thank you.....thank you...thank you very much
[ Continued Applause]
Thank you ladies and gentlemen very much, and Martha Weisner thank you very much.
And I could say that at the morning ended with the music we have just heard
from that magnificent choir it would indeed be a holy day for all of us
[Applause]
It's wonderful to be here this this morning. The past few days have been pretty busy for all of us
but I've wanted to be with you today to share some of my own thoughts. These past few
weeks it seems that we've all been hearing a lot of talk about religion and its role in politics,
religion and his place in the political life of the nation and I think it's appropriate today at a prayer
breakfast for 17,000 citizens in the state of Texas during a great political convention that this
issue be addressed. I don't speak as a theologian or a scholar. Only as one who's lived a little
more than his threescore 10 which is...
[Applause]
which has been a source of annoyance to some. It is one who has been active in
the political life of the nation for roughly four decades and now was served the past three
and a half years and our highest office I speak I think I can say is one who has seen much who has loved his country and who's seen a change in many ways, I believe that faith and
religion play a critical role in the political life of our nation and always have.
[Applause]
And at the church and by that I mean all churches all denominations. He has had a
strong influence on the state and this has worked to our benefit as a nation those those who
created our country. The founding fathers and mothers understood that there is a divine order
which transcends the human order they saw the state in fact as a form of moral order
and felt that the bedrock of moral order is religion the Mayflower Compact began
with the words in the name of God, amen .
The Declaration of Independence appeals to nature's God and the Creator and the
Supreme Judge of the world. Congress was given a chaplain and the oaths of office our oaths
before God. James Madison in the Federalist Papers admitted that in the creation of our
Republic he perceived the hand of the Almighty. John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court warned that we must never forget the God from Whom are blessings
flow. George Washington referred to religions profound and unsurpassed place in the
heart of our nation quite directly in his farewell address in 1796.
Seven years earlier France had erected a government that was intended to be purely
secular. This new government would be grounded on reason rather than the law of God.
By 1796 the French Revolution had known the reign of terror and Washington voiced
reservations about the idea that there could be a wise policy without a firm moral and religious
foundation, he said of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion,
and vain would that man called himself a patriot who would labor to subvert these finest props
of the duties of men and citizens. the mere politician and the pious man ought to respect and
to cherish religion and morality, and he added, led us with caution: indulge the supposition that
morality can be maintained without religion
[Applause]
[Applause]
I believe that George Washington knew the city of men cannot survive without the City of God,
that the... that the visible city will perish without the invisible City. Religion played not only
a strong role in our national life it played a positive role the abolitionist movement was at
heart a moral and religious movement. So was the modern civil rights struggle and throughout
this time the state was tolerant of religious belief expression in practice. Society too was
tolerant but in the 1960s this began to change we began to make great steps towards secularizing
our nation and removing religion from its honored place in 1962 the Supreme Court in the
New York prayer case banned the compulsory saying of prayers. In 1963 the Court banned
the reading of the Bible in our public schools. From that point on the courts pushed the meaning
of the ruling ever outward so that now our children are not allowed voluntary prayer... even had
to pass a law, we passed a special law in the Congress just a few weeks ago to allow student
prayer groups the same access to school rooms after classes that a young marxist
society for example would already enjoy with no opposition.
[Applause]
The 1962 decision opened the way to a flood of similar suits once religion had been made
vulnerable a series of assaults were made in one court after another on one issue after
another, cases were started to argue against tax-exempt status for church's suits were brought
to abolish the words “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance and to remove
“ In God We Trust” from public documents and who are fighting to make sure voluntary
prayer is not returned to the classrooms. And the frustrating thing for the great
majority of Americans who support and understand the special importance of a
let religion in the national life, the frustrating thing is that those who are
attacking religion claim they are doing it in the name of tolerance freedom and
open-mindedness, question isn't the real truth that they are intolerant of religion
[Applause]
They refuse to tolerate its importance in our lives if all the children of our
country studied together all of the many religions in our country wouldn't they
learn greater tolerance of each other's beliefs, the children prayed together
would they not understand what they have in common and would this not indeed
bring them closer and is this not to be desired .
So I submit to you that those who claim to be fighting for tolerance on this
issue may not be tolerant at all. When John Kennedy was running for president
in 1960 he said that his church would not dictate his presidency any more than
he would speak for his church just so
and proper. But John Kennedy was speaking in an America in which the role of
religion and by that I mean the role of all churches was secured. Abortion was
not a political issue, prayer was not a political issue, the right of church
schools to operate was not a political issue, and was broadly acknowledged that
religious leaders had a right and a duty to speak out on the issues of the day.
They held a place of respect and a politician who spoke to or of them with
a lack of respect would not long survive in the political arena. It was
acknowledged then that religion held a special place, occupied a special
territory in the hearts of the citizenry.
The climate has changed greatly since then and since it has it logically
follows that religion needs defenders against those who care only for the
interests of the state
[Applause]
There are these days many questions on which religious leaders are obliged to
offer their moral and Theological guidance, and such guidance is a good and
necessary thing to know how a church and its members feel on a public issue
expands the parameters of debate. It does not narrow the debate, it expands it. The
truth is politics and morality are inseparable and and as moralities, foundation is religion
religion and politics are necessarily related. We need religion as a guide, we
need it because we are imperfect and our government needs the church because only
those humble enough to admit they're sinners can bring to democracy the
tolerance it requires in order to survive
[Applause]
A state is nothing more than a reflection of its citizens the more decent the citizens the
more decent of the state. If you practice a religion, whether you're Catholic, Protestant,
Jewish or guided by some other faith then your private life will be influenced by a sense
of moral obligation and so too will your public life. One affects the other.
The churches of America do not exist by the grace of the state. The churches of America are
not mere citizens of the state, the churches of America exists apart. They
have their own vantage point, their own authority. Religion is its own realm, it
makes its own claims
[Applause]
We establish no religion in this country nor will we ever. We command no worship,
we mandate no belief but we poison our society when we remove its theological
underpinnings. We court corruption when we leave it bereft of belief all are
free to believe or not to believe all, are free to practice a faith or not. But
those who believe must be free to speak of and act on their belief to apply
moral teaching to public questions
[Applause]
I submit to you that the tolerance society is open to and encouraging of all religions.
And this does not weaken us it strengthens u,s it makes us strong.
You know, if we look back through history to all those great civilizations, those
great nations that rose up to even world dominance and then deteriorated, declined
and fell we find they all had one thing in common. One of the significant
forerunners of their fall was their turning away from their God or gods. Without
God, without God there is no virtue because there's no prompting of the
conscience. Without God we're mired in the material that flat world that tells
us only what the senses perceive. Without God there is a coarsening of the society
and without God democracy will not and cannot long endure.
[Applause]
If we ever forget that we're one nation under God then we will be a nation gone under.
I if I could... if I could just make a personal statement of my own. In these
three and a half years I have understood and known better than ever before the
words of Lincoln when he said that he would be the greatest fool on this foot
stool called Earth if he ever thought that for one moment he could
perform the duties of that office without help from one who is stronger
than all.
[Applause]
I thank you thank you for inviting us here today. Thank you for your kindness
and your patience. may God keep you and we may we all of us keep God.