The Jefferson Memorial

Early one morning on my trip I decided to walk to the Jefferson Memorial. It is a beautiful circular building with huge marble columns. In the center stands a large statue of Thomas Jefferson. When I arrived, it was so early in the morning that I practically had the monument to myself. Besides a few construction workers, security officers, and an occasional jogger, I was by myself in the huge memorial.

On the walls of the building, huge blocks of writing surround the statue in the center. When you begin to read the writing, it quickly becomes apparent that Thomas Jefferson believed in God. His belief in God caused him to make many very important decisions. For instance, on the wall to the right of the statue, this statement made by Jefferson is engraved: "God Who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God?" Thomas Jefferson was asking a very good question. He understood that our freedom in the United States is a gift from God. But he also understood that if we forget that this gift comes from God, then we will lose our freedoms. It is sad, but many people are starting to forget that our freedom comes from God. They think that Americans are free because we are braver, more knowlegable, or wealthier than other people. That simply is not true. America is free because God has allowed the nation to be free. If we forget this fact, we will lose our freedom.

Jefferson also made this statement: "When I reflect on the fact that God is just. That His justice cannot sleep forever." Jefferson said this in regard to the slavery that was going on in his day. He thought slavery was wrong, and against God's will. He also knew that because God is a just God Who will punish sin, then our nation would be held responsible for breaking God's laws. Today the situation is similar. Even though we no longer approve of slavery, our nation murders children and calls it abortion. Our nation allows sinful things such as pornography to be legal. Since God is just, He cannot continue to allow such sinful things to go on without holding our nation responsible for them. His justice cannot sleep forever. Many more statements about God cover the building. We need to listen to what the Jefferson Memorial is trying to tell us.

---

Copyright © 2014 Apologetics Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

*Please keep in mind that Discovery articles are written for 3rd-6th graders.

This document may be copied, on the condition that it will not be republished in print unless otherwise stated below, and will not be used for any commercial purpose, as long as the following stipulations are observed: (1) Apologetics Press must be designated as the original publisher; (2) the specific Apologetics Press Web site URL must be noted; (3) any references, footnotes, or endnotes that accompany the article must be included with any written reproduction of the article; (4) textual alterations of any kind are strictly forbidden; (5) Some illustrations (e.g., photographs, charts, graphics, etc.) are not the intellectual property of Apologetics Press and as such cannot be reproduced from our site without consent from the person or organization that maintains those intellectual rights; (6) serialization of written material (e.g., running an article in several parts) is permitted, as long as the whole of the material is made available, without editing, in a reasonable length of time; (7) articles, in whole or in part, may not be offered for sale or included in items offered for sale; and (8) articles may be reproduced in electronic form for posting on Web sites pending they are not edited or altered from their original written content and that credit is given to Apologetics Press, including the web location from which the articles were taken. Further, documents may not be copied without source statements (title, author, journal title), and the address of the publisher and owner of rights, as listed below.

For catalog, samples, or further information, contact:

Apologetics Press
230 Landmark Drive
Montgomery, Alabama 36117
U.S.A.
Phone (334) 272-8558

http://www.apologeticspress.org