Chapter 28 - The Attack on Religion
The New World Order is already here.
There are already people and organizations attacking the family, nationalism, the right to private property, the right to worship, and the right to practice a decent morality, among other things.
One of the first areas of "The Old World Order" to come to the attention of the destroyers was the Christian Church.
And one of the first to be attacked in recent history was Pastor Everett Sileven of Louisville, Nebraska. He is the pastor of a fundamentalist church in that community and he taught his congregation that
they had the scriptural obligation to teach their children themselves. And, to accomplish this end, the church voted to open a Christian school in the summer of 1977.
The church felt that educating the children of the congregation was a ministry of the church, just like Sunday school, or preaching. And, since the church felt the need to do this as a part of their religion, they chose not to register their school, nor license their teachers, through the state of Nebraska. They also believed that the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States protected their right to freedom of religion.
That First Amendment reads in part: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, OR PROHIBITING THE FREE EXERCISE THEREOF..."
Since government was prohibited from passing a law abridging the free exercise of their religious rights, the church felt that they would not be interfered with.
This church was the first in Nebraska to open a Christian school without licensing their teachers. So, they were the first to be challenged by the state government of Nebraska.
Later, in August, the Nebraska Department of Education entered the school and told the Pastor that the school was breaking state law because they had not certified their instructors.
They cited Rules numbered 14 and 21, which they said were procedures for getting the school licensed, and for licensing their faculty.
The Pastor explained their position, but his arguments were not listened to. Later, The sheriff came and arrested the Pastor, and the case went to a county court. The Pastor also used as his defense Article 1, Section 4 of the Nebraska State Constitution which read: "All persons have a natural and indefeasible [defined as that which cannot be undone or made void] right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences... nor shall any interference with the rights of conscience be permitted.
Religion, morality and knowledge, however, being essential to good government, it shall be the duty of the legislature to pass suitable laws to protect every denomination in the peaceable enjoyment of its own mode of public worship, and to encourage schools and the means of instruction."
The Pastor then testified: "... the primary objection of the Faith Baptist Church to accepting licensure from the State is the violation of Ephesians 1:22 which reads:
'The God of our Lord Jesus Christ gave him [Jesus] to be the head over all things of the church.'"
And Colossians 1:18:
'... and he [Jesus] is the head of the body, the church...'
The Pastor continued to resist, and the judge rewarded that resistance with several terms in prison.
Pastor Sileven wrote an explanation as to why he refused to allow the state to control his school in his book entitled, THE PADLOCKED CHURCH: "We came to the firm conclusion, unanimously, that Christ could not be submitted to the authority of the state, leaving the state the right to determine the philosophy of the curriculum or the qualifications of the teachers." 558
In addition, the Pastor looked at the activities of the judge who ruled in this case: "The judge who presided in our case admitted that he did not look at the First Amendment [to the U.S. Constitution] before deciding our case. He also admitted that he defines education as non-religious;
therefore, he defines away our religious beliefs and rights." 559
The Pastor and the members of the Faith Baptist Church continued to believe that the operation of a school to teach the children of the church's members was a part of the church's ministry. The state countered with the argument that they were not qualified to determine what their children were to be taught, nor capable of determining who should teach them.
And, since the Pastor refused to neither shut his school down, nor allow the state to license his teachers, the judge ordered the sheriff to enter the church during a service, arrest the Pastor, and anyone else who resisted, and then padlock the church doors.
The final outcome of the whole case occurred in January of 1985 when the State Supreme Court overturned the Pastor's final eight month jail conviction, and it appeared that there would be no further court action on the case.
The state had used its powers without legal support, and the Christian school of the Faith Baptist Church continued operating. The Christian Church, at least in Nebraska, did not have to allow the state to set the policy of the school, determine the curriculum, nor license the teachers of their children.
But the battle is not over.
It has only begun.
This was just one of the early skirmishes.
The New World Order is already here.
There are already people and organizations attacking the family, nationalism, the right to private property, the right to worship, and the right to practice a decent morality, among other things.
One of the first areas of "The Old World Order" to come to the attention of the destroyers was the Christian Church.
And one of the first to be attacked in recent history was Pastor Everett Sileven of Louisville, Nebraska. He is the pastor of a fundamentalist church in that community and he taught his congregation that
they had the scriptural obligation to teach their children themselves. And, to accomplish this end, the church voted to open a Christian school in the summer of 1977.
The church felt that educating the children of the congregation was a ministry of the church, just like Sunday school, or preaching. And, since the church felt the need to do this as a part of their religion, they chose not to register their school, nor license their teachers, through the state of Nebraska. They also believed that the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States protected their right to freedom of religion.
That First Amendment reads in part: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, OR PROHIBITING THE FREE EXERCISE THEREOF..."
Since government was prohibited from passing a law abridging the free exercise of their religious rights, the church felt that they would not be interfered with.
This church was the first in Nebraska to open a Christian school without licensing their teachers. So, they were the first to be challenged by the state government of Nebraska.
Later, in August, the Nebraska Department of Education entered the school and told the Pastor that the school was breaking state law because they had not certified their instructors.
They cited Rules numbered 14 and 21, which they said were procedures for getting the school licensed, and for licensing their faculty.
The Pastor explained their position, but his arguments were not listened to. Later, The sheriff came and arrested the Pastor, and the case went to a county court. The Pastor also used as his defense Article 1, Section 4 of the Nebraska State Constitution which read: "All persons have a natural and indefeasible [defined as that which cannot be undone or made void] right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences... nor shall any interference with the rights of conscience be permitted.
Religion, morality and knowledge, however, being essential to good government, it shall be the duty of the legislature to pass suitable laws to protect every denomination in the peaceable enjoyment of its own mode of public worship, and to encourage schools and the means of instruction."
The Pastor then testified: "... the primary objection of the Faith Baptist Church to accepting licensure from the State is the violation of Ephesians 1:22 which reads:
'The God of our Lord Jesus Christ gave him [Jesus] to be the head over all things of the church.'"
And Colossians 1:18:
'... and he [Jesus] is the head of the body, the church...'
The Pastor continued to resist, and the judge rewarded that resistance with several terms in prison.
128
Pastor Sileven wrote an explanation as to why he refused to allow the state to control his school in his book entitled, THE PADLOCKED CHURCH: "We came to the firm conclusion, unanimously, that Christ could not be submitted to the authority of the state, leaving the state the right to determine the philosophy of the curriculum or the qualifications of the teachers." 558
In addition, the Pastor looked at the activities of the judge who ruled in this case: "The judge who presided in our case admitted that he did not look at the First Amendment [to the U.S. Constitution] before deciding our case. He also admitted that he defines education as non-religious;
therefore, he defines away our religious beliefs and rights." 559
The Pastor and the members of the Faith Baptist Church continued to believe that the operation of a school to teach the children of the church's members was a part of the church's ministry. The state countered with the argument that they were not qualified to determine what their children were to be taught, nor capable of determining who should teach them.
And, since the Pastor refused to neither shut his school down, nor allow the state to license his teachers, the judge ordered the sheriff to enter the church during a service, arrest the Pastor, and anyone else who resisted, and then padlock the church doors.
The final outcome of the whole case occurred in January of 1985 when the State Supreme Court overturned the Pastor's final eight month jail conviction, and it appeared that there would be no further court action on the case.
The state had used its powers without legal support, and the Christian school of the Faith Baptist Church continued operating. The Christian Church, at least in Nebraska, did not have to allow the state to set the policy of the school, determine the curriculum, nor license the teachers of their children.
But the battle is not over.
It has only begun.
This was just one of the early skirmishes.
129
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