Gen. Michael Flynn, in his speech to the “ReAwaken America Tour,” said, “If we are going to have one nation under God, which we must, we have to have one religion. One nation under God and one religion under God.”
The Framers of our Constitution — particularly James Madison, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton — would be turning over in their graves to hear a retired general and former national security adviser trying to undercut the First Amendment, which unequivocally declares that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”
Flynn would establish one religion — presumably his!
Here is a transcription of the remarks, which begin at 6:56:19 in the video posted at americanfaith.com.
FLYNN: So, I think I just heard one of the best phrases that I’ve ever heard. Honestly. And comin’ out here, it was just, you know whether — you know — this — what he said because we were back there talking about religion and the religious community. ‘Cause I actually think we’ve got a(n) issue in the religious community (crowd cheers) and because it’s not together. But if we can have one nation under God, we should have one church under God. Right? And I think that that’s really, really a powerful, powerful statement. And uh … Because the religious community and these pastors out there around this country, they know, because I’ve spoken to many of them. We have to take (sic) not just about religion. ‘Cause the religion is the founder, is the foundation of this country. It really is. I mean if you really study the 1500s, the 1600s, the 1700s, and how we were created as a Judeo-Christian country with the you know beautiful, beautiful set of values and principles that we have. But now we’ve lost sight of that. We’ve lost sight of that. And many of the churches are — they’re split, and they’re doin’ their own thing. And somethin’s not right. Somethin’s not workin’. And so, you know, when we think about, when we think about our own faith, and this is what you’ve heard a lot about from different people today I think, when we talk about faith, there’s something shaking. OK? The ground underneath us is shaking. And it’s shaking because, you know what I mean? There is a time, and you have to believe this: that God Almighty is like involved in this country because this is it. This is it. This is the last place on Earth. This is, this is the shining city on the hill. This is the city on the hill. The city on the hill. The city on the hill was mentioned in Matthew. OK? It was mentioned in Matthew. And then a guy by the name of Winthrop mentioned it again in 1630. In 1630, OK, before the country was formed. And he also coined the term New England. “We’re going to go to this New England” — this new world he was talking about. And he talked to the people there about this thing called the city on the hill. And then Ronald Reagan a couple of hundred years later again talked about it as the shining city on the hill. And they’re talking about the United States of America. Talking about the United States of America. ‘Cause when Matthew mentioned it in the Bible, he wasn’t talking about the physical ground that he was on; he was talking about something in the distance. So, if we are going to have one nation under God, which we must, we have to have one religion, one, one, one nation under God and one religion under God. Right? All of us together. Working together. I don’t care what your ecumenical service is or what you are. We have to believe that this is a moment in time where this is good versus evil. So, ladies and gentlemen, I’m going to turn this over to this beautiful man — Josh — and let him take it from here. So, God bless you and enjoy. (Crowd cheers.)
As of late Sunday evening, social media posts and news outlet reports featured strong reaction to Flynn’s remarks. Many people condemned Flynn’s call for the US to have one religion. I join them.
This comes just over a month after Business Insider reported that a prayer delivered by Flynn had made him the target of QAnon — the mysterious underground political movement.
Flynn said his prayer was a rendering of a prayer to St. Michael, taught to him by his mother. QAnon asserted he was praying to Satan. Business Insider quoted Flynn as replying:
“People need to stop overthinking what everyone is saying and listen to what is happening around us. Pay attention to reality that is happening around us instead of interpreting things that don’t need interpretation.”
Our Commentary
America has lost sight of many of its founding values, no disagreement there. The solution is repentance and turning back to God, not establishing a state religion. Indeed many of the early immigrants to America came here for the religious freedom that we offered, escaping religious intolerance and governmental interference in their home countries.
Flynn has described Islam as a political ideology that "hides behind being a religion" and has metastasized into a "malignant cancer." Well, yes. But that doesn’t justify making Catholicism our state religion, a system with tremendous persecutions in its own closet.
There are many false religions in the world and in America. According to Jesus,
“And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd” (John 10:16).
There will be one body of believers when Jesus Christ comes back. They are the remnant of Revelation 12:17; they are the Spiritual Israel of Galatians 6:16, they are the Great Multitude standing before the throne of God (Revelation 7:9); they are they who keep the Commandments of God with the faith of Jesus (Revelation 12:17; 14:12).
False religions will be destroyed, friend. A worldwide amalgamation of false religion attacks true religion in the end times, an allegorical Cain persecuting obedient Abel.
Apostate religions may come and go, but all of them will go when the Lord returns on That Day (2 Thessalonians 1:8).
Commit yourself to Him who is able to keep us from stumbling, and present us faultless before God with exceeding joy (Jude 24).