Mr. DAVID DAVIS of Tennessee. Thank you, Mr. Forbes. I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to be with you.
I rise tonight in support of H.R. 888.
Psalm 33:12 says, ``Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.'' It doesn't say, ``Blessed is the nation whose God was the Lord,'' and there's a difference. Our Founding Fathers understood the difference. As has been stated before, you can see it all through these hallowed Chambers. Above the Speaker's dais you will see the words, ``In God we trust.'' Unfortunately, on TV at times you don't see the words ``In God We Trust,'' they cut just a little bit below that. You will see Moses in full array in the back of the Chamber.
This building, the Capitol of the United States, was actually used for church services in its early history. Out in the Rotunda, you will see many beautiful paintings. The first one you come to in the Rotunda you will actually see Pocahontas, that you will remember from Thanksgiving. Well, Pocahontas, in the painting, is actually depicted right after she changed her name to Rebecca when she became a Christian and was baptized. Our Founding Fathers understood our Christian Nation and our Christian heritage.
And President James Buchanan understood this completely when he issued a proclamation in 1860 entitled ``Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer.'' And he's quoted, ``In this, the hour of our calamity and peril, to whom shall we resort for relief but to the God of our Fathers? His omnipotent arm only can save us from the awful effects of our own crimes and follies, of our own ingratitude and guilt towards our Heavenly Father.'' It certainly sounds to me like President James Buchanan understood ``Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.''
We understand today that America isn't great because we have a large government. We're great because down through history, if we had a problem, we turned to God first and then we turned to our neighbors, not to a big government. And if we want to continue to be that great Nation, we need to look to II Chronicles 7:14, which says, ``If my people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from
their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.''
