Three Strikes, You're Out, USA!

By Geary L. Robinson PhD

Our book cover was created in partnership with Beam Team Design, Argyle, Texas. Mr. Alan Beam took the vision this messenger was given and created a vivid graphic using an empty baseball stadium and a sunrise to visually share the difference between light and darkness.The red stitches are used to wrap the white leather around the baseball as a cover. The covering God gave to the USA and the World, is Jesus, The Son of God. The stadium represents the darkness, which has and continues to wrap around the USA and the rest of the world. Right is wrong; wrong is right.The sunrise represents the Light of the World which is God, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit. Currently, in our contemporary world, much is discussed about climate change and how the world will come to an end in the next ten to twelve years. We do not have a climate change looming large over the earth; we have a lack of morality issue, which is divided into three distinct groups: moral, amoral, and immoral.The very real concern for the USA, or any other nation, is choosing immorality and Satan over the Law God gave us, which, Jesus fulfilled. We The People of the USA are in the last innings with bases loaded and a full count. There are two potential outcomes, and only two…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 12, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098056810

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

STRIKE ONE: Prayer in Public Schools

US Supreme Court

Engel v. Vitale, 370 US 421 (1962)¹¹

It is very important for We The People to clearly understand and remember, no single person in this world has any right to hate any person for any reason. We can be against the sin; but we are to love and pray for one another to be repentant, healed, removed from our sins and to sin no more (John 8:1–11).

This simple prayer, "Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our Country," would become the cornerstone for removing prayer to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in our schools. The Engel v. Vitale decision would, ultimately, impact all of our educational systems and entities, from K through 12, colleges and universities throughout the USA and its territories. Engel v. Vitale, 370 US 421 (1962) decision would have an even greater impact on restricting prayer fifty-seven years later in 2019.¹²

The very short version of the decision in Engel v. Vitale is from the US Supreme Court’s syllabus: State officials may not compose an official state prayer and require that it be recited in the public schools of the State at the beginning of each school day—even if the prayer is denominationally neutral and pupils who wish to do so may remain silent or be excused from the room while the prayer is being recited.¹³

Fast forward to January 22, 2019, Naomi Lim of the Washington Examiner¹⁴ reports that the US Supreme Court decided to sidestep the high-profile free speech case of a Washington state high school coach, who was fired for refusing to stop kneeling in prayer with his athletes. There may be a silver lining in the Supreme Court’s decision as they left a door to open, allowing the case to come back for a full review of the full court. The Washington Examiner further reported Justice Alito’s concerns about the potential of possible bias in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision.¹⁵

In 2015 assistant football coach Joseph Kennedy would go out on the field and give thanks to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit for the safety of all the players prior to and after the games. Coach Kennedy, after the games, felt it was right to take a knee at the fifty-yard line and offer a brief, quiet prayer of thanksgiving for player safety, sportsmanship, and spirited competition.¹⁶

In their decision to agree with the lower court in favor the Bremerton School District, the US Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, raises a very interesting question: When does an employee quit being an employee, is it after a game is over with? Are they allowed to be out on the field, after the game is over? Bremerton High School is not private property; it’s public property, paid for by the citizens of their local school district. Why would the coach or a private citizen not be allowed on the field to say a simple prayer giving thanks to God for the safety of the players, sportsmanship, and spirited competition?

Following is one of the comments made by the Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, in favor of the Bremerton School District:

We emphasize that our conclusion neither relies on, nor should be construed to establish, any bright-line rule. As our analysis demonstrates, the second Eng. [Engel v. Vitale] factor requires a practical, fact-intensive inquiry into the nature and scope of a plaintiff’s job responsibilities. It also requires a careful examination of the precise speech at issue. We also continue to recognize that speech by a public employee, even a teacher, does not always represent, or even appear to represent, the views of the state. Tucker, 97 F.3d at 1213. On January 26th, 2019, the U. S. Supreme Court weighed in on the Joseph Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, deciding not to hear the case. (United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, JOSEPH A. KENNEDY, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. BREMERTON SCHOOL DISTRICT, Defendant-Appellee. No. 16-35801 Decided: August 23, 2017)¹⁷

The Washington Examiner further reported on Supreme Court Justice Alito’s concerns about possible bias on the part of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals:

Alito said more facts regarding the Bremerton School District’s handling of the situation were needed before the Supreme Court could consider the First Amendment issues at play. It remained unclear whether Kennedy was pushed out due to concerns he was neglecting his duties or that he made it seem like the school district endorsed his religious beliefs, he wrote:

What is perhaps most troubling about the Ninth Circuit is opinion language that can be understood to mean that a coach’s duty to serve as a good role model requires the coach to refrain from any manifestation of religious faith—even when the coach is plainly not on duty. Alito wrote Tuesday, describing the lower court’s rationale as highly tendentious. I hope that this is not the message that the Ninth Circuit meant to convey, but its opinion can certainly be read that way.¹⁸

Alito said more facts regarding the Bremerton School District’s handling of the situation were needed before the Supreme Court could consider the First Amendment issues at play. It remained unclear whether Kennedy was pushed out due to concerns he was neglecting his duties or that he made it seem like the school district endorsed his religious beliefs, he wrote.

One of the many great gifts God shared with us from day 1 was the ability to visit one-on-one with Him.¹⁹ We The People still to this day have that same ability, yet we have allowed our judicial branch of the government to say no to prayer in the public domain anywhere, as it may offend someone. From 1962 to 2019, the judiciary is still grappling with the existence of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. This is nothing new. History has shown the difference between those who pray and those who do not want prayer at all. Those who don’t want prayer are given the greatest voice by our judiciary system. The result of the rejection of prayer to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit has serious repercussions. Nations and empires have been destroyed, and some permanently removed from the face of the earth (i.e., Sodom and Gomorrah).

Many of We The People remember the story of King Darius (Medes and Persians) who agreed to a decree for thirty days, stating that no one would be allowed to pray or worship anything or anyone other than King Darius.²⁰ As part of the decree, any person who violated the decree would be thrown into the lion’s den to be eaten alive. A servant to the king, Daniel continued his daily prayers, three times a day. Certain men went to the king and shared that Daniel had violated the decree. As recorded in Daniel, he was thrown into the lion’s den to be eaten alive. Daniel survived the night through constant prayer and communication with God. Those who goaded King Darius into this situation, well, the accusers and their families did not survive the day. As stated in scripture, "The men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lion’s’ den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their