God Erased from D.C. Visitor Center
"George Orwell once said, “He who controls the present, controls the past. He who controls the past, controls the future.” Consider the implications of Orwell’s statement in light of revisionist history. Those of today who write of yesterday’s history determine what tomorrow’s student will be told is fact. Therefore, it is crucially important that our recounting of history be accurate and complete.
As we fight to preserve our religious liberties here in Virginia as some elected officials try to quiet even the public mention of the name “Jesus,” the battle over our Judeo-Christian heritage continues to rage, with the latest coming from our nation’s capital.
A new version of “history” will arrive at the soon-to be-unveiled Washington, D.C. Capitol Visitor Center – a project spearheaded by the U.S. Congress and paid for by you, the taxpayer. With construction beginning in June 2000, the 580,000 square foot facility will open four years behind schedule this December. The Visitor Center is expected to host 15,000 visitors every day with many of these visitors being from school field trips. The entire project will cost $621 million, which is $550 million over the initial construction estimate. With only 10 percent of the Visitor Center’s funding coming from private donations and with our nation’s present economic situation, it’s hard not to wonder whether the money was spent responsibly. But the Capitol Visitor Center is a problem for more than just financial reasons.
The designers of the Capitol Visitor Center seem to have made an intentional effort to wipe God out of every aspect of American history. In the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 display, the words “religion, morality, and knowledge” are actually removed from the document! A picture of the Speaker in the House Chamber crops out the marble-engraved words “In God We Trust.” The national motto “In God We Trust”, in fact appears nowhere in the Visitor Center.
Besides leaving out God and any mention of Judeo-Christian roots, there are also many historical errors in the information presented including errors concerning the Bill of Rights, the War of 1812, and the list goes on. The designers however were careful to include “important” pieces of history such as casino floors, various factories, as well as pictures from Earth Day and an AIDS rally. It shouldn’t surprise you then to know that The National Day of Prayer and the March for Life (both of which are attended by thousands annually) are captured nowhere in the halls of the Capitol Visitor Center.
Congressman Randy Forbes (R-VA) was one of 108 Congressmen who sent a letter to the Architect of the Capitol’s Office saying, “Our concern is not just with the Capitol Visitor Center, but with [an] increasing pattern of attempts to remove references to our religious heritage from our nation’s capitol. The Capitol Visitor Center is just one example of efforts to censor God, faith, and religion from our historical buildings, documents, and ceremonies.”
We are thankful for these Congressmen who are standing strong for Christian principles in the midst of others who seem intent to rewrite history and spend exorbitant amounts of tax dollars doing it! Our Christian heritage is too valuable to let this poor depiction of American history called the Capitol Visitor Center stand as an imposter of the truth."
The Family Foundation of Virginia
Posts
