Just what do our 2^nd, 3^rd, 6^th, 25^th, and 32^nd US Presidents have in common? Well it might not surprise you but they all understood that in order to build a strong America you need to build it on a strong foundation. What might surprise you, however, is that they all believed that the Bible was that essential cornerstone that made our foundation rock solid. America is great because it started out great and it started out great because it anchored itself to the Bible. Let’s take a moment to see what these presidents had to say regarding our greatness as a nation and our reliance on the Bible.

Franklin D. Roosevelt our 32^nd President of the United States said: “We cannot read the history of our rise and development as a nation, without reckoning with the place the Bible has occupied in shaping the advances of the Republic. Where we have been the truest and most consistent in obeying its precepts, we have attained the greatest measure of contentment and prosperity.”

John Quincy Adams our 6^th President added: “The earlier my children begin to read the Bible the more confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens of their country and respectable members of our society.” 

Thomas Jefferson our 3^rd President commented: “I have always said, and always will say, that the studious perusal of the Sacred Volume will make us better citizens, better fathers and better husbands.”

William McKinley, Jr. our 25^th President said: “The more profoundly we study this wonderful book [the Bible], and the more closely we observe its divine precept, the better citizens we will become and the higher will be our destiny as a nation.”

And John Adams our 2^nd President of the United States added this fascinating quote, which I believe he clearly had America in mind when he shared it: “Suppose a nation in some distant Region should take the Bible for their only law Book, and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited! Every member would be obliged in conscience, to temperance, frugality, and industry; to justice, kindness, and charity towards his fellow men; and to piety, love, and reverence toward Almighty God … What a Utopia, what a Paradise would this region be.”

These presidents understood that if you want better citizens in our nation it is essential that they read and practice the precepts taught in the Bible. They saw a direct correlation between the greatness of our nation and its prosperity and our desire to let the Bible be the cornerstone on which we build our country upon.

The great nineteenth century American statesman, Daniel Webster, understood this concept well and issued the following dire warning to all of us if we cease to allow the Bible to be the foundation upon which we build our government on when he said: “If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity.”

If you want a better government, I dare say built it on the Bible – you won’t be disappointed!