With Freedom's Holy Light...

In honor of July 4th I thought it would be nice to post the lyrics of "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" were written in 1831 and which served as the USA's de facto national anthem for much of the 19th century. In many ways this song is fitting for Israel:

1.
My country, 'tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims' pride,
From every mountainside
Let freedom ring!

2.
My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills;
My heart with rapture thrills,
Like that above.

3.
Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet freedom's song;
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.

4.
Our father's God to Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright,
With freedom's holy light,
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God our King.

Sadly, America is moving away from a G-d centered consciousness - check out the new dollar coin with the hidden "In G-d We Trust" (above). I held the coin in my hands and could barely see that cherished motto. Congress is trying to rectify this omission, but I think it's a good indicator of where America is going.