I came to the USA in 1980 to study Church music. One of the songs I fell in love with is titled “America the beautiful” written by Katharine Lee Bates with the melody supplied by Samuel Ward. I remember singing that song just about every day of the year. I love the way that Elvis Presley, Ray Charles and Whitney Houston performed the song. The message of the song is still so vivid in my heart today. I strongly believe that the pilgrims’ feet were beautiful, the patriots’ dreams were beautiful, the halcyon skies are still beautiful, and America is beautiful for heroes proved and for glory tale. However, I am concerned that we are now allowing some people to make America ugly. We can do better than this.

Just take a close look at our so called materialism and secularization of the nation. In 1962, we said no to prayers in public school. In 1973, we said yes to abortion. And now we said yes to gay and lesbian rights. I wonder what will be next. Do these things make America beautiful? What happens to the true values of the American society such as faith, work ethic, and family? Does anyone really believe that America can remain the greatest nation on earth without God? Let’s just be real with ourselves. Our society is getting sick and in need of good physicians. We have wounds, bruises and sores. We must come together and bind up our afflictions before it is too late. (Isaiah 1:6)

Contrary to popular belief, our problem is not political. After all, we probably have the best political institution in the world. Our problem is not economic either. We are still one of the largest economies in the world. Our problem is moral and spiritual. We must go back to the basics of what makes America great namely God, family and hard work. Have you noticed the content of many of the movies, television shows, radio, music, magazines, novels, plays, and social media lately? Will you in good faith rate most of its contents beautiful about America? Even if you do, how about the obvious fruit it produces. Despite the fact that we have an edge on technological advancement, we are becoming more and more like many other nations in the world with more crimes, sex, violence, loneliness, family breakdown, racial disunity, continued disappearance of the American middle class, etc. Just last year alone, one major television star was accused of raping more than a dozen women, one sport star was accused of hitting his girl friend and knocking her unconscious, folks shooting at the police, police shooting at the people, school shoot out, etc.

Is that what the Pilgrims’ feet were about? Is the current situation or trend for heroes proved? Is this what the patriots dreamed? Is the current situation befitting our halcyon skies? Is the current trend good for glory – tale?

Let me suggest to you and me that God is the reason for America’s success story. Any effort to remove God and His commandments out of the picture is bound to fail. We don’t need to be like the other nations in this matter. In God we trust! This is not a mere cliché. It is tried and true. We don’t need to re-invent the wheels. It is really a very simple math equation. America + God = possibilities. America + God = greatness! America + God = Beautiful! America – God = ugly! I rest my case.