My dear, sweet friend called me from her car in a state of excitement to tell me what she was hearing on the radio: Paul Harvey expounding on what God and faith have meant to all of the American presidents. In his eloquent and commanding style, Harvey was bold enough to tell it like it is: "Every president of the United States, from George Washington to George Bush, has reaffirmed belief in God."

The interesting thing to note is that my friend was excited because someone as respected as Mr. Harvey, who is heard all over the world via secular media outlets, was talking about . . . God! On the radio! There was a time when this would not have been out of the ordinary. Today, those who believe in God are being forced to take a back seat to those who prefer to leave God out of life and America altogether. Well, we thank you, Mr. Paul Harvey for your faith and courage. May we all be as brave in our own lives to stand up and state the truth.

Here is a transcript from the radio broadcast of Saturday, Nov. 9, 2008:

Americans, do you realize that there are dozens of internessing, intramural wars going on right now around the world? And every one is being fought in the name of religion? Religion!

It was with much wisdom that our nation's founders very carefully, constitutionally, surgically separated church and state. A government-sanctioned religion inevitably eventuates in a government-imposed religion. And unless you separate church and state one will surely dominate.

Neither, however, did they divorce God and country. For to do that is to build your house on sand. Every president of the United States, from George Washington to George Bush, has reaffirmed belief in God. President John Kennedy said of his predecessors, "While they came from a wide variety of religious backgrounds, while they held a wide variety of religious beliefs, each of our presidents, in his own way, placed his trust in God."

So, if there is such a thing as a most religious of all of our Presidents, biographer Josephine Walker nomimates Abraham Lincoln. And he never belonged to any church officially. He did attend services regularly. He certainly prayed regularly. John Adams, both a professing and a practicing disciple. William McKinley, considered Christianity the mightiest force in civilizing the world. And it's interesting, another president who never officially belonged to any church denomination was none-the-less one of our nation's more devout leaders Rutherford B. Hayes.

Andrew Jackson. He did not speak of his religion until after he was out of the White House, fearing that such a proclamation might be misconstrued as politically motivated. After he was out of the White House, however, he confided that he had read three chapters of scripture every day most of his adult life. And he then joined the Presbyterian church, which he had helped to build.

Other presidents, who kept their religions to themselves until they were out of office were James Buchanan, Franklin Pierce. President Benjamin Harris once said, "Prayer steadies one when he is walking in slippery places."

Lyndon Johnson said, "Prayer has helped me to bear the burdens of the office, which are too great to be borne by anyone alone."

Eisenhower said, "Personal prayer is as necessary to life as food and water."
"Sometimes . . . " he said, "more so."

And in a handwritten memo, on White House stationary, Harry Truman once wrote out a prayer of petition, which he said he had repeated every day since his high school days.

A Life Magazine reporter once wrote that the men who have served in the Presidency have sometimes rediscovered dormant faiths as they were driven by national crises back to their knees. But this did not make them saints, skeptics remind us, and that is so, of course. Perhaps Woodrow Wilson offered the best response to that: He said, "If the world is bad in spite of religion, can you imagine what a jungle it would be without it?"

(Thank you, Paul Harvey, for loving America and letting us know.)

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