The motto that I live by and will lead by in the U.S. Senate was once written by the preacher Oswald Chambers: “When you fear God, you fear nothing else.”
Chambers wrote his first book in Ohio over 100 years ago, and his words still ring true today. Similarly, the Hebrew bible, given to us thousands of years ago, directs us “Yirat Hashem” – Fear God.
Today, Americans everywhere feel like we are under assault on our culture, free speech and religious liberty, as evidenced by the multi-front war being waged against us by the secular left. But instead of fearing the secular left, We The People – men and women of faith throughout America – we will continue to fear God.
The insanity of the secular left has led to a doctrine of the “tyranny of the minority.” The small percentage of atheists offended by Christmas displays has led to lawsuits to remove such displays in the name of religious tolerance, ironically demonstrating religious intolerance. The secular left sued the Boy Scouts of America because of scouting’s oath to, “do their duty to God.”
When I was in the Ohio House of Representatives, they even tried to censor a prayer at the beginning of legislative session when a pastor prayed in the name of Jesus Christ. Immediately following the session, many members of the media surrounded me asking if I was offended by the prayer, to which I replied that I was NOT. I explained to them that in America we exercise freedom of religion, not freedom from religion, and that pastors should be free to give any prayer they choose.
It was never the intent of our Founders to prevent public displays of faith, nor to tell people of faith that their views and freedom are not welcome in the public square. Secularists and coastal elites are trying to whitewash our history as a Judeo-Christian nation and destroy our freedom to worship and pray as we please in public.
From a very young age though, it was instilled in me that I owed a debt of gratitude to men and women of faith, and specifically to courageous Christians. During World War II, my Jewish grandmother, Fernanda, lived in Torino, Italy. During the Nazi invasion, her life was at risk. However, in Torino, there was a network of courageous Christians
who bound together to hide and care for many Jewish children as they were being pursued by the Nazis. These Christian families showed tremendous faith and courage.
They knew if the Jewish children were found in their Christian homes, not only would the children be killed, but their Christian families would be killed as well. Their deep devotion to faith and prayer truly saved the lives of countless children, and made it possible for my children Rosie, Judah and Gideon, and me, to be here today. If I ever had the
opportunity to ask these incredibly courageous Christian families the derivation of their bravery, I am certain that they would tell me that it was a product of their faith. Perhaps more specifically, they would inform me that they harnessed this courage from Joshua 1:9 in which we are commanded: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
The values of these courageous Christians are what drives me to run for the U.S. Senate. Just like them, I will stand in faith and serve with courage. We are not to hide our faith, but rather choose to let it live in everything we do. As a candidate for the Senate, I want fellow men and women of faith to know I am firmly a fighter on the side of our Constitution that protects our religious freedom and liberty and our foundation as a Judeo-Christian nation.
My fellow Ohioans, if you want a senator who will never take a knee in the culture wars – who will protect life, defend religious liberty and safeguard our children from the secular left’s assault on our Judeo-Christian values – I am running to be your United States Senator and would be honored to fight alongside of you.
Josh Mandel is a Marine Corps veteran, former state treasurer and candidate for U.S. Senate.
