It only takes a spark to start a fire.

Such was the case when our nation's forefathers decided to break ties with Great Britain and create their own nation whose foundation was built upon God's Word.

More than 230 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed, a growing belief by Americans is that this nation has fallen away from its Christian roots.

"The Declaration of Independence was largely backed by Christian principles," said local resident John Major. "History has proven that countries that fall away from God are doomed for failure. We've taken it upon ourselves to open people's eyes to putting God first in our lives and those of our leaders in government."

Dedicated to reaffirming America's Christian heritage and the belief that a "separation of church and state" is a myth, Major and a group of local residents created the nonprofit faith based organization Cherokee Cares.

According to the organization's mission statement, Cherokee Cares hopes to "awaken citizens to a renewed sense of individual liberty based on God-given unalienable rights through promoting an understanding of the Biblical basis of the founding documents of the United States." To help accomplish that goal, the nonpartisan group holds rallies, distributes literature, contacts local lawmakers providing them with feedback from their constituents, conducts polls and invites public debate.

The group's first rally will take place Sept. 12 at the First Baptist Church of Gaffney from 11 a.m. to noon.

One of the issues at the heart of Cherokee Cares is the belief that lawmakers around the country are not taking their jobs seriously, putting this nation and its people in grave danger.

"We just feel a lot of the people representing us are not making decisions good for our country;

regardless of whether they are Democratic, Republican or Independent," said Cherokee Cares member David Rowe. "We don't want these people to put their hand on the Bible and swear to stand by the values this country was built on if they are not going to do so."

Also a point of emphasis is the large number of rights American citizens lose each year.

"It took over 5,000 years for the Declaration of Independence to be written; though not perfect, it was the first real model of freedom for all people, laden with rights and privileges," Rowe said. "Now in many ways the small guy is getting stomped on, losing many rights that were once taken for granted.

"Of course, we never thought we would be in this position to have to stand up for what we believe in, but this is an important mission for us and it's our job to tell the people what is going on."

"We're not preaching fire and brimstone, just telling people this country needs to get back to the basics," Major said.

For more information, visit the group's Web site, cherokeecares.org.