Pledge of Allegiance ruled unconstitutional: “For the first time ever, a federal appeals court declared the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional Wednesday because of the words “under God” added by Congress in 1954.” [via Choire]
While I agree to an extent with the premise of this fight (the separation of church & state is pretty clear) but considering the current administration and how they lean, I don’t see this getting very far although I will be watching it with interest.
As for prayer in school – I went to a Catholic school for 8 years, where we said the “Our Father” to start the day, the “Hail Mary” before lunch and it seems like we closed the day with something but maybe not. Anyways, when you are told to pray like that, know what happens? You start to say it in the same flat, “I don’t mean a word of what I’m saying” tone as you use when you say the pledge daily as a kid. Yeah, real effective. There is prayer in school – inside kids heads, where it should be in my opinion. If you want your kids to pray out loud at a school, send them to a private school. Public schools should maintain the separation of church and state. Yes, I am opposed even to the prayer before a high school football game and was bothered by that even when I was a teen and first moved to Texas (where I first noticed it.) When the Santa Fe prayer case was before the Supreme Court I wanted to see it defeated because asking a public group at a football game to pray for something “In Christ’s Name” isn’t right. That may be what you believe in – but (even though it’s what I believe in too) don’t force your beliefs on me.
(As I write this I just wonder what sort of flame war this is going to start in my comments… it should be interesting!)
9 replies on “Under God…”
Amen.
Err….yea, what she said.
No flame from me – I totally agree with you. Wanna pray? Then do it silently, at home, at church or at a private school. Don’t force me to say it with you.
I’ll say a prayer for you. 😉
I agree with what they ruled, but I also agree with you that this doesn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell with the current administration and Supremes.
*polite opera claps from stage left*
The Senate passed a resolution unanimously, 99-0, supporting the Pledge of Allegiance as it now stands. Funny how they can set aside whatever important business they are working on to vote on a CYA resolution like that. Then 100-150 members of the House recited the Pledge on the steps of Congress in a show of solidarity. This is a no-win issue for thinking people: there are a lot more of them, and they will fight this ruling—and there isn’t an elected politician in this country with the backbone to stand up for what they know is right. I hope I’m proven wrong, but I think this is going to be really depressing. A real gift for Dubya.
And while we’re at it, why does our money say “In God We Trust” on it? And why do we swear on a bible in court? Where’s the separation of church and state?
For all the reasons listed by others, I was wondering when true seperation of church and state would be challenged in a court of law. Nothing like a little “Come to know my god as I do or you will burn eternally in hell” fanatacism to stir things up a bit, eh?
God did not create man.
1. God did not create man. Man created God out of superstition, ignorance and his frustrated inability to answer the three great philosophical questions; who am I, where did I come from, and where am I going?
2. There is no heaven, no hell, no soul and no afterlife. If there is… prove it! The Bible has been around long enough to do so, but none of this has yet to have been proven.
3. Religion is the greatest hoax played upon and perpetuated by man himself. Those who perpetuate it steal your money and much worse steal your life.
4. The Bible, often quoted by the “Bible Thumpers,” is just a collection of 26 contradictory books on mythology, that are often vague and left to be conveniently interpreted the way the interpreters want in order to support his/her argument, or so he/she thinks that it does. They lack the logical skills to recognize that it doesn’t.
5. Religions, all religions, are hoaxes, based on wishful fantasies and emotional imagination. They stagnate and imprison the human mind, are the enemies of progress, and have caused more harm to humanity than any ideology. They are dangerous to the very existence of mankind.
6. The Bible always says that God said it’s this way and that way, contradicting even their fellow Bible Thumpers. Where do the Bible Thumpers hear this and where is the evidence that God said it?
7, Why is a religious person of a certain religion, Islam, Christianity, Shinto, Buddhist, etc., etc.? In most cases, they were raised and influenced in this way during the most vulnerable period, childhood.