[USA] The Pledge of Allegiance, In God We Trust on bills.
In a vast amount of American schools we have to say the pledge of allegiance. It seems terrible considering how diverse a nation it is, that we keep this so-called tradition. I remember just replacing god with some unrelated person or character, like Cookie Monster, Darwin, etcetera. No one would notice, although if I hadn't said the Pledge of Allegiance it would in fact have consequence.
The in god we trust on bills is really out of place too -- although it may have more ties to the Freemasons' God then that of contemporary Christianity.
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The in god we trust on bills is really out of place too -- although it may have more ties to the Freemasons' God then that of contemporary Christianity.
--> Discuss <--
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Morgan Matthew on -
I totally agree Raven.
Perhaps this is what we need.
It has always haunted me on how our 1st amendment has always been assaulted. One of the main reasons the US was established was to do away with the church of England and yet we write in god we trust. /sigh...
Quote from wikipedia, "The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the United States Bill of Rights that expressly prohibits the United States Congress from making laws "respecting an establishment of religion" (the Establishment Clause) or that prohibit the free exercise of religion (the Free Exercise Clause), laws that infringe the freedom of speech, infringe the freedom of the press, limit the right to peaceably assemble, or limit the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Although the First Amendment explicitly prohibits only the named rights from being abridged by laws made by the Congress, the Supreme Court has interpreted it as applying more broadly. As the first sentence in the body of the Constitution reserves all legislative authority to the Congress, the courts have held that the First Amendment's terms also extend to the executive and judicial branches. Additionally, in the 20th century the Supreme Court held that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment applies the limitations of the First Amendment to each state, including any local government within a state."
Just blows me away.
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Permalink Reply by Raven on -
Its amusing you post that poster, its been my wallpaper for the past two days. Thanks for your input.
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Permalink Reply by Morgan Matthew on
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Go to 3:45 in this video.
just amazing...
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Permalink Reply by Christy on -
I never said the allegiance. I never said it. I always said, "blah, blah, blah" and toned perfectly with it.
Count to think of it when I think of "allegiance" I think of Rome haha...
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Permalink Reply by Rev. James Thomas Hicks, D.D. on -
The Knights of Columbus added the whole "Under God" bullshit. Just go back to the original version that was written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy. By the way, he was a socialist.
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Permalink Reply by Misty: Mo's Pitbull! on -
Oddly enough, it has never bothered me. I live in a country where you apologize if you drop money because it has the Kings picture on it. Crumpling bills is a sighn of disrespect!
I sort of LIKE the idea of god on money. After all, what is the root of all evil? Hmm toss up for me. Putting money and religion all together is so symbolic.
The truth is, the US simply IS one nation under god. Until the right wing, scary-white-old-man-written policies are done away with, our government will be under the thumb of religion. Removing those statements will be a victory for the first ammendment. Until that battle is actually won, we don't deserve the symbolic trophy.
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Permalink Reply by Allie on -
My School instructs us to say the pledge of allegiance every morning before class. I think the best solution is to say the pledge along with everyone else, but when the "under god" comes up, just leave it out. I do want to show support for my country, but I can do that without a mention of god.
I love that poster now. It's so true.
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Permalink Reply by James on -
I actually have one of the British 10 pound notes framed! :) The thing I dislike more than the current pledge, motto and money is the fact that so many people in the USA think that they have always bee that way. Truth is, that God was not added to the pledge, motto changed or added to all monies until the 1950's as a type of USA PR by Ike against the 'reds'.
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Permalink Reply by Johnny on -
Actually the "In God We Trust" on money started in the 1860s, post Civil War. The push then came from religious leaders who said the country's lack of guidance from God caused the war. Further stating that adding 'God' to our currency "would relieve us from the ignominy of heathenism" and "would place us openly under the Divine protection we have personally claimed."
As an official motto, and printed on all money, as well as the pledge came in the 1950s. And you're right for the 1950s push it was part of the anti-communist spin.
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