I know I am about to really irritate some people with the topic that I am about to bring up and I am ok with that, if you have a comment to leave I openly welcome it but don't be a complete jerk about it, we all have our opinions that we are entitled to and I respect yours so give me the same in return.
I want to touch on the topic of "In God We Trust", do we really trust in god anymore? The fact that religion is being slowly squeezed out of our schools, public buildings such as court rooms and ultimately our lives. We have the phrase printed on our money, printed on flags and it is out nations motto! but yet I have been seeing more and more lately that our society does not want anything related to god in our lives. Schools seem to be a big place that we are trying to erase God from our lives, in Tampa Florida one student was told to no longer say "God Bless America" in the morning announcements reported by the Huffington Post.
Florida Student Told No 'God Bless America' In Morning Announcements
I have found that a county in Pennsylvania no longer wants to show the motto in their public buildings any longer:
Don't you think this is a complete slap in the face to our country, what principles it was built on and straight up just disrespect to our lord? I am going to put it out there and say that I feel it is! If you chose not to believe in God that is your choice and I sure can respect that as there was a point in my life where I chose not to, but does that give me the right to tell those that believe that they are not allowed to? If you can openly and publicly tell others that you don't believe why can't people do the same and tell you that they do believe in God? I remember when I was still in school, every morning we were told to stand up and state the pledge of allegiance to our nations flag:
I pledge Allegiance to the flag
of the United States of America
and to the Republic for which it stands,
one nation under God, indivisible,
with Liberty and Justice for all.
This 30 second statement that we used to make every morning is no longer said anymore, I almost feel that our country is slowly drifting away from the principals that we have had at least since the Civil War. People that don't believe in God have taken certain political positions that have allowed them to ban our freedom to practice religion anywhere that we please such as schools and government offices, last time I checked these are still public areas in which we really should be able to have freedom of religion right?
This is just my personal views, why should we take "In God We Trust" off of our money? Why should we stop reciting the pledge of allegiance simply because "God" is in it? And why are we beginning to banish the term "In God We Trust" from our public government offices? To me it looks like our country doesn't trust our lord any longer, you wonder why our country has so many problems? Our faith as a whole has fallen apart.
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Wow! Very impressed!
ReplyDeleteThere are a few things here you are ignoring. In 1954 (Well after the Civil War) the "In God we Trust" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance and also the separation of Church and State in the First Amendment.
ReplyDeleteKeith, thanks a bunch for adding your input to the blog. The term “separation of church and state” was first used
Deleteby Thomas Jefferson in a letter to the Danbury Baptists in
1801, when he responded to their concerns about state
involvement in religion. Jefferson’s letter had nothing to say
about limiting public religious expression, but dealt with
government’s interference in the public expression of faith
http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9806/danpre.html
ReplyDeleteHere he is only saying that the government will not tell them how to believe. He is not saying that they can believe anywhere they chose. As public buildings are provided by the public of all faiths and in my case a lack of faith, that building should be neutral to any religion. Would you be ok with a buddhist temple in the library, a hindu god statue in the hall and a mosque in the gym? I dont think so.
I have and will continue to encourage people who believe to turn to their religion. I have defended the constitution and would do so again. I want all religion out of my public spaces schools, politicians, pledge and money. I encourage you to believe, I find that people find comfort in that. I only ask that it not impress upon my life.
I see no prayer at school as a good thing to bring people of faith and their family together before school and pray, imagine you know what was said and how it was meant, you could also make it relevant to the days events or news. Family spending time together and not some teacher (who may or may not believe your religion) but you spending some of what I would think is the most intimate time a family of faith could, together.
Correction I said "In god we trust" I meant to say "Under God" was added in 1954.
No prayer at school? I think there should be. Maybe children wouldn't be so mean.
DeleteBrooke,
DeleteIf you could provide some evidence that prayer at school makes children nicer I would love to see it. Also do you think there are no bullies at private Catholic school?
Why would I need to provide evidence? There will always be bullies. I feel that if our children have no fear about praying in school then the focus would not be on others, just Him.
DeleteSo prayer or no prayer there will be bullies, If I am paraphrasing you correctly. I have not a single issue with children praying in school. I only have an issue with a public employee or public official leading the group in prayer. If I and everyone else pays their salary then at work they must become neutral, at home, in their car, on the way to church not a single issue will be raised.
DeleteI will admit that you do make some great points in your argument and I really have nothing to say regarding spending time with family and this is a prime time to practice beliefs.
ReplyDeleteWe also share the same beliefs that nobody should be allowed to impose beliefs on us, but I still see no harm in having the motto on our money, in our schools or public areas, there are no signs telling you that it's what you have to believe, nobody steps out in front of you saying "have you found Jesus?". One question, if you were to have witnessed a horrible crime and you were the only one that could put the bad guy in jail, would you refuse simply because you would be asked:
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"
Would you really sit in a court of law in front of a jury and say "no i don't"?
On a side note, politicians actually need to find some kind of religion, then maybe they will actually start thinking of the public good rather than their own but that is a whole other topic!
con·tra·dic·tion
ReplyDeleteˌkäntrəˈdikSH(ə)n/
noun
a combination of statements, ideas, or features of a situation that are opposed to one another.
You dont want anyone to impose their beliefs on you but you still want to impose yours on me, Im more than confused by your statement. I dont hate christianity, I am opposed to religion being imposed on me. Question if you see no harm in the statement "In god we trust" being left on the money then what would you argue would be the purpose it serves?
So as far as religion in school who gets to pick the religion that is celebrated at school? Would you be ok with someone from these religions be welcome at your public school: Satanist, Church of the flying spaghetti Monster, Hindu, Muslim, Church of the Holy Weed, Buddhist, Scientology? Or could we agree to air on the side of caution and have no religion, everyone gets the same air play time, 0.
As for the court room.
A typical affirmation used in U.S. District Courts goes:
"You do affirm that all the testimony you are about to give in the case now before the court will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth; this you do affirm under the pains and penalties of perjury?"
I would swear to this.
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2004/04/where_did_we_get_our_oath.html
As for politicians. I see no need for religion to be a force for public good.
On a side note, if 78.4% of Americans align themselves with Christianity when Pwe Research asked and only 16.1% said they were unaffiliated, then why are there Poor, Hungry and Homeless? If 78.4% of america gave a tithing of 10% would we not fix all that I previously mentioned?
http://religions.pewforum.org/reports