This is nice. We've started an unprovoked war that looks to much of the world like a crusade against Muslims. The House of Representatives responds by passing this resolution:
The nonbinding resolution, passed 400 to 7 with 15 members voting "present," states that the phrase "one nation under God" in the pledge reflects the religious faith central to the founding of the nation and that its recitation is a patriotic act, not a statement of religious faith.
Does this sound particularly religious to those of you that believe in such things? As Slacktivist points out:
In other words, the phrase "one nation under God" an affirmation of America's goodness and piety, not -- as it would seem -- a statement of humility before a sovereign God. The House resolution elevates patriotism above religious faith, and thus elevates America above God. This is more frighteningly imperial than anything even Richard Perle or John Bolton has said.Belief in a sovereign God places rather severe limits on the kind of patriotism the House seems to favor. If religious faith -- freedom of conscience -- is made subordinate to a loyalty oath of patriotism, then the First Amendment is meaningless.
Fred Clark's comments are ridiculous and lack coherent logic. The House was affirming the _historical significance_ of the phrase and making the valid point that its recitation, in regards to the pledge, isn't a statement of religious belief if you don't want it to be.
I wish people would use more common sense.
If it's not necessarily a statement of religious belief then why is it in there? It was added during the McCarthy era specifically to differentiate us from the "godless communists."
To argue it's not about asserting religion is ridiculous, like arguing that the resurgence of the Conferate flag during the civil rights era was some kind of awakening of historical knowledge among bigots, rather than a specifically anti-black symbol.