Perhaps I am naive, but I was not aware that
the words "UNDER GOD" were only added in
1954. I am going to do a little research and see
if this is accurate. Do you have any info on this?
Thanks
Little did she or I know she was making me write
the next Indy's Viewpoint in response, I guess
this topic "gets me going." So in response I wrote.
Yes, I knew that Eisenhower had it added in
1954, And I might even be convinced that taking
the words out isn't a big thing. The problem I
have is really this...
The function of the court is to interpret
and make judgments concerning the constitution
and law. What, is happening instead, is that
courts are making decisions that in effect
create laws, and these decisions are being based
not on the constitution but on previous
cases from other courts!
This recent ruling assumes that
there is a separation of church and state
dictated by the US constitution, this simply
isn't true. The constitution says that government
is to stay out of religion PERIOD.
The First Amendment (1791) reads. "Congress
shall make no law respecting an establishment
of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof"
The first amendment DOES NOT SAY religion
is to be kept out of government! This idea that
a separation of church and state exists at all
was a decision of the courts, based on public
school being a government institution and therefore
simply ALLOWING prayer IS a government
establishment of religion. I see this as government,
"prohibiting the free exercise thereof"
Now we come to the pledge, the pledge isn't
prayer at all, its a simple mention of GOD...
VERY DIFFERENT.
I have received notes that seem like intelligent
arguments for simply removing "Under God,"
the thought being that "it is still a pledge of
allegiance" without the mention of God. The
problem with these notes are that they miss the point.
Yes, I personally believe we would all be better
off with prayer in schools, and going back
to some good old 1954 values. But even accepting
the ruling against prayer in schools, (and I don't)
this is a step further by the courts to make new
law and, to redefine the constitution.
If this ruling is allowed to stand, and the trend
continues we might one day have a ruling that
says elected officials may not attend church, or
that churches can't be inside city limits because
they are under government control. This may
sound silly, but so did the idea that the simple
mention of God would one day be deemed
unconstitutional! Remember the poem that
says "first they came for the Jews and I
did not speak out?" (First They Came for the Jews)
NO, its time to stand against this politically
correct stupidity. Once again I urge everyone
reading this to write or E-mail your congressmen
and senators, and ask them to write AND PASS
legislation to overturn this over reaching by the courts Contacting the Congress
