everything that's on my mind
(as if there's not already enough people doing this)Thursday, September 15, 2005
Pledge under fire
I heard this story yesterday. I'm sure there similar stories around the country right now. A couple posed as hurricane victims and not only managed to get $2000 of aid from FEMA, but even went as far as to move in with a couple near Little Rock who was offering homeless victims a place to stay. It's not unexpected, I suppose, but it still makes you angry that someone would go this far to take advantage of a horrible situation.
So, yesterday a district judge in San Francisco ruled that children reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in public school is unconstitutional. He actually said that reciting the pledge "violates school children's right to be 'free from a coercive requirement to affirm God'". This was a case brought on by Michael Newdow, an athiest who's already lost one case attempting to ban the pledge. So now religious and family organizations are all up in arms and planning appeals.
This doesn't really affect me for two reasons. First, I'm not in California, and unless the Supreme Court rules the same, it won't affect me (at least I think that's correct.) Secondly, my daughter is now in a private Christian school.
I used to get a little more worked up about things like this. I remember in 91 or 92 there was a case, which I believe upheld previous rulings preventing prayer in public schools, or something like that. I remember thinking it was terrible that such a thing had happened. I used to be more into the 'America is a Christian nation' thing, but I'm not so convinced of that now. I don't think you can dispute that many of the founders were religious and many things were done based on Christian principles, but I'm not sure they were promising prayer in school and reciting pledges until the end of time. Besides, with the way things change (and are changing), Christianity could very possibly be a minority religion in the future.
I've seen Newdow on TV before, back when he lost his previous case. I guess part of me thinks he should get a life. Is this the best thing he has to do with his time? Are large numbers of children with athiest parents being converted to Christianity due to repeated recitations of the pledge of allegiance? I find that hard to believe. I guess I don't see myself (were I an athiest) being as offended by it as he is. But maybe I can't fully see his point of view.
I'm as concerned as the next guy about the possilibity of religious liberty being taken away. But I think there are times when it's unjustly taken away and times when it's not. Removing public prayer from schools or prohibiting 'under God' in the pledge does not strike me as unfair, considering public school does not exist for religious teaching or activity. On the other hand, a child prohibited from writing a paper on Jesus or bringing a Bible to school is going too far (and I've heard these and similar stories before).
So, I guess, in the end, this is not a great concern from me. God is still God, even if children aren't reciting the pledge in school and no matter how often Michael Newdow tries to say he's not there.
So, yesterday a district judge in San Francisco ruled that children reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in public school is unconstitutional. He actually said that reciting the pledge "violates school children's right to be 'free from a coercive requirement to affirm God'". This was a case brought on by Michael Newdow, an athiest who's already lost one case attempting to ban the pledge. So now religious and family organizations are all up in arms and planning appeals.
This doesn't really affect me for two reasons. First, I'm not in California, and unless the Supreme Court rules the same, it won't affect me (at least I think that's correct.) Secondly, my daughter is now in a private Christian school.
I used to get a little more worked up about things like this. I remember in 91 or 92 there was a case, which I believe upheld previous rulings preventing prayer in public schools, or something like that. I remember thinking it was terrible that such a thing had happened. I used to be more into the 'America is a Christian nation' thing, but I'm not so convinced of that now. I don't think you can dispute that many of the founders were religious and many things were done based on Christian principles, but I'm not sure they were promising prayer in school and reciting pledges until the end of time. Besides, with the way things change (and are changing), Christianity could very possibly be a minority religion in the future.
I've seen Newdow on TV before, back when he lost his previous case. I guess part of me thinks he should get a life. Is this the best thing he has to do with his time? Are large numbers of children with athiest parents being converted to Christianity due to repeated recitations of the pledge of allegiance? I find that hard to believe. I guess I don't see myself (were I an athiest) being as offended by it as he is. But maybe I can't fully see his point of view.
I'm as concerned as the next guy about the possilibity of religious liberty being taken away. But I think there are times when it's unjustly taken away and times when it's not. Removing public prayer from schools or prohibiting 'under God' in the pledge does not strike me as unfair, considering public school does not exist for religious teaching or activity. On the other hand, a child prohibited from writing a paper on Jesus or bringing a Bible to school is going too far (and I've heard these and similar stories before).
So, I guess, in the end, this is not a great concern from me. God is still God, even if children aren't reciting the pledge in school and no matter how often Michael Newdow tries to say he's not there.
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