Come on. :) Atheism is itself a religion. Each person is their own personal
God, is that not so?
So what if someone is in an awkward position. One either has enough
conviction in their beliefs to stand up and be different or they don't.
Plenty of people of all walks of life, faiths, creeds, etc., standup,
standout, are different for their beliefs. Sometimes they just feel
awkward, sometimes they are ridiculed or laughed at, but they have right to
be difernt and exercise their belief, not the right to make everyone else
conform. Are they all bellyaching about it?
I think the founders and such were concerned with government establishing a
particlar, certain, religion as an official state religion.
When you say the word God, are you establishing a religion? WHich one?
Tom C.
From: "Tom Reese" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: [email protected]
To: <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: More Texas Photo Issues
Date: Tue, 18 Oct 2005 14:13:35 -0400
The Pledge is recited in public schools. Students are expected to comply. It
puts non-believers in an awkward position where they either have to say
something they don't believe, not participate or recite the alternate
wording and provoke an argument.
It is my opinion that the phrase violates the First Amendment requirement
that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."
The Congress changed the Pledge to include the phrase "under God" and by
doing so violated that Amendment. The phrase establishes the existence of
god and therefore establishes a religion.
Tom Reese
> That is just the problem, why should it be, if you don't believe in God
> you should just laugh quietly, it's only
> a Zealot who has to be right who could be offended.
>
> Tom Reese wrote:
>
> >Tom C wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >>Let's take one case the ACLU is involved with... to the best of my
> >>recollection. The case in California (I believe... I'm typing from
memory
> >>not the transcript), where an athiest has sued a school district
because
> >>his elementary school age daughter is made to feel uncomfortable when
the
> >>Pledge of Alegiance is said because it contains the phrase 'under God'.
> >>
> >>
> >
> >That phrase is objectionable to a lot of people and should be eliminated
> >IMO. Suppose all the atheists recited the line as "one nation, there is
no
> >god". Can you see the possibility of that becoming a problem? How about
if
> >one group tried to shout their phrase louder than the other group?
> >
> >The phrase does not belong in an oath to government allegiance. It
excludes
> >people who believe do not believe that there is a god.
> >
> >Tom Reese
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> --
> When you're worried or in doubt,
> Run in circles, (scream and shout).
>
>
