"the new pledge of allegiance" tought it was cool and would share it w/ you

[okuma]

WRITTEN BY A 15 yr. Old SCHOOL KID IN ARIZONA:
 
 
 
New Pledge of Allegiance (TOTALLY AWESOME)!
 
 
Since the Pledge of Allegiance
And
The Lord's Prayer
Are not allowed in most   
Public schools anymore
Because the word 'God' is mentioned....
A kid in Arizona wrote the attached
 
 
NEW School prayer:
Now I sit me down in school   
Where praying is against the rule
For this great nation under God   
Finds mention of Him very odd.
 
 
If Scripture now the class recites,
It violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow   
Becomes a Federal matter now.
 
 
Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
That's no offense; it's a freedom scene.
The law is specific, the law is precise.
Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.
 
 
For praying in a public hall   
Might offend someone with no faith at all.
In silence alone we must meditate,
God's name is prohibited by the state.
 
 
We're allowed to cause and dress like freaks,
And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks.
They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.
To quote the Good Book makes me liable.
We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King.
It's 'inappropriate' to teach right from wrong,
We're taught that such 'judgments' do not belong.
 
 
We can get our condoms and birth controls,
Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.
But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,
No word of God must reach this crowd.
 
 
It's scary here I must confess,
When chaos reigns the school's a mess.
So, Lord, this silent plea I make:
Should I be shot; My soul please take!   
Amen

[werewolfx13]

Personally, I don't feel the word "God" should be in the pledge, or on money, nor do I think prayer should be permitted in public schools, but I haven't a problem with people choosing to pray in public, ie at a restraunt, as long as they neither expect me to participate or be quiet so its more convenient for them.
I think what has caused such a rabid "anti-christ" attitude in people today, is how often people try to shove Christian beliefs and customs down our throats whether we want it or not. I'm not rude to people that hand out religious flyers and such, I simply say no thanks..if they try to force it on me, I walk away..but when I'm out someplace, talking to my Pagan roommate about a gathering, or anything of the like, somone always jumps in and has to ridicule her (or us, they usually assume I'm Pagan as well), for her beliefs, and spout a bunch of blatently false statements and accusations..Whichever side you look at it from, its outright WRONG when you can't discuss your beliefs in a completely open and public place like a park or sidewalk, without somone verbally bashing you with untruths.

I'm athiest, if anyone hadn't guessed.

[Lt.Del]

They fire a judge for keeping the ten commandments in his courthouse.  Yet, in order to tesify in court, one must swear on the bible under oath or the testimony is not allowed.
What does the president of the United States do as his first action in office?  He places his left hand on the bible and raises his right hand and takes the oath of office..."so help me God".

An inmate in jail cannot be interupted if he is praying.  If a Muslim requests an extra blanket for praying, he must get it or he will sue. No one else gets an extra blanket.  If someone, even  if there is only one inmate of a specific religion, requests a Sunday service, a priest must be brought in. Or, the jurisdiction can be sued.

Yet, my son cannot pray in school if he so chooses?  Give me a break!  I DARE someone to interupt him!

Can you say hypocrites?


Now, as our Nat'l Anthem, The Star Spangled Banner, the first verse is usually the only verse you sing, however, Fracis Scott Key goes on to the fifth verse...

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto:  "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

 

http://wilstar.com/holidays/ssbanner.htm 

This is OUR National Anthem.  If the ACLU and other individuals don't like that, you can get out of this country. 

[werewolfx13]

I will NEVER swear on a bible in court. period. I'll let a mass murderer go free before I would swear on a bible. Its a hypocritic text written and rewritten by man, that alone is enough for me to want nothing to do with it.
An inmate in prison, imo, should be able to be interrupted during ANY activity. Prayer is no exception. Likewise on an extra blanket..you want a blanket to pray on? Drag the one off the bed. I'm all for *equally* upholding the separation of church and state. If you want to stand out on the street and pray, or sacrifice a live chicken, or call upon the spirits of the earth for guidance, by all means do so..Just don't expect everyone else to do the same.

Shoving a diety down people's throat is flat out unconstitutional. The word "God" on money, in the pledge, in the anthem, on a courthouse, on a state building of any kind, or forcing people to swear on a bible, is a direct violation of the separation of church and state. Thats nothing short of telling me "You must believe in God to live in this country" and to that, I fly a proud one finger salute on each hand, as the Constitution guarantees me the right to do so.

I'm not directing anything at anyone on here, I'm just adding my opinion. Agree with it or not, thats your right to decide just as its mine to have.

[Lt.Del]

Just don't expect everyone else to do the same.

I don't think that is the issue.  If one prays (after all, it is his right), that doesn't mean he wants everyone to pray and follow his lead.

The Bill of Rights demonstrate the rights people have.  However, talking about schools, my son has the "right" to pray as long as it is not interrupting anything else or him forcing it on anyone else.  This is his right.  He could care less if his classmate prays, just leave him alone.

Why the gov't says he can't do that is hyprocritical when the gov't says prisons must bend over backwards to allow all inmates their religious rights. 

[Captkaos]

The is treading on the agreements you signed and accept to join so keep is civil.  If at any time it gets elevated, say goodbye to the post and let it go....

By joining you agree, through your use of this forum, that you will not post any material which is false, defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, invasive of a person's privacy, adult material, or otherwise in violation of any International or United States Federal law.

Keep it civil or it will be removed. 

BTW, seperation of church and state isn't in the constitution..  How are they shoving diety down you throat if it is just something written somewhere, there is no established religion.  If you believe there is no deity since you are an athiest aren't they just putting words on paper that mean nothing.  I am guessing you are still going to use money and coins even though they have God written on it?  Is it just the Bible that is the big issue?  If you think it is just a book why do you have a problem swearing on it?  Would you have an issue swearing on a Satanic Bible, or an Buddist text?  What do you mean when you say the Bible is hypocritc text?  Have you read any doctrines?

[werewolfx13]

I agree that its hypocritical that they wont allow it in schools but bend over backwards for it in prisons, I don't care if somone wants to pray silently before school begins, or silently over lunch. My problem lies with those that want there to be a special time and/or place for them to pray in school, or tie up space that could be used for more appropriate school-related activities. I also have major issues with being required to teach "intellegent design", or forced NOT to teach evolution.

I use my debit card instead of carrying cash when I can, but I (we) have vertually no choice as far as having to use cash and coins, regardless of what they say on them. I suppose I could try to deal in furs or somthing, but I strangely don't think the gas station is gonna take coyote pelts for a tank of gas..well, maybe that one shop way outside of town...I swear I heard a Deliverance banjo when I drove by there the other day...

As for swearing on a bible..do you really want somone SWEARING on what to them is just a meaningless bundle of paper, as a binding statement of truth? A non-believer could make blatently false statements and not care, and could even argue that its NOT contempt, because that bible means nothing to them and there was no reason for them to be bound to truth by it. I wouldn't swear on any religious document, no matter what the religion, for this reason. I wouldn't lie under the circumstances, but not everyone is that honest. I think people should be made to swear on bodily pain instead of a book. "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, or else we'll beat you with a (insert goofy, but painful item to be beaten with here..ie, a waffle iron)" 

When I was in school, we were required to stand and repeat the pledge every morning..the only way to get out of it, was for your parents to fill out paperwork stating that your whole family is a member of "X religion" and it goes against your beliefs, yada yada yada. I was yelled at in eighth grade for purposely omitting the words "under God".

In my opinion, being forced to swear on a document that holds no meaning to me in court, under a God I do not believe in, and to trust a God I don't believe in, just to be able to live a somwhat-normal daily life, qualifies as having it shoved down my throat. Not to mention the slander that my Pagan/wiccan friends suffer, especially if they wear their pinnacle in public. When somone you know and care for very much, is threatened with bodily harm on an almost daily basis because of their spiritual beliefs, you start to see the worst in the offending group of people.

My biggest issue isn't with the bible, or most of its casual believers that honestly DON'T care what I believe..my distaste is with those with a completely closed mind, that won't accept that their beliefs could be wrong, and instead try to tell everyone that we should be taught intelligent design in school, and be strongly encouraged to believe in a higher power.

[Lt.Del]

Judging from your age (compared to me) you haven't been out of school very long.  I don't know if they are teaching intelligent design or not.  They didn't when I went to school.  There were more Science courses teaching evolution (ala:Darwin). Now if one pursues a Bachelor of Science degree, like I have, one sees Darwin all over the place.   

I guess it is all in what you study. I guess if you get a degree in religious studies, you get more of the intelligent design.   

The Scopes Monkey Trial (where they jailed a TN teacher, Mr. Scopes, for teaching evolution in the 20's) just isn't over yet...I doubt it ever will be.   

It all goes back to what your core beliefs are. I can read "Mein Kampf" and not really believe what Hitler believes.  The same goes for Karl Marx's "Communist Manifesto". I can read Betty Friedan's "Feminine Mystique" and not necessarily subscribe to Women's Lib.  You can read Darwin's "Origin of the Species" with the same apprehension if one so chooses. One can choose not to believe the Warren Commission on JFK's assasination if one so wishes. I could go on and on...

I guess the school's purpose is to give everyone a background of everything and take out of it what you will. 

[VileZambonie]

I personally don't feel that in today's USA people want to be told what to do or what to believe in. Most people go to church or believe in their own God because they were raised that way. Sort of like how one becomes the fan of a baseball team because his dad did. There's no better place to do that then in your Church or in your house. But when someone becomes their own person with different beliefs they absolutely shouldn't have to swear on bibles or pledge "under God" if they choose not too. Nobody should ever have another ones religious beliefs forced into their life if they chose not too. I never understood why people bang on your door and try to get you to believe what they believe. I don't want a Jahova, or any other person shoving their religion in my face. I don't have a problem with "In God we trust" on money and whatnot because it was created that way and I'm only looking at the numeric digit on mine anyway. I think it's inevitable that one day the pledge of allegiance will change or no longer be performed in public and that swearing on the bible will become swearing on something more legal, or that the "in God we trust" disappears off of $. I could care less either way

[Lt.Del]

Things have changed substantially since the English founding of this country.  In Jamestown, one had to attend church twice each day.  If they did not appear, they would be fined or punished harshly.  That was the law.

I am not too religious--I'd rather be attending the Church of Chevrolet on Sundays. 

However, I play devil's advocate (pardon the pun) on many issues.  There are points to every side.

[chevyguy5894]

To me this country was founded on the belief of being free and to me "In God We Trust" and other items that are biblical is what made this country great. To me its not the sense that its part of the bible or whatever its apart of our freedom. You dont have to believe in God to believe in freedom. People lately have been worried to much about well theres God in the Pledge and different biblical sayings on buildings that been there for 100's of years. To me we should be worried about immigration and our economy because it seems like its going down hill. To me there are to many other problems besides people getting offended by something thats been part of our country for along time. To me I reference the Pledge to our freedom as I see other things. I could be wrong but thats just me. 

[okuma]

WOW! I didn't think this would become that detailed .... my personally i do not like being lectured on anyones else beliefs..... every mind is a different world. I don't judge any religion everybody has their own belief how each and everybody was raised up..... just please do not try to shove any opinions/beliefs on my face of my families....

[Lt.Del]

I was just watching the news (as depressing as that is nowadays).
They referred to the long-standing practice of the flag folding at military funerals.
As it always has been, at a funeral for a military deceased, either active or veteran, the flag draped over the casket goes to the next of kin after it is folded 13 times by the military in a way that only the blue and stars are present in the triangle.

Well, those 13 fold are representative of 13 things.  The 11th and 12th folds represent Judaism and Christianity, respectively.

Well, of course someone called on the military to stop that practice.  For a small period of time, all Federal cemetaries and funeral functions halted that practice. What!!
Your dad or son just died in war and the long-time practice at the funeral has been halted!???

All because one person didn't like it, that one person who isn't even related to you and you don't even know that one person.  But our great gov't got scared and bowed down.  They stopped the practice!

It wasn't until the White House got involved and VP Cheney was instructed to order it to continue.   Now, the officials must ask if they want the 13 fold representations cited or not. Well, this is better than just not doing the practice because of one person cried about it.

My dad was wounded three times in Vietnam and wishes to be buried at Arlington.  I am gathering information now on that, even though he has a while to go.  I want his ceremony to be just like his fallen comrades before him. He has been lucky enough to survive them, but why should his ceremony be any different than those who passed before him?  Just because one person didn't like it?  That one guy doesn't have to attend my father's funeral(and i hope he doesn't).  He can close his freakin eyes if he wishes. 
What's wrong America? GEEZE

[ccz145a]

Amen, sgt.

[werewolfx13]

I'd never heard about the reasons for the 13 folds, but I can complete them with my eyes closed. I wish everyone voluntarily took as much care in the treatment of the American flag as I was taught to do so by my first Boy Scout leader. It truely saddens me to see the Flag flying in the rain, or at night without being properly lit. And the number of places that fly a tattered Flag, well past its due time of ceremonial retirement, is infuriating. I caught the maintainance staff of the local Wal-Mart about to throw their two Flags in the trash when they DID finally replace them, after flying them for over 5 years straight regardless of the weather, and unlit at night. I asked them to give both flags to me so I could properly retire them, which prompted them to call a manager, and I had to argue with him for 10 minutes to get him to let me take them.