Justices are set on Wednesday to hear and determine whether to allow city councils begin their meetings with explicitly Christian prayers. The main bone of contention is to whether at the beginning of a meeting, prayers should be invoked or not.…
Kennedy, John F. “Speech to The Greater Houston Ministerial Association at the Rice Hotel in…
However, a dispassionate examination proves that the words “under god” neither establish a national religion nor prefer one faith to another. The phrase “under god” merely alludes to a non-denominational, universal divine presence, benevolent and compassionate to all humankind and not just United States and therefore, is a unifying instead of divisive force. It is neutral and does not refer to a specific fanatical, regional, communal, and sectarian deity. Besides, various ethnic designations of God are simply names of God in those languages. Therefore, the phrase “under god” does not violate the establishment of freedom of religion found in the first…
When they added the phrase “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance, it struck a controversy. Which some people argued it violates their First Amendment. But the phrase reflects America’s civic culture and it isn’t necessarily a religious statement. Though, people has the right to say the Pledge omitting the phrase, thus not violating their freedom of religion.…
Most people don't realize the phrase "under God" wasn't included until Flag Day in 1954 60 years ago today .Fighters say/argue that church and state should be kept strictly separate as the Founding Fathers meant. The theory in the pledge argues that the United States is a Christian nation, at least 80% of Americans support the phrase. The language reflects America’s civic culture and is not a religious statement. Almost all reported text from the speech include "that the nation shall, under God, have a new birth of freedom.”Abraham Lincoln used the same phrase in his Gettysburg Address.…
Romney believes the phrase should remain, because it refers to a time in American history where religion was very important, and most people were religious. Furthermore “under God” denotes any God, which goes back to the concept of religious freedom with Thomas Jefferson. It also demonstrates the strength of religion as an American value. Since the Pledge is about the American Flag, it must reflect all of America and its foundations; America was founded on the basis of religion so there’s nothing wrong with mentioning God in the Pledge of Allegiance. Romney feels similarly about the debate over removing God from American money. Romney expressed his feelings about these debates with the quote; “We should acknowledge the Creator as did our Founders – in ceremony and word. He should remain our – on our currency, in our Pledge, in the teaching of our history” (Romney). The debate about “under God” and the wording of the Pledge ties into the overarching concept of what it means to be an…
“Atheist Michael Newdow brought a case before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. He sued on behalf of his daughter to remove the words "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance, which violated Newdow's belief system...The case was dismissed, but it sparked a debate from individual households to the highest levels of government,” (Introduction to Do Religious Groups in America Experience Discrimination). In the year of 2016, the population of different religions grew, even non religious ones, like atheism, deism, and agnosticism. With the consequences like Michael Newdows, it makes the Pledge of Allegiance or the motto of the US, “in God we trust unfair and isn’t following the First Amendment of freedom of religion. ,” “The balance between the First Amendment and the idea of separation of church and state has been a topic of debate since the founding of the United States,” (Introduction to Do Religious Groups in America Experience Discrimination). There have been many fights and debates whether to include the Church with the State (US), or just let the First Amendment be. Some citizens in the US believe that the Church and State are separate, with all the diversity of people, but surprisingly the Church still holds on to the…
One of the arguments used by opponents of gay marriage is that the Christian Bible defines marriage to be between one woman and one man, and that “God” forbids homosexual acts, and therefore, opposes gay marriage. But isn’t deferring to the Bible or Christian ideology or any religious ideology to justify state legislation a violation of the Constitutional tenet of the separation of church and state? I believe it is. I believe the separation of church and state protects the rights of all who choose to practice their chosen religion as well as the rights of all those who choose not to practice any religion; therefore, one cannot cite religious beliefs to deny or allow gays the right to marriage.…
"Politics makes strange bedfellows",1 Never have there been two more inappropriate, yet understandable bedfellows than religion and politics. Both of these great forces in our lives, at least on the surface, claim to be about us or for us, and certainly necessary for a better life for all. Genuinely though, both of these institutions have become to be about power and control: for these reasons alone they try and lie together, but for these same reasons as well as for our true betterment the American populace is far better off when they are separated. The wise men who laid the foundation of this nation, knew this; they knew the individual freedoms they sought for themselves, and all Americans who were to come, depended on, among other things, these two powerful and controlling forces being barred from creating an unholy alliance.…
Throughout history, this topic has generated much of controversy. Ancient history is full of examples of the state or governing authorities interfering with religion. There were rulers or kings that assumed various “priestly” titles, like the “temporal” titles that their offices command. An example of such state-church mixing and melding, led to the execution of Socrates, for his disrespect for the gods( in Biblical times, like kings of Israel were anointed by Priests, as a sign of God’s approval. This is why separation of church and state is bad for America. For centuries, Monarchs ruled by the idea of divine right. This later metamorphosed into monarchs ruling over church’s administration in a way. There was this catholic doctrine that the Pope, as Vicar of Christ on earth, should have authority over the church on earth and indirectly over the state. This led to claims in the middle ages that the pope has authority to depose Catholic kings and they did try to exercise this authority. Thus in the medieval times in western world, monarch who ruled in secular world tend to encroach on the church’s rule of the spiritual sphere. This led to power struggles and crises. In the 1530s, Henry VIII, rejected the annulment of his marriage with Catherine of Aragon by the Pope. He consequently, formed the Church of England (Anglican Church) and set himself as the ruler of the new church, thus ending the separation that had existed between the church and the state of England. From that period on, the Monarchs of Great Britain have retained ecclesiastic authority in the Church of England with the title Supreme Governor of the Church of England. This eventually led to anti-Catholicism and others who were against The church of England, subsequently religious persecution. One of the results of the persecution was that some fled Great Britain in hopes of religious freedom to the American colonies.…
There is a growing problem within this country. A large group of Americans are set on legislating personal choice and freedoms, rather then leave them with the individuals who they affect. The problem is the Religious right in this country. The conservatists is this country, currently control the government in this country. They got President Bush elected, and now keeping them happy is his primary goal when running the country. The founding fathers started out our country on the premise that church and state are separate, but if you witness any of the speeches by our president, there will be no doubt. In a speech dated 9-20-01 Pres bush said "Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been at war, and we know that God is not neutral between them." When justifying the countries war on terrorism. He has also urged Americans to call to god and pray on occasions. This is clearly not separating church and state. Today we are going to look at the problem with the religious right, how they got to be so prevalent is politics today, and what we can do to restore our individual freedoms.…
Religion has been a topic of discussion for a while. On whether it should be in schools, or on public property, or, for our cause, whether it should be part of the government. To be more clear, we’re for the use of religious views (to an extent) in governmental decision and/or regulation. Now, one might think that introducing religion in politics is a bad idea, but without really researching on the subject, one could easily think anything. Just look at the facts; congress can use religion to get people to agree on something that will help the U.S. as a country, certain religions provide mental limitations that keep people from breaking the law, and religion helps people look at the better side of things and be less hostile.…
The First Amendment states “congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” This means that church and state are separate when it comes to law making. Creating laws based on religion is in clear violation of this amendment, yet religious intonations saturate this issue. For this reason, it is imperative that individuals must address and separate these religious aspects from the situation in order to provide an impartial and thorough view of the issue.…
On January 20th 2009 President Barack Obama shocked a myriad of Republican Conservatives when he stated in his inauguration address that the United States was not a “Christian nation or a Jewish nation or Muslim nation” but a “nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values.” This declaration proved to be the first time a newly elected President considered the “non-believer” audience in his inauguration address. It is curious that nearly 230 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence a President would mention “non-believers” in his inauguration speech for the first time in history. Wasn’t it established in the Constitution, nearly 220 years ago, that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”?…
As a result, the idea that the "separation of Church and state" should force us to exclude our religious beliefs from guiding our political behaviour makes no sense at all, even superficially. If we…