Church & State: (Not) A Love Story
Fuck yeah.
Though I might just be considered spiteful for even considering thinking the thought, but why exactly does the Unites States pledge of allegiance even reference God if there's supposed to be this defined seperation of Church and State? I know, I know, I fall back to this all too often, but shouldn't that just kinda be... Common sense? Or rather, should I say, why is it still there? A little backtracking and researching easily shows that the mention of God was not, in fact, in the original edition. The Pledge of Allegiance, written by Francis Bellamy in 1892, was actually quite a bit shorter than our current version and as mentioned, refrained from religious involvement. For that addition, we have good ol' Abe to thank.
Take notes.
Sort of... It was actually added by Louis A. Bowman in 1948 referencing Lincoln's (not actually a vampire hunter) Gettysburg Address, although it wasn't successfully ammended until 1954 by the stalwart aggression of George MacPherson Docherty. There's more story there, like Eisenhower straight up blatantly bitch slapping it into place, but there's a more important fact here. Thomas Jefferson, though a dick he may have been, even frequently emphasized that religion and government were meant to be seperate. Though the exact words "seperation of church and state" aren't in the Constitution, it wasn't exactly a rare subject. It's simple enough to look back and see that our forefathers weren't too keen on the idea of the United States being a religion dependent country.
This stretches further than just the Pledge of Allegiance however. How often is it that some brown-nosing politician stands up and yells "God Bless America!" or something close to? God Bless America, God Bless America. It's all you hear from every President ever since open minds died off in politics. The worst part is, they probably feel like they have to. I'm not trying to disrespect religion, even Christianity (though that's the focus today), but seriously. I know I'm not the only one that rolls their eyes at the President's closing statements, or refused to say the Pledge of Allegiance because of a few words that were never meant to be there in the first place. For that matter, the pledge itself seems like a silly thing really. It's not like it goes back to the very roots of the country.
Sure, perhaps I have a bone to pick when it comes to religion. But as my previous article points out, I was born and raised in the wonderful "Bible Belt". That means I was subject to more than a fair share of discrimination and cruelty just for being too logical to accept blind faith without facts. I will, however, always emphasize that it's not about my quarrels or grudges long past. I'm far beyond those days where classrooms turned against me for refusing to say the pledge.
The Class of 2005.
If this country hadn't gone through some kind of "religious rebirth" in the eyes of one too many holy-stricken men with vendettas, it wouldn't be an issue at all. And if anyone of the era had thought well enough to say "Hey wait a minute..." and respect, hell even stop to THINK about the wisdom of our forefathers, perhaps the good ol' Unites States of Amur'ca wouldn't be in the shitter right now. That doesn't just mean religion. It means wake the fuck up, get your head out of your ass, and have some common fucking sense. It's time to realize that this emphasize on religion just doesn't work. It never does. Take a look at religious surveys around the world, or for that matter just a glance at the news. Holy wars take lives. They always have, they always will. Embrace your beliefs, and share them with like minds if you wish. But know that the importance of what you believe is in your heart. Not what you can force into the heads of others.
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