WILL GOD BE BANNED?
One nation, under God. That's the diminutive phrase that got a California atheist so nervous he filed a suit so that his daughter would not be compelled to repeat the phrase at her California school. Incredibly, the case got so far as the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals where a panel of judges actually agreed that "under God" is a violation of the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution. It still astonishes me that we have arrived at a point in our nation's history that the mere mention of God's name - something our Founders recurrently did as they established this religiously influenced nation - is now seen as inappropriate and downright wrong. Now, the U.S. Supreme Court has accepted a Justice Department appeal, agreeing to take on the case, giving hope to the majority of Americans that this simple, yet powerful, phrase will remain in the Pledge of Allegiance. As I reported last year, the entire argument made by Michael Newdow - the atheist who brought suit against the Pledge - was bogus from the onset. Mr. Newdow claimed that his nine-year-old daughter (at the time) was offended because she was required to make reference to God at school. This was patently false. When one of my staff members spoke with the girl's mother in California, she explained that her daughter actually loved to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in her Elk Grove school. She also said that the little girl was an active member of her church and a professing Christian - hardly the rigid atheist her father portrayed her to be. But the truth rarely matters to those who want to purge the public square of time-honored religious phrases that have been embraced by our nation's leaders throughout history. Nevertheless, the 9th Circuit, in a shameful decision yielding to secular social trends and political correctness, found that God has no place in the Pledge of Allegiance. School children, the court deemed, should function in a Godless classroom devoid of any spiritual influence. Those who respect the role of the Almighty in our nation's founding are praying that the Supreme Court will determine that this small phrase - under God - is not found to be an establishment of religion, but rather a simple and respectful acknowledgment that God does indeed rule in the affairs of men. "We are committed to stand up to the outrageous decision by the Ninth Circuit," said Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute, a Citrus Heights, Calif.-based religious freedom organization, one of many groups that will petition the Court in defense of the Pledge. "We are already in the process of preparing to file a brief that will make it very clear to the majority of the Supreme Court that the mention of the word 'God' in the Pledge of Allegiance is not a violation of the Constitution." Jay Sekulow at the Virginia Beach-based American Center for Law and Justice will also file a brief favoring the Pledge, representing 33 members of Congress in so doing. Mr. Sekulow said the phrase "one nation, under God" is a "constitutionally-protected patriotic expression - not a blatant affirmation of a particular faith." He added, "The Pledge is part of an American tapestry of time-honored and historically significant traditions that has come under attack. This case represents an important opportunity to put a halt to a national effort aimed at removing any religious phrase or reference from our culture. ... We're hopeful the court will bring some clarity to this murky legal issue and protect the freedom of our nation's students who wish to voluntarily recite the complete and uncensored Pledge of Allegiance in school." Many others will join the fight, including the 2.8 million member American Legion and a host of other civic-minded groups. Sadly, Justice Antonin Scalia - whom I believe to be the Court's most discerning justice - will not participate in the appeal because he earlier issued a blistering denouncement of the 9th Circuit's ruling. Even without his wise influence, I believe the Court will understand the significance of briefly recognizing God in a public forum such as a public school classroom. Please join me in praying that the Court will uphold the right of the people to publicly identify God as a significant part of our history and our present society. ________________________________ Changes to your subscription (unsubs, nomail, digest) can be made by going to http://sandboxmail.net/mailman/listinfo/sndbox_sandboxmail.net
