PhillyKev 0 #101 March 25, 2004 You have a good point. The constitutioin (paraphrased) says that the federal gov't shall not establish laws advocating one religion over another. However, there aren't any federal compulsory school attendance laws. On the other hand, it was an act of the federal government to change the pledge to include god. So, in my opinion, there's nothing wrong with schools forcing kids to say the pledge even though it has god in it. But, it was wrong to add god to the pledge in the first place. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhillyKev 0 #102 March 25, 2004 Not in the constitution, but... "Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith and worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people that declared that their Congress should make no laws respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; thus building a wall of separation between Church & State." -Thomas Jefferson Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightingale 0 #103 March 25, 2004 every state has a law requiring school attendance. therefore the government is requiring them to attend school, and the school is requiring them to say the pledge. Individual states cannot pass laws that supercede the constitution. States are bound by federal guidelines. If the federal law says you can't put up one religion over another, or religion itself up over non-religion (which has been the supreme court's interpretation of the bill of rights), states can't do it either. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kennedy 0 #104 March 25, 2004 Yeah, but everyone else here has said that what the founding fathers said is worthless today. I agree that they should be listened to, but that's you and me against them. All TJ is saying is that the text stating "Congress should make no laws respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" IS the wall. That means we don't need a higher/bigger/better wall. Just a wall that stops congress from acting. We don't need a wall keeping all aspects of religion out of the public eye.witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1* Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrunkMonkey 0 #105 March 25, 2004 Quote We don't need a wall keeping all aspects of religion out of the public eye. Problem is fire-breathing zealot asshats like Pat Buchanan insist that "religion" somehow means "Protestant Born-Agains with the need to shit on others' beliefs." See the "Marklar" episode of South Park. They're the ones causing most to advocate limiting religion in govt. In order to restrain them, we need to restrain all... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,026 #106 March 25, 2004 Quotepeople place way too much importance on "in god we trust" and way too little on "E Pluribus Unium" my latin is pretty shitty(read non existant) but the concept is so much more what America is about then anything to do with god(s) oh and our money is on the "world standard" not the "Gold standard" hasn't been gold for a long long time, notes called silver certificates once could have been changed for a specific amount of sliver (or gold for the larger bills) but those bills aren't currency anymore. On the back of the $1 bill it says very clearly "Novus Ordo Seclorum"... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
12bhi 0 #107 March 25, 2004 How about, "One Nation Under Satan".That seems more reasonable to me. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightingale 0 #108 March 25, 2004 my latin's a little rusty... new order of ages? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,026 #109 March 25, 2004 Quotemy latin's a little rusty... new order of ages? yes - the age of Saturn, a clear reference to a pagan deity (it's from the fourth eclogue of Vergil).... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightingale 0 #110 March 25, 2004 thanks. I took Latin my entire undergrad career, but as I finished my BA in 1999, I'm a bit rusty. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
3ringheathen 0 #111 March 26, 2004 Quote everyone else here has said that what the founding fathers said is worthless today. I don't recall saying any such thing. -Josh If you have time to panic, you have time to do something more productive. -Me* *Ron has accused me of plagiarizing this quote. He attributes it to Douglas Adams. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites