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I am bored, so when I am bored I generally go on myspace Atheist groups [since fubar do not have forums and things like that] and was talking about politics with a few fellow Atheist, and a few “secular Christian” meaning they believe in god and Jesus Christ yet have no use for churches and things of that nature.
Well the forum itself was rather slow so a fellow Atheist and one Christian and I started talking through private messages, well anyway when speaking of public schools I just decided to blog…so from here on out is just what I decided to blog for here to get responses from, Atheist or Theist [during My last belief blog, seemed most of the people I spoke to daily were Atheist so I am sure it will be mostly them weighing in.
Well let us start with schools, thanks to the landmark case mentioned below, school prayer and bible reading/preaching was outlawed in public schools as it violated our constitutional rights of separation of church and state.
Edward shempp, a Unitarian Universalist, was quite bothered that the school his daughter Donna went to made her read pieces of the bible as apart of their education. He then filed suit saying this violated the practice of his faith, and thus was unconstitutional for a public school to do so, in this the followed land mark case ensued.
Shempp was unsuccessful in his case. Because the law of that time, (24 Pa. Stat. 15-1516, as amended, Pub. Law 1928) said that schools were required to read from the bible each day at the opening of school, without comments or interruptions. What followed was Murray v Curlett which was combined with Shempp’s case and went onto the Supreme Court for appeal.
What made Murray’s case stand out was that he was the son of a well known Atheist, Madalyn Murray-O’hair (April 13, 1919 – September 29, 1995), who was the founder of the American Atheist organization which promotes the upholding of the separation of church and state as mandated by the constitution. As well as whose group has been in defense of the civil liberties of Atheist since it was opened in 1963.
Case:
In the landmark case Abington Township School District v. Schempp (consolidated to Murray v. Curlett) The United states supreme court in a 8-1 favor that bible readings in public schools in the United States is unconstitutional and thus doing this is of course going against the constitution of the United States of America.
Thus bible reading, school prayers, and things of this nature were then outlawed from public schools, Article six of the U.S constitution states “no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States”. Therefore public schools being a public trust, religion, particularly Christianity could not force their beliefs on the public whom were of a mixed religious background, and Atheist.
Touching on a quote from an ex-U.S. President George H.W. Bush, in a sort of impromptu interview when he was campaigning for presidency, the following took place outside of O’Hare Airport, on August 27, 1987. The Reporter is Robert I. Sherman who was the reporter for the American Atheist Organization.
When George Bush was campaigning for the presidency, as incumbent vice-president, one of his stops was in Chicago, Illinois, on August 27, 1987. At O'Hare Airport he held a formal outdoor news conference. There Robert I. Sherman, a reporter for the American Atheist news journal, fully accredited by the state of Illinois and by invitation a participating member of the press corps covering the national candidates, had the following exchange with then-Vice-President Bush.
Sherman: What will you do to win the votes of the Americans who are atheists?
Bush: I guess I'm pretty weak in the atheist community. Faith in God is important to me.
Sherman: Surely you recognize the equal citizenship and patriotism of Americans who are atheists?
Bush: No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.
Sherman (somewhat taken aback): Do you support as a sound constitutional principle the separation of state and church?
Bush: Yes, I support the separation of church and state. I'm just not very high on atheists.
But between this exchange of words, I more so want to quote just one thing he said.
Quote from George H.W. Bush
“I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.”
So Atheist can live, fight and die for the nation they love, but unless they accept your god they are not patriots.
While I know the intelligence of George H.W. Bush is limited, surely the guy knows that the ORIGINAL pledge of Allegiance did not even mention god, we were “one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”. Under god was not even added until 1954, and it was not until 1957 when “IN GOD WE TRUST” was put on the United States currency before that it was just U.S. Currency.
On October 29, 1988, Mr. Sherman had a confrontation with Ed Murnane, cochairman of the Bush-Quayle '88 Illinois campaign. This concerned a lawsuit Mr. Sherman had filed to stop the Community Consolidated School District 21 (Chicago, Illinois, suburb) from forcing his first-grade atheist son to pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States "one nation under God" (Bush's phrase). The following conversation took place.
Sherman: American Atheists filed the Pledge of Allegiance lawsuit yesterday. Does the Bush campaign have an official response to this filing?
Murnane: It's bullshit.
Sherman: What is bullshit?
Murnane: Everything that American Atheists does, Rob, is bullshit.
Sherman: Thank you for telling me what the official position of the Bush campaign is on this issue.
Murnane: You're welcome
This issue I personally had with this is if the shoes had been on the other foot and it was a Democrat in lieu basically calling the constitutions mandate, of separation of church and state bullshit, he would have been attacked on the front of every paper and his campaign would have been over. The issue with the constitution is that it is not followed and as such continuous civil rights are continuously violated.
"On December 23, 1990, in Chicago, Illinois Mr. Robert Sherman met with Ed Derwinski, the secretary of the Department of Veteran's Affairs, to discuss exclusion of American Atheists from veteran's groups which have been chartered by the United States Congress. Mr. Derwinski said he would do "absolutely nothing" about the discrimination. On January 3, Mr. Sherman crossed paths with Ed Derwinski again at the Illinois inaugurations. He asked Mr. Derwinski, at that time, what American Atheists could do to have the Bush administration take an interest in the problem of discrimination against American Atheist veterans. Mr. Derwinski's response was
“What you should do for me is what you should do for everybody: Believe in God. Get off our backs”:"
Public officials who say you must follow our god or your rights will not be respected should be kicked out of office for violation of United States Constitution, which states no one shall be persecuted because of their religious beliefs, or lack there and no one shall have their rights taken away because of the formerly mentioned.
Okay I suppose I can move on to the exact point of this blog post,
What I am wondering is why after nearly 5 decades [50 years] of separation of church and state do we still allow this “accepted violation” to still take place in this country.
I shall touch back on the Bush statement, “on nation under god” that is not the ORIGINAL text of the pledge of allegiance which states “one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” this TRULY includes all citizens, it does not separate by race, religion, or any of the other “issues” that generally are used to separate people in this country.
In the adding of “under god” this is in violation to the constitution, which prohibits religious text, and beliefs to influence state/country text. And since the supreme court already upheld that reciting religious text in public buildings is in violation of the constitutional rights of Atheist, Agnostic, spiritualist and millions of Americans who do not follow dogmatic religions. So My question is why after 50 years we have still not place the pledge of allegiance back to its original text which truly incorporated ALL Americans, not just the religious ones.
On this same line, discussing the money, “in god we trust” was placed on our money in 1957, and it has been nearly 6 decades since this and we still have not put the money back to its original state before this was placed on the money. Which is, yet again, in violation of the constitution of the United States of America; which states that there should be a separation of church and state. In putting or even mentioning “god” in an official capacity on things such as the pledge of allegiance, currency which are for the public use, and are “created” by the government is in direct violation of the constitutional rights of millions of Americans.
While I know, or suspect there are some religious people who will read this, and by religious I am referring to main stream faiths who follows the “one god dogma”, and will have no issue with the whole “one nation under god” or the “in god we trust” on the currency. I am more so speaking to the Atheist, Agnostics, and people of faiths that do not subscribe to the one god dogmatic belief.
I suppose I am asking, after nearly six decades since the supreme court has held it is unconstitutional for religious beliefs be basically shoved on the public, be it in public schools, public business, and things of this nature, why has it taken them so long to put back both the pledge of allegiance, as well as the currency back in its original state, so that it truly represents all Americans, not just the ones in which prescribe to their belief. Shall also remind those that claim to love the constitution that exclusivity for religious, or lack there of groups of people is a direct violation of the First Amendment, freedom of religion.
Cannot be free of religion, if in the very fabrics of the oath of allegiance and the currency now have your religion shoved down the throats of the people.
I am sure by now it is no secret that I am an Atheist, I am not Anti-religion, believe in whatever you want, I do not really care. Yet I do not want your beliefs constantly shoved in My face at every corner I turn.
