Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The pledge isn't isn't much different than forced prayer, to me.
That's fine, but pledging allegiance to a nation is not praying to a deity. Two different things. Adding the phrase in the fifties does not make it a prayer. Indeed, praying to a nation would be blasphemous.
It is quite relevant because if one is a Christian then one does not pray to any other God. It doesn't matter if it was religiously motivated or not. The fact is that not one any person in a school should not be expected to say the word Allah.
Then under the same logic, no one should ever be expected to say the word 'God'. Therefore, the phrase should be removed, or the pledge abandoned. In addition it seems odd that you would accuse Arabic speaking Christians of idolatry. They are playing to the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, the Triune God born of a virgin who sacrificed himself for the sin of man, and they use the word "Allah". It is a word, merely a word...
Quote:
Originally Posted by MORebelWoman
Do you even understand how the words "Under God" became to be part of the pledge? It was added in 1954 because of the furor of communism and to show the world that we were a Christian nation. Sorry, but that is history and the facts.
I do understand, it was a slap at communism, but we are not now, nor have we ever been, a Christian nation. The first amendment explicitly rejects this idea. Currently the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the language can remain in the pledge because it is "ceremonial and patriotic" and not an establishment of religion. If you want to make it about specific religious belief, then the phrase has no legal protection. In addition, those who object to non-english words can do what Jehovah's Witnesses, Atheists and others have had to do for decades, and simply refrain from reciting the pledge. The "God" in the pledge cannot refer explicitly to a specific concept of God, or it is an establishment of religion.
That's fine, but pledging allegiance to a nation is not praying to a deity. Two different things. Adding the phrase in the fifties does not make it a prayer. Indeed, praying to a nation would be blasphemous.
If it is not a prayer, an appeal to a deity, then we can get rid of that part or change it without affecting the pledge in a meaningful way. I am ok with that, but others on this thread want it to be a prayer, except when challenged on establishment grounds, then it becomes purely a-religious... If it is a religious appeal, then it should not be allowed. If it isn't then there is no reason not to use "Allah", it is just a word...
All these people who think that God shouldn't be mentioned in Arabic must be opposed to all the Arab Christians in the world, which means that it is really a race issue, not a religious one.
Some people can't stand Arabs of any religion and don't want them mentioning 'their' God.
Seeing as the Bible was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic if you want to get technical about words, only the words Elohim, Theos, and Alaha should be used.
All these people who think that God shouldn't be mentioned in Arabic must be opposed to all the Arab Christians in the world, which means that it is really a race issue, not a religious one.
Some people can't stand Arabs of any religion and don't want them mentioning 'their' God.
This reminds me of an old quote, which can't be repeated enough:
"You can safely assume you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do."
Do you even understand how the words "Under God" became to be part of the pledge? It was added in 1954 because of the furor of communism and to show the world that we were a Christian nation. Sorry, but that is history and the facts.
You just admitted that this was an intentional choice to violate the First Amendment.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
