Quote:
Originally posted by Kalis Enigma
In 1954, post McCarthy era "Red craze," when communists were seen hidden under every rock and in every person who was considered "unpatriotic", the Knights of Columbus began a modern day crusade. It was through their efforts that "under God" was added. Read the story in their own words in this PDF document on their web site K of C story of the Pledge
http://www.kofc.org/about/activities...nvolvement.cfm
(The story as about 1/2 way down the page).
There are groups attempting to restore the original Pledge. Among these is the Pledge Restoration Project.
This is a good site with a lot of links, information and history.
http://65.18.154.108/The_Pledge/the_pledge.html
I support restoring the pledge because children ARE punished and ostracised for NOT saying it. My kids were denied breakfast and lunch at school and harrassed by staff for not saying the pledge. I have my own case filed with my local ACLU office in case the school starts up again.
Our reasons for NOT saying the pledge are not purely religious. They are also tied to the fact that the K of C made the push to get the words "under God" added. The K of C honors a man that nearly wiped out an entire race. What are we teaching our children when we tell them Columbus is a hero? That murder is ok...
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Now for that you have a very strong case. I do not think a school has the right to dictate what you can or cannot say (provided it is not vulgar and inciteful). In essence the school has taken your children's 1st amendment to free speech away and that is wrong.
Quote:
Originally posted by DelayedReaction
I regret to inform that there are a significant number of people in this world who do not have a monotheistic belief system, and those people do not deserve to be ostracized. Having "under God" in the pledge ostracizes those people, and is an example of the government respecting the practice of a specific form of belief.
I personally am agnostic. I do not have anti-religious agenda, I just want everyone to be treated equally.
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I too want ALL treated equally, and therefore my stand to end the idiocies going on.
We cannot change history, Columbus did what he thought was right at the time, Puritans burning witches, slave owners did what they thought right at the time, Prohibitionists, McCarthy and so on, all did what they believed was best for their community at their time. I cannot condemn people in the past for doing what they believed and what the masses allowed to happen, because I was not there and they do not know what we know today as far as right from wrong.
It is easy to condemn anyone in history, but unless you were there, subject to exactly the education and beliefs they were, who knows what they would have truly done then?
Anyway, sorry for the change in topic and the ranting...... but I am the Mad Heretic afterall and being such I cannot allow myself to make too much sense.