Pledge of Allegiance: Unconstitutional.

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kogase

Diamond Member
Sep 8, 2004
5,213
0
0
Originally posted by: FuzzyBee
Originally posted by: Legend
Well, then, they were forced to stand up, not forced to say the pledge.

As if that somehow justifies sh1tting all of over the constitution and human rights.

*standing* is a violation of your constitutional rights?

Standing is a sign of respect (for example, standing when somebody enters a room). When I entered middle school things improved dramatically. A kid in my homeroom class was a Muslim, and he was allowed to not recite the pledge, as long as he stood for it.
 

zendari

Banned
May 27, 2005
6,558
0
0
Originally posted by: kogase

Standing is a sign of respect (for example, standing when somebody enters a room). When I entered middle school things improved dramatically. A kid in my homeroom class was a Muslim, and he was allowed to not recite the pledge, as long as he stood for it.

You don't respect the flag?
 

PELarson

Platinum Member
Mar 27, 2001
2,289
0
0
Originally posted by: Hafen
Originally posted by: marvdmartian
Its a problem if you don't worship the Christian gawd

No, it's a problem if you ASSUME it means the Christian god. Could mean Zeus, couldn't it? Honestly, everyone but atheists believe in some sort of a benevolent entity, and assigning a generic term of GOD doesn't make it Christian. If you used a more specific term, then you'd have a case.

Funny thing, tho......you take just about anyone that says they don't believe in the big GOD, or says they believe in something else......put them in a supremely stressful situation.......and see just how many "nonbelievers" start either praying to the god they don't believe in, or cussing him (her? it??) out!! :roll:

I personally don't care either way what they do with it. I learned it with "under God", and that's the way I'll always think of it. Perhaps the better solution for this country would be to stop trying to legislate and lawsuit everything to death?? :thumbsup:



I'm Nordic, so I want it changed to either "Under Gods" or preferably "Under Odin". And it only should be recited on Wednesdays. You monotheists can shove it UYA.

Thor was greater than his father so it should only be recited on Thursday.
 

sunzt

Diamond Member
Nov 27, 2003
3,076
3
81
I remember in my senior year of high school that one morning my friend and I were standing up to recite the pledge. I always recited it, mostly not to stir up any trouble (but i always felt somewhat hesitant when the god part came up).

Anyway, my friend never recited it and he just stands. However, eventually out teacher, a war vet, confronted him about it and gave my friend the shpeel about honoring all the vets and fighters. My friend i think said that he wasn't trying to instigate anything or disrespect people, he just didn't want to say the pledge for his own personal reasons ( i forget what they were). So eventually things got heated up and my teacher got pissed and eventually my friend recited the pledge mostly to stay on my teacher's good side.

So I guess my friend had incentive to recite the pledge to avoid getting a lower grade.
 

Crono

Lifer
Aug 8, 2001
23,720
1,502
136
I'm against the words "i pledge allegience, to the flag...". Maybe I should whine about it to the Supreme court.
 

Bitek

Lifer
Aug 2, 2001
10,676
5,239
136
I've never said the "under God" part, as far back as 4th grade and I never got in trouble bc of it.
 

piasabird

Lifer
Feb 6, 2002
17,168
60
91
Just because you feel something is unconstitutional, it does not make it so. Frankly, I dont care what you or anyone beleives or if you or anyone else ever says the pledge of alegience. I just dont care. If you feel so strongly go to California or whereever and protest. I dont think anyone can force any person in this country to say anything they dont want to say. Maybe in a courtroom the judge can demand you answer a question, but you can still opt to go to jail instead.
 

kogase

Diamond Member
Sep 8, 2004
5,213
0
0
Originally posted by: zendari
Originally posted by: kogase

Standing is a sign of respect (for example, standing when somebody enters a room). When I entered middle school things improved dramatically. A kid in my homeroom class was a Muslim, and he was allowed to not recite the pledge, as long as he stood for it.

You don't respect the flag?

Whether I do or not is irrelevant. This is about the word "God".
 

ExpertNovice

Senior member
Mar 4, 2005
939
0
0
Originally posted by: Darkhawk28
Originally posted by: zendari
Originally posted by: Darkhawk28
Originally posted by: chambersc
AP: Federal judge in San Francisco declares it unconstitutional to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools. Details soon.

Ok, so as far as I understand it the ruling applies to those 3-4 states that that court rules over. This will go to the USSC and be decided there, once and for all.

It's the "Under God" part that was added in 1953 that is the problem I bet.

It has the word "under god"? Oh noes!

Is it neccessary? Take it out.



What do you have against the word "under?" :) Darn underphobes.
 

Bitek

Lifer
Aug 2, 2001
10,676
5,239
136
Originally posted by: PELarson
Originally posted by: Hafen
Originally posted by: marvdmartian
Its a problem if you don't worship the Christian gawd

No, it's a problem if you ASSUME it means the Christian god. Could mean Zeus, couldn't it? Honestly, everyone but atheists believe in some sort of a benevolent entity, and assigning a generic term of GOD doesn't make it Christian. If you used a more specific term, then you'd have a case.

Funny thing, tho......you take just about anyone that says they don't believe in the big GOD, or says they believe in something else......put them in a supremely stressful situation.......and see just how many "nonbelievers" start either praying to the god they don't believe in, or cussing him (her? it??) out!! :roll:

I personally don't care either way what they do with it. I learned it with "under God", and that's the way I'll always think of it. Perhaps the better solution for this country would be to stop trying to legislate and lawsuit everything to death?? :thumbsup:



I'm Nordic, so I want it changed to either "Under Gods" or preferably "Under Odin". And it only should be recited on Wednesdays. You monotheists can shove it UYA.

Thor was greater than his father so it should only be recited on Thursday.

What?!!! The All-Father pwns y0 @$$ F00! Thor's mama was a giant... HO!

 

azazyel

Diamond Member
Oct 6, 2000
5,872
1
81
Originally posted by: kogase
Originally posted by: azazyel
Just wondering, for the people who this bothers do you want the names of gods removed from everything? As was mentioned earlier (in a veiled way) some of the days of the week are named after Norse gods. Should they be changed since we are ingraining Nordic deities into American children?

The country of America has no legal jurisdiction over the English language.

We don't since when? Automobile, Computer, F ap. The planet argument was a good one. But seriously, doesn't it annoy you that you have to keep saying the names of 'Pagan' gods when referring to what day it is?
 

Todd33

Diamond Member
Oct 16, 2003
7,842
2
81
Originally posted by: piasabird
Just because you feel something is unconstitutional, it does not make it so. Frankly, I dont care what you or anyone beleives or if you or anyone else ever says the pledge of alegience. I just dont care. If you feel so strongly go to California or whereever and protest. I dont think anyone can force any person in this country to say anything they dont want to say. Maybe in a courtroom the judge can demand you answer a question, but you can still opt to go to jail instead.

So basically you take the stand of the bully majority. You just don't care. Go to jail, go protest, you don't care. And when a Judge finds it unconstitutional, suddenly you care.

I care that the Constitution is upheld, not what people think. Go to church and pray. Go dance around and praise your snake oil salesman Smith, keep it out of government.
 

nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
62,938
19,179
136
Originally posted by: piasabird
Just because you feel something is unconstitutional, it does not make it so. Frankly, I dont care what you or anyone beleives or if you or anyone else ever says the pledge of alegience. I just dont care. If you feel so strongly go to California or whereever and protest. I dont think anyone can force any person in this country to say anything they dont want to say. Maybe in a courtroom the judge can demand you answer a question, but you can still opt to go to jail instead.

But it DOES matter when a judge feels something is unconstitutional. They are in that position to interpret the Constitution.
If you don't care, what would be the problem with altering it back to it's original intentions? Any religious sort is most likely already paying homage to their god in the methods dictated by their religion, which makes the "under god" part of the pledge completely unnecessary--and it draws away from the intentions of the pledge.
 

conjur

No Lifer
Jun 7, 2001
58,686
3
0
Originally posted by: Hafen
Originally posted by: PELarson
Originally posted by: Hafen
Originally posted by: marvdmartian
Its a problem if you don't worship the Christian gawd

No, it's a problem if you ASSUME it means the Christian god. Could mean Zeus, couldn't it? Honestly, everyone but atheists believe in some sort of a benevolent entity, and assigning a generic term of GOD doesn't make it Christian. If you used a more specific term, then you'd have a case.

Funny thing, tho......you take just about anyone that says they don't believe in the big GOD, or says they believe in something else......put them in a supremely stressful situation.......and see just how many "nonbelievers" start either praying to the god they don't believe in, or cussing him (her? it??) out!! :roll:

I personally don't care either way what they do with it. I learned it with "under God", and that's the way I'll always think of it. Perhaps the better solution for this country would be to stop trying to legislate and lawsuit everything to death?? :thumbsup:
I'm Nordic, so I want it changed to either "Under Gods" or preferably "Under Odin". And it only should be recited on Wednesdays. You monotheists can shove it UYA.
Thor was greater than his father so it should only be recited on Thursday.
What?!!! The All-Father pwns y0 @$$ F00! Thor's mama was a giant... HO!
The Flying Spaghetti Monster > *


All hail his Noodly Appendage

/thread







;)
 

dahunan

Lifer
Jan 10, 2002
18,191
3
0
Originally posted by: Crono
I'm against the words "i pledge allegience, to the flag...". Maybe I should whine about it to the Supreme court.


Exactly.. Flag is why the Crusades were fought and Manifest Destiny was inspired from Flag and ask those Native Americans if they were forced to cut their hair because of Flag?
 

dahunan

Lifer
Jan 10, 2002
18,191
3
0
Originally posted by: FuzzyBee
Originally posted by: dahunan
Originally posted by: FuzzyBee
Originally posted by: Legend
Now *this* I'd like to see evidence of. Is there a "pledge monitor" that watches everybody's mouths and diaphragms?

No.

Everyone that was doing the pledge would stand up and put their right hand over their heart and all that crap.

The other kids wouldn't get up. The teacher would send them to the principal's office.

Well, then, they were forced to stand up, not forced to say the pledge.


If the company you worked for sent tyou to Saudi Arabia for a 6 month job and you needed to take your child with you ... Would you allow the religious whackos there to FORCE him/her to partake in their MADRASSAS ACTIVITIES??? would ya.. huh???

You'd be easier to understand if you turned off the "Hyperbole" switch.


Easy way to get out of answering the question.. insult the person who asked it? :disgust:
 

xirtam

Diamond Member
Aug 25, 2001
4,693
0
0
Unless you've forgotten, the pledge of allegiance is a pledge to your country, not to a religious entity. If it was religious in nature, it would be a prayer, not a pledge.

"I pledge allegiance, to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic, for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

I believe in God, but not necessarily the same one or ones as the next guy. The term "God" is actually pretty generic. One thing that I find interesting, though, is the same people who have a problem with the fact that it's in the pledge... they usually don't have any problem whatsoever with calling the same God that doesn't exist to damn something, or just throwing out the term "God" in vain throughout the day. These guys probably make more references to God than I do, and I'm a Christian.

The references to some sort of deity in our American culture are prevalent. While "under God" was added to the pledge within the last several decades, the phrase "so help me God" was included from 1776 in the oath of office for military and civilian national officers. Do you think anybody ever really tried to push God onto anyone joining the military? The military's mission is to break stuff and kill people. Not spread the gospel of Christ. Adding "so help me God" to any oath doesn't change the mission or the design, and the only thing it does is make it stronger for some people. To others, it's a meaningless addition. Kind of like the word "indivisible." I don't think America is "indivisible." I think we clearly indicated that the country can be divided when we had the civil war. We're clearly a divided country when it comes to party lines. We divide ourselves on just about every issue imaginable, including, ironically, the pledge of allegiance. So after you say "under God," you're thinking to yourself, "man, the country is so divided on the issue of whether there should be an 'under God' clause," and then the next word that's coming is "indivisible." I love it. I have more of a problem with the "indivisible" part than I do with the "under God" part, but it's not like I'm going to make a federal case about it.

The whole "under God" issue seems to be child squabble. If you don't like it, don't say it. It's a free country, and saying the pledge of allegiance is supposed to remind you of that.
 

kogase

Diamond Member
Sep 8, 2004
5,213
0
0
Originally posted by: azazyel
We don't since when? Automobile, Computer, F ap. The planet argument was a good one. But seriously, doesn't it annoy you that you have to keep saying the names of 'Pagan' gods when referring to what day it is?

No. At this point in time and in the development of the English language the words for days of the week as names of Nordic gods have lost all significant religious meaning. This is not the case with the pledge, which was clearly and decisively altered to pay tribute to the Judeo-Christian god in order to differentiate ourselves from the atheistic USSR. And it was changed about 50 years ago, whereas the days of the week are... 1500 years old? I'm sorry, but it is a completely fallacious comparison. Everyone knows very well that the words in the pledge have only one purpose and meaning.
 

dahunan

Lifer
Jan 10, 2002
18,191
3
0
Originally posted by: xirtam
Unless you've forgotten, the pledge of allegiance is a pledge to your country, not to a religious entity. If it was religious in nature, it would be a prayer, not a pledge.

"I pledge allegiance, to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic, for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

I believe in God, but not necessarily the same one or ones as the next guy. The term "God" is actually pretty generic. One thing that I find interesting, though, is the same people who have a problem with the fact that it's in the pledge... they usually don't have any problem whatsoever with calling the same God that doesn't exist to damn something, or just throwing out the term "God" in vain throughout the day. These guys probably make more references to God than I do, and I'm a Christian.

The references to some sort of deity in our American culture are prevalent. While "under God" was added to the pledge within the last several decades, the phrase "so help me God" was included from 1776 in the oath of office for military and civilian national officers. Do you think anybody ever really tried to push God onto anyone joining the military? The military's mission is to break stuff and kill people. Not spread the gospel of Christ. Adding "so help me God" to any oath doesn't change the mission or the design, and the only thing it does is make it stronger for some people. To others, it's a meaningless addition. Kind of like the word "indivisible." I don't think America is "indivisible." I think we clearly indicated that the country can be divided when we had the civil war. We're clearly a divided country when it comes to party lines. We divide ourselves on just about every issue imaginable, including, ironically, the pledge of allegiance. So after you say "under God," you're thinking to yourself, "man, the country is so divided on the issue of whether there should be an 'under God' clause," and then the next word that's coming is "indivisible." I love it. I have more of a problem with the "indivisible" part than I do with the "under God" part, but it's not like I'm going to make a federal case about it.

The whole "under God" issue seems to be child squabble. If you don't like it, don't say it. It's a free country, and saying the pledge of allegiance is supposed to remind you of that.

You can say it is a free country .. but the God they are having you saying is ruling over this country is ONE God and HE is the Christian God ;)

Why did they add Under God IN 1954 :confused:
 

nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
62,938
19,179
136
Originally posted by: xirtam
The whole "under God" issue seems to be child squabble. If you don't like it, don't say it. It's a free country, and saying the pledge of allegiance is supposed to remind you of that.

Oh, the irony...
"It's a free country, so either say it my way or just shut up."
 

EatSpam

Diamond Member
May 1, 2005
6,423
0
0
Originally posted by: marvdmartian
Its a problem if you don't worship the Christian gawd

No, it's a problem if you ASSUME it means the Christian god. Could mean Zeus, couldn't it? Honestly, everyone but atheists believe in some sort of a benevolent entity, and assigning a generic term of GOD doesn't make it Christian. If you used a more specific term, then you'd have a case.

The "under god" portion was added to seperate "Christian" America from the "Heathen" Soviets. I'm not going to google it for you. It refers to the Christian god, period.

Funny thing, tho......you take just about anyone that says they don't believe in the big GOD, or says they believe in something else......put them in a supremely stressful situation.......and see just how many "nonbelievers" start either praying to the god they don't believe in, or cussing him (her? it??) out!! :roll:

I'd never do such a thing and I was forced to church so I would learn how to be a "good American"... funny I have such a negative opinion on religion, ya think.

I personally don't care either way what they do with it. I learned it with "under God", and that's the way I'll always think of it. Perhaps the better solution for this country would be to stop trying to legislate and lawsuit everything to death?? :thumbsup:

Well, I agree its totally BS, but in America, this is what we thrive on. Who cares about the economy, wars, China... give me dumb Aruba girl, Survivor, and gay marriage controversy! I'm an American! :roll:
 

azazyel

Diamond Member
Oct 6, 2000
5,872
1
81
Originally posted by: kogase
Originally posted by: azazyel
We don't since when? Automobile, Computer, F ap. The planet argument was a good one. But seriously, doesn't it annoy you that you have to keep saying the names of 'Pagan' gods when referring to what day it is?

No. At this point in time and in the development of the English language the words for days of the week as names of Nordic gods have lost all significant religious meaning. This is not the case with the pledge, which was clearly and decisively altered to pay tribute to the Judeo-Christian god in order to differentiate ourselves from the atheistic USSR. And it was changed about 50 years ago, whereas the days of the week are... 1500 years old? I'm sorry, but it is a completely fallacious comparison. Everyone knows very well that the words in the pledge have only one purpose and meaning.


Lost religious meaning? To whom? Also the Viking age ended in 900 AD and the days were adopted later to supplant the Latin version which used Roman gods. Anyways, if you don't believe in the Norse gods then fine, they have no meaning for you. Same can be said with the Christian god, just ignore it.
 

kogase

Diamond Member
Sep 8, 2004
5,213
0
0
Originally posted by: azazyel
Lost religious meaning? To whom? Also the Viking age ended in 900 AD and the days were adopted later to supplant the Latin version which used Roman gods. Anyways, if you don't believe in the Norse gods then fine, they have no meaning for you. Same can be said with the Christian god, just ignore it.

Then why was it added? Why not leave the pledge neutral in regards to religion? The answer is that it is a clear effort to encourage all Americans to acknowledge the Christian god. It is best left as it was originally intended: a secular pledge to the country of America.
 

FuzzyBee

Diamond Member
Jan 22, 2000
5,172
1
81
Originally posted by: dahunan
Originally posted by: FuzzyBee
Originally posted by: dahunan
Originally posted by: FuzzyBee
Originally posted by: Legend
Now *this* I'd like to see evidence of. Is there a "pledge monitor" that watches everybody's mouths and diaphragms?

No.

Everyone that was doing the pledge would stand up and put their right hand over their heart and all that crap.

The other kids wouldn't get up. The teacher would send them to the principal's office.

Well, then, they were forced to stand up, not forced to say the pledge.


If the company you worked for sent tyou to Saudi Arabia for a 6 month job and you needed to take your child with you ... Would you allow the religious whackos there to FORCE him/her to partake in their MADRASSAS ACTIVITIES??? would ya.. huh???

You'd be easier to understand if you turned off the "Hyperbole" switch.


Easy way to get out of answering the question.. insult the person who asked it? :disgust:

"Hyperbole" is an insult? If I could read through the hyperbolic ranting to find a question that is actually pertinent, I'd answer it.