Agnostic.com

17 4

QUESTION “In God We Trust” motto, national anthem should both go

Alabama's pushing a bill to include the motto in classrooms and other public buildings. It passed by a 91-4 vote.

mt49er 7 Feb 8
Share

Enjoy being online again!

Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.

Create your free account

17 comments

Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.

0

I agree with the article cited here. "E Pluribus Unum" should be returned as the national motto & I like the idea Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" as the anthem!

0

Both "In God We Trust" on our money & "Under God" in the pledge was added in the 1950's during the "Cold War". I'd love to see them removed as I personally think they're unconstitutional & presumptuous.

0

I once heard a sermon by a minister who felt strongly that the words ‘In God We Trust’ don’t belong on our money, not because it comingles church and state, but because he believed it was an offense to God. A somewhat amusing irony!

With regard to the Star Spangled Banner, Francis Scott Key’s racism and ownership of slaves puts him in the same boat with many of the Founding Fathers. To Jefferson, Key and most white males of the period, phrases such as ‘all men are created equal,’ with an unalienable right to ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,’ and to live in the ‘land of the free,’ were understood to apply only to them. In their worldview, people of color and women were simply not on their level—undeserving! That said, if there is a call to remove the Star Spangled Banner on account of Key’s behaviors, what about the Declaration of Independence?

Because the "Star Spangled Banner" contains racist lyrics. The Declaration, tho penned in part by slave-holders, does not.

@phxbillcee When considering our National Anthem--probably the second-most frequently heard song in this country after 'Happy Birthday'--can we not simply discard the subsequent unsung (literally) verses (which include the infamous lines penned in the third verse), and retain only the first? Must we throw the baby out with the bathwater? And could this be done without glossing over the oppression carried out by people such as Francis Scott Key?

1

The motto was not part of the original anthem, so it definitely should be removed.

1

Figures, Alabama, wow.

0

I find it pretty humorous that so many agnostics/atheists get upset about any of this. Don't you have anything real to worry about? The value of our dollar diminishes every day, and y'all are more concerned about what words are on it. Our educational system ranks among the worst, and you're worried about the 30 seconds it takes to recite the anthem more than the bullshit being fed to the kids the remaining 5:59:30 of the day.
Pick your battles and don't sweat the small stuff. Shit doesn't bother me at all.

@TjallTjallOUTLK I think that's a red herring.
Don't get me wrong, I'm the first to call out Bible thumpers when they use their book to justify their prejudices and fears in politics. But the Anthem and the slogan on the dollar predates all this sjw nonsense by quite a period of time.
I dunno, I just don't see it as anywhere near as big of a deal as the real issues I mentioned. It just strikes me as non-believers being just as butthurt and petty as believers. You're just pissed that you can't have your way.
This probably circles back to the discussion about choosing how we feel about reality. I have a busy life, shit like this is inconsequential to me.

@TjallTjallOUTLK you aren't a flat earther too are you? One things about the Right is that they love the constitution. And the establishment of a state religion is specifically prohibited therein. The mere mention of "under God" is a hell of a long way (see what I did there?) from some kind of erosion. I'm not naive, I just recognize that there are a lot of things that are a much greater threat than any mention of God. Instead of getting your hackles up about it, just apply the word to your favorite thing. I think "God" is actually money. So when I see that, I just think "in money we trust". I like money.

@Taijiguy I'm glad you find this funny. Are there other worries out there? Indubitably, but the steady infiltration of religion into the secular sphere is surely one of them. & tho the "Right" says they love the Constitution they tend to misrepresent it, & it's history. The folk who say they are for less government are the ones who think that women should not rule their own bodies, that only they, & their religion, should decide who can marry. That it's ok for them to raise the National Debt, for dishonest wars & corporate tax cuts, but if the Left does it for social betterment, well, that's treasonous & they're not "real" Americans.
& you may like money, hell, I bet you even worship it, but it is not the only thing in life for many of us & with currency manipulation, inflation, etc., I surely will not put my trust in it. So, maybe you are naive!

@phxbillcee an awful lot of assumption in there. They don't really make for compelling argument. Elaborate hyperbole is hyperbole all the same. I'm not going to try to argue your various claims, because broad accusations, and oh yeah, generalising about groups (I guess you only dislike it when the "other guys" do that) are not worthy of cogent dispute. Perhaps it's not that I'm naive, as much as I just don't spend time worrying about the boogie man who might be living under the bed, when there's real boogie men to deal with. Like, gun grabbers for example, who, if they succeed, will leave us all un able to defend ourselves if the imaginary boogie man becomes real.

1

very violent national anthem . I agree as for" in dog we trust "spare me please. those poor sods in the central states sliding backwards ever so slowly

4

Alabama. Well, that's not a surprise. But yes, that, and the mention of god in the pledge (actually the whole damned pledge, but that's a different thread, I suppose), and the anthem should all go. Musically I kinda like the anthem, but don't like the words because of the reference to war. We never get to the verse in which a god is mentioned, and most people don't even know it exists.

We could rewrite words to one of the nicer anthems -- my country tis of thee, perhaps, which is easier to sing than the star spangled banana -- and see if we can get them to catch on....

The biggest problem with "My country tis of thee..." is that the tune is from England's "God Save the King/Queen". I sooner see the language changed in "America the Beautiful" the "god shed his grace on thee" bit, or, as the article suggests, Guthrie's "This Land".

@phxbillcee The current national anthem is also set to an English tune -- in this case an old drinking song. Hey, maybe we should dig up those words and start singing them!

5

That is amazing...if this present day administration has it's way...we will all be forced to stand before 'trumpeter' with our mouths wide open...in a scream (some of us with great fear)! What can be more unimaginable than what takes place now, on a daily basis? Their God...is being forced upon us, even as we struggle for logic and reason, which is being drowned out by THEIR laws and religiosity!

2

Just another way to pander to the religious. The anthem verse is buried in the end of a stanza that virtually nobody knows about, as we only sing the first one. Separation between religion and government!!

1
2

I agree with you completely, but it ain't gonna happen. As Trump just recently stated "this is a nation of believers" and beliefs trump evidence based reality in this country.

4

Alabama is so predictable

That's because genetically, they all share the same traits. Too many Uncle Daddy's there, for my taste..

6

Not electing Roy Moore was Alabama's one good deed. They're back to programming as usual now, I see.

5

I didn't read the article, but I can only imagine what the FFRF is about to do..

Alabama sure does keep them busy!

It's definitely on their radar since the article was written by one of it's founders.

@mt49er Right on, ill give it a read a bit later. Thanks for the post, too!

4

Dude, it's Alabama, you surprised?

3

Insert eyeroll here.

insert where?

@btroje Haha, smartass.

@KKGator you called?

Ladies, behave or you'll be sent to Alabama without your inalienable rights!

Write Comment
You can include a link to this post in your posts and comments by including the text q:22210
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.