Quote:
Originally posted by lookout123
i'm not aware that there is a state mandated religion.
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It's all semantics. There is state supported religion. Mandated, supported. What's the difference?
The government has preachers on its payroll. The Congress has at least one to lead prayers during official government ceremonies. The Supreme Court has official prayer as well at times. Public schools are required to recite the "under God" phrase every day, even if individual kids can opt out.
All of this is complete bullshit. The government has no business pushing religion. Any religion. It should remain silent on the issue. That means it doesn't ban it, or support it. It keeps its mouth shut.
The Puritains and Pilgrims settled this country because they were both religious minorities and they wanted to be able to get away from all the crap that is identical to what is going on in this country today to athiests.
You mentioned earlier that athiests are a small group. That's exactly why we should cut this crap out. It's the small groups that need to be protected. The Pilgrims were a small group in Europe in the 1600s.
Removing "under God" from the pledge hurts nobody. Keeping "under God" in the pledge hurts atheists. The correct path is obvious.