LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY lihan161051)

.. in a "voluntary" recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in a public school classroom, the teacher hears the following:

.. and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation, (SILENCE), indivisible, with liberty and justice for all .. ?

Does someone get disciplined, or do parents get called, or what?

Just wondering ..

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/09/14/pledge.ruling.ap/index.html

Apparently two groups suing over the inclusion of "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance have gained a victory in the 9th Circuit Court.

Keep a watch on this case, folks--I will be *EXTREMELY* surprised if dominionist groups do not press for this to be taken to the Supreme Court.

As a bit of historical aside--the Pledge of Allegiance did not include "Under God" until 1954, when it was added by pressure from the Knights of Columbus as well as conservative churches that were part of the embryonic dominionist movement in the US. The claim was that it would distinguish the US from "godless Communists"--an example of distraction from the real issues that dominionist groups have used ever since.

A good bit of historical background on the Pledge is at http://www.religioustolerance.org/nat_pled.htm for those interested.

http://history.vineyard.net/pledge.htm (slightly pro-dominionist site) notes, among other things, that some dominionist groups even want to push even *further* for pro-dominionist changes to the Pledge; http://pledgeqanda.com/ (also slightly pro-dominionist) has noted how the ur-Dominionists also pushed as far back as the 1950s to specifically amend the Constitution to declare the US a "Christian Nation" (which gives you an idea how long they've been at this, for those who doubt what I say on dominionist groups actively working for 50+ years to turn the US into a theocracy *de facto* and *de jure* as well)

Needless to say, this has been a rallying point for dominionist groups; nearly all dominionist organisations (in particular the AFA) have been putting out various flyers and whatnot among the lines of "keep God in the Pledge of Allegiance" and whatnot. The threat of resecularisation of the Pledge has been one reason dominionist groups have been pushing for laws to specifically strip the courts of all authority to rule on matters regarding religious rights (http://www.yuricareport.com/Law%20&%20Legal/CourtsMayBeStrippedOnPledge.html details more in regards to the specific issue of the Pledge and its constitutionality).

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY seshen)

A federal judge hearing a second lawsuit aimed at barring the Pledge of Allegiance in schools has ruled that the suit can move forward.

"There is nothing whatsoever that requires acknowledging God, (in order) to love this country," said Judge Lawrence Karlton.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY swisscelt)

I've been thinking a lot about this, and am hoping that, together, we can flesh this out a bit: Something happened, or perhaps some things happened, in American society circa 1925 (+/- 10 years) which caused the institution of radical Christianity in this country. Here's a partial list of the social phenomena which I think might be contributing factors:

• The Scopes trial, aka the Tennessee Monkey trial, which began exactly 78 years ago this week (ironic, as I didn't realize that until I started writing this entry).
  
• Commercial radio, and the dawn of broadcasting and the "mass media".
  
• The rise of what would become known as Christian "televangelism": The Moody Bible Institute aired its first program in 1925, and WMBI, the Institute's first radio station, went on the air the year following.
  
• The Great Depression.
  
• The death of the Appalachian native subculture: Radio introduced Appalachia to the mainstream American culture. At the same time, America was introduced to the Appalachian subculture vis a vis broadcasts from Nashville's WSM and "Jamboree" from Wheeling, WV's WWVA. This began the gradual homogenization of the Appalachias with the rest of the nation. Public works programs instituted under the New Deal hastened this process.
  
• The advent of internationalism, with Wilson's foreign policy and the League of Nations.
  
• The demonization of nation states, as the Fascists take over Italy in 1924 and Hitler gains control over the Nazi party in Germany in 1925.
  
• The decline of the British Empire, with the perceived loss to western civilization that entails.
  
• The Mafia, and the corresponding rise of anti-Catholic sentiment as demonstrated by organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan.