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Perspective: Why I sit out "God Bless America"
StAugustine.com ^ | 06/02/2013 | JAMES P. MARSH JR.

Posted on 06/05/2013 12:08:35 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

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To: SeekAndFind
People who don't stand up and sing God Bless America should have peanuts thrown at them.
21 posted on 06/05/2013 12:30:31 PM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
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To: SeekAndFind

“I’m reminded of the admonition not to pray just to be seen by others. More important, though, I’m concerned that this is a myopic way to exercise faith. I imagine that the God I believe in isn’t interested in dispensing special nationalistic blessings. “

Well, “reverend”, once upon a time when we were a little less technologically adept, a little less sophisticated, and a lot more un-polished, we atually believed that America was God’s gift to the world, that He really cared about us because we stood for somethng greater than ourselves, because we placed our trust in Him and His Holy Scripture. We believed God DID dispense special favors to those who reconized, worshipped, and in their own humble way, sought to plase Him.

And He did.

But today, thanks in no small part to sophists like yourself, other people who really believe in cultural equivalence, and who, maybe even deep down inside question His very existence, we are different nation and people.

Its a shame. I miss America and I certainly wouldn’t miss people like you.


22 posted on 06/05/2013 12:31:28 PM PDT by ZULU ((See: http://gatesofvienna.net/))
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To: SeekAndFind

he calls the song a prayer. don’t most ministers/ pastors/ priests, usually ask you to rise for a prayer?

as far as who the crap about asking for a blessing for our nation isn’t right as we aren’t blessing everyone, seriously. i’d bet every time he preaches he prays for a blessing on a much smaller subset of people. so should i be mad that he doesn’t include me in his blessing for his congregation?


23 posted on 06/05/2013 12:33:20 PM PDT by absolootezer0 (2x divorced tattooed pierced harley hatin meghan mccain luvin' REAL beer drinkin' smoker ..what?)
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To: massgopguy

LOL! Wotsamatteryou?!


24 posted on 06/05/2013 12:34:35 PM PDT by exit82 ("The Taliban is on the inside of the building" E. Nordstrom 10-10-12)
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To: SeekAndFind
Besides, dissent is patriotic. We have the right to sit down when everyone else stands up.

Spoken like a true Obamunist. He must not have read the news about the IRS investigations into tea party patriot groups. He must not have seen the reports than anyone who opposes Obama is a "racist" and a "bitter clinger".

You have the right to sit out God Bless America but he didn't make a convincing point as to why one SHOULD sit it out. "plurality", "diversity", etc.

What's the beef? "It's a prayer"? This nation ain't so hot? "Who are we to ask for God's blessings"? It's somehow "divisive"? I ain't buyin' it.

25 posted on 06/05/2013 12:35:31 PM PDT by a fool in paradise (America 2013 - STUCK ON STUPID)
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To: SeekAndFind
Ha! LOL

I love it when a liberal tries in vain to explain in some contorted way that they simply resent patriotism.

Patriotism is to a die hard lib what silver is to the fairy tale vampire. They fear it.

To the them the world is one big family and for one member of that family to say they are better is some way or deserve Gods blessing in this case, is against their understanding of the world.

It's that simple yet they cannot admit this...or in this guys case, simply don't understand it.

But viewers from outside their little liberal world can see it, smell it, and view it with total disdain.

26 posted on 06/05/2013 12:36:52 PM PDT by Cold Heat (Have you reached your breaking point yet? If not now....then when?)
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To: absolootezer0

“While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that’s free,
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer. “

God Bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her
Through the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.”

Wow. This cleric has a problem with this?
It is a simple prayer, and excludes no one. It acknowledges that blessings come from God, and we humbly ask Him to bless our land.

Except for fruitcake Methodist ministers.


27 posted on 06/05/2013 12:37:56 PM PDT by exit82 ("The Taliban is on the inside of the building" E. Nordstrom 10-10-12)
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To: SeekAndFind
Unless electric guitars and drums have chased the organ and choir out of his church, I'll bet he makes a lot of use of this hymn--#437 in the United Methodist hymnal:

This Is my Song

This is my song, O God of all the nations,
A song of peace for lands afar and mine.
This is my home, the country where my heart is;
Here are my hopes, my dreams, my sacred shrine.
But other hearts in other lands are beating,
With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean,
And sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine.
But other lands have sunlight too and clover,
And skies are everywhere as blue as mine.
O hear my song, O God of all the nations,
A song of peace for their land and for mine.

28 posted on 06/05/2013 12:38:23 PM PDT by Fiji Hill
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To: SeekAndFind
When we ask for blessings to be bestowed only on “us,” we are in danger of seeing ourselves as set apart from the world.

James 1:27 — Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

29 posted on 06/05/2013 12:38:53 PM PDT by OneWingedShark (Q: Why am I here? A: To do Justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God.)
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To: xzins

“Methodism has some real numbskulls in its ministerial class.”

Not only them.


30 posted on 06/05/2013 12:42:16 PM PDT by Da Coyote
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To: SeekAndFind

“Mainstream” (i.e., Big) religion continues to provide examples of why they have become irrelevant.


31 posted on 06/05/2013 12:42:25 PM PDT by Arm_Bears (Refuse; Resist; Rebel; Revolt!)
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To: SeekAndFind

But, in the 7th inning stretch, I bet he stands for “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”


32 posted on 06/05/2013 12:45:44 PM PDT by DPMD
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To: SeekAndFind
Click here to listen to the very first performance of "God Bless America," sung by Katherine Smith, on November 10, 1938.
33 posted on 06/05/2013 12:46:08 PM PDT by Fiji Hill
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To: taillightchaser

He resorts the the tired “dissent is patriotic.”

So is farting, nose picking, drooling, puking, and scratching our ass.


34 posted on 06/05/2013 12:47:33 PM PDT by DPMD
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To: DPMD
But, in the 7th inning stretch, I bet he stands for “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”

In his article, he wrote that he does.

35 posted on 06/05/2013 12:49:00 PM PDT by Fiji Hill
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To: DPMD
But, in the 7th inning stretch, I bet he stands for “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”

Well, he shouldn't. Before the mid 1950's professional baseball actively discriminated against minorities. And “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” was written in that racist era.

So by standing for that song, the worthy Mr. Marsh is actively condoning baseball's racist past. He should be ashamed of himself.

/s

36 posted on 06/05/2013 12:59:52 PM PDT by Leaning Right
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To: Resolute Conservative

I found a Methodist preacher who takes sides all the time. So far he has told us we can’t post pro life signs on the church lawn because we may offend parishoners, we shouldn’t ever mention God to non believers, we may offend them. And we shouldn’t do any type of mission work because too many people are donating to the mission work, and the preacher wants the church to have a new sound system and a projection screen on the altar. He also took a stand and told me I was not welcome after I told him and his wife that Jesus would have driven them out of the temple with a whip. We had a vibrant youth group and now we don’t have any youth, and its because we were too offensive and don’t have a movie screen he says. The average parishoner age is senior citizen, thanks to him. And I could go on with so much more...


37 posted on 06/05/2013 1:10:43 PM PDT by chae (I was anti-Obama before it was cool)
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To: SeekAndFind

I was a methodist until they became an evil church of satan. I AM NOW AND ALWAYS HAVE BEEN A CHRISTIAN! I will NEVER be a methodist again.

LLS


38 posted on 06/05/2013 1:21:55 PM PDT by LibLieSlayer (FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS!)
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To: absolootezer0
It is a prayer
In context, the song was written during WW1 but never really released to the public, then Irving resurrected and completed it as shades of WW2 gathered over the world
Why would any American, much less a minister, sit while his fellow citizens rose around him to ask God's blessing on America
Why is it offensive to this man that we ask God to guide us and keep us safe? Haven't we proved that we are willing to share God's blessings with the rest of the world?
We teach the GS to sing the entire song including the intro:

God Bless America
While the storm clouds gather
far across the sea
Let us swear allegiance
to a land that's free
Let us all be grateful
for a land so fair
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer.....
IRVING BERLIN - GOD BLESS AMERICA LYRICS
39 posted on 06/05/2013 1:22:38 PM PDT by silverleaf (Age Takes a Toll: Please Have Exact Change)
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To: gov_bean_ counter

If it wasn’t for America’s expense in blood and treasure in the last one hundred years there wouldn’t be a lot of ‘’other nations’’.


40 posted on 06/05/2013 1:23:55 PM PDT by jmacusa (Political correctness is cultural Marxism. I'm not a Marxist.)
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