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To: SubSailor
>The issue is the appropriateness of the school acknowledging the existence of a God, and once doing that acknowledging a God who can be called upon through a generic statement to bless America.

You didn't answer this question earlier, so I'll post it again: How could saying/displaying "God bless America" be misconstrued by any reasonable individual as Congress making a law respecting an establishment of religion? What law is being enacted by Congress by the simple posting of a phrase on a sign owned by a school controlled by a local school board?


I don't recall that question being specifically asked to me, but my memory is poor and I often misread things.
The statement "God bless America" first and foremost implies an acknowledgement of the existence of a god of some sort. Depending on the context it could also be construed to mean a single God (capital G), which implies a monothestic worldview. A government entity making such a statement could be construed as taking the position that there exists a God and only one God (at least only one worth noting).
I'm not a lawyer and I don't claim to hold this position, so that's really the best I can explain it.
72 posted on 10/29/2001 3:01:17 PM PST by Dimensio
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To: Dimensio
"A government entity making such a statement could be construed as taking the position that there exists a God and only one God (at least only one worth noting)."

Once again, I fail to see how this simple three word phrase (God Bless America) could be misconstrued as CONGRESS enacting a law respecting the establishment of a religion. The 1st ammendment was designed to protect religion from government and not government from religion.

The thing that really grates on me about this is that the phrase is asking for blessings. What is so wrong about asking for blessings? If you are an atheist and don't believe in God, what does it hurt to ask for blessings from something you find nonexistent? It would be interesting to learn how many lawsuits of this nature have been filed on behalf of believers in non-monotheistic religions as opposed to atheists. I would predict that the vast majority are the result of objections raised by atheists. Why is that? I believe it is because of what I surmised in my first post on this thread; that they are not just atheist, but anti-God. When you look into the heart of a person, where do you suppose motivation for being anti-God comes from?

75 posted on 10/29/2001 6:49:45 PM PST by SubSailor
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