It seems to me that the USA has been getting along quite well for more than 200 years without having any 10 Commandments or 538 Commandments in the Old Testament. It seems to me that that the USA has succeeded quite well before we had politicians wrapping themselves around god. And without hypocritical displays of piety and religiosity.
It is useful to remember that Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson never recited any pledge. Certainly not with one "under God". They never said any pledge.
Some ritual recantation of words is a poor substitute for meaningful patriotic and civic values.
This religous rite-ism. If we carry out the rite, then we are saved. Egyptians, Greeks, and others believed this; Judaics, Vaticanists. Anyone can go through with carrying out the rites. It leads to hypocrisy, go through the rituals without a true belief.
Social religious communities often reject evolution. Not on the basis of evidence or understanding, but on the basis that those who accept evolution as a description of what we know are "of the other".
Re: [Welcome to FR]
I read 2005 for 2006. Sorry (its late and I haven't shaved).