Below is Falwell's newest article, and it deals with God in public in the US...and the issue with In God We Trust, the motto, and the pledge of alleigance.
I'm listening to the most recent episode of car talk. Funny show...you can go to cars.com and listen to it for free. They were talking about how the CDC redefined light exercise- and they mentioned activities like sitting in a whirlpool (whew! tons of work...), doing light office work, playing computer games, etc. That's just weird. I finished Bill's book (Bill O'Reilly, that is), and it's pretty good...check it out if you can. I think it's now #1 on the NY Times Bestseller List.
My brother rented BOAT TRIP last night, and I was going to watch it, but I fell asleep. Roselyn Sanchez is hot. He got some free movie (to own) called HAPPY CAMPERS, which I'm going to watch sometime soon...fun.
I'm off to listen to Car Talk...
Falwell Confidential
Date: October 16, 2003
From: Jerry Falwell
WILL GOD BE BANNED?
One nation, under God.
That's the diminutive phrase that got a California atheist so nervous he
filed a suit so that his daughter would not be compelled to repeat the
phrase at her California school.
Incredibly, the case got so far as the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
where a panel of judges actually agreed that "under God" is a violation of
the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
It still astonishes me that we have arrived at a point in our nation's
history that the mere mention of God's name - something our Founders
recurrently did as they established this religiously influenced nation - is
now seen as inappropriate and downright wrong.
Now, the U.S. Supreme Court has accepted a Justice Department appeal,
agreeing to take on the case, giving hope to the majority of Americans that
this simple, yet powerful, phrase will remain in the Pledge of Allegiance.
As I reported last year, the entire argument made by Michael Newdow - the
atheist who brought suit against the Pledge - was bogus from the onset. Mr.
Newdow claimed that his nine-year-old daughter (at the time) was offended
because she was required to make reference to God at school.
This was patently false.
When one of my staff members spoke with the girl's mother in California, she
explained that her daughter actually loved to recite the Pledge of
Allegiance in her Elk Grove school. She also said that the little girl was
an active member of her church and a professing Christian - hardly the rigid
atheist her father portrayed her to be.
But the truth rarely matters to those who want to purge the public square of
time-honored religious phrases that have been embraced by our nation's
leaders throughout history.
Nevertheless, the 9th Circuit, in a shameful decision yielding to secular
social trends and political correctness, found that God has no place in the
Pledge of Allegiance. School children, the court deemed, should function in
a Godless classroom devoid of any spiritual influence.
Those who respect the role of the Almighty in our nation's founding are
praying that the Supreme Court will determine that this small phrase - under
God - is not found to be an establishment of religion, but rather a simple
and respectful acknowledgment that God does indeed rule in the affairs of
men.
"We are committed to stand up to the outrageous decision by the Ninth
Circuit," said Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute, a
Citrus Heights, Calif.-based religious freedom organization, one of many
groups that will petition the Court in defense of the Pledge. "We are
already in the process of preparing to file a brief that will make it very
clear to the majority of the Supreme Court that the mention of the word
'God' in the Pledge of Allegiance is not a violation of the Constitution."
Jay Sekulow at the Virginia Beach-based American Center for Law and Justice
will also file a brief favoring the Pledge, representing 33 members of
Congress in so doing.
Mr. Sekulow said the phrase "one nation, under God" is a
"constitutionally-protected patriotic expression - not a blatant affirmation
of a particular faith."
He added, "The Pledge is part of an American tapestry of time-honored and
historically significant traditions that has come under attack. This case
represents an important opportunity to put a halt to a national effort aimed
at removing any religious phrase or reference from our culture. ... We're
hopeful the court will bring some clarity to this murky legal issue and
protect the freedom of our nation's students who wish to voluntarily recite
the complete and uncensored Pledge of Allegiance in school."
Many others will join the fight, including the 2.8 million member American
Legion and a host of other civic-minded groups.
Sadly, Justice Antonin Scalia - whom I believe to be the Court's most
discerning justice - will not participate in the appeal because he earlier
issued a blistering denouncement of the 9th Circuit's ruling.
Even without his wise influence, I believe the Court will understand the
significance of briefly recognizing God in a public forum such as a public
school classroom. Please join me in praying that the Court will uphold the
right of the people to publicly identify God as a significant part of our
history and our present society.