God Bless America. An iconic song of our nation, often sung at baseball games, played on fourth of july, and recognized across the country. But why do we sing this song? In public schools, we must separate church and state, by law, so why can we mix church and country no problem? In the melting pot that America is, there is everyone on the religious spectrum, from orthodox to nonexistent participation. Some people believe in one god, some in many and others in none at all. Yet, we all recognize this song as patriotic, not religious by any means.
Also, every president since Nixon has concluded his speech with this phrase "God Bless America". Now, if a president were to not utter these words, they would be cast off as unpatriotic. It has become such a common phrase, that the use of the word "god" doesn't always cross people's minds. But when really thought about, what message is America sending to its people and also what message are we sending to other nations? We are not a religiously bound nation, so it doesn't really make sense to say "God Bless America" unless this was a known, universal belief in the USA.
Very true, Dani. I think of coins, which say "in God we trust." America prides itself on religious toleration, and rightfully so given the environments elsewhere in the world. If someone did not say "God Bless America" at the end of a presidential speech, I agree that they would be denounced. In reality, we have certain traditions that just stick. Back in revolutionary times, no our country was not based on religious policy, but those creating the policy may have been very religiously involved themselves. America is still very young, maybe in 200 more years sing "America of Sunny Skies" or something like that instead of "God Bless America."
ReplyDeleteVery cool post, again!
The first amendment of the U.S. Constitution states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Not once is anything mentioned in here about "separation of church and state", as the liberals say. I understand that the government cannot establish an official religion, but that does not mean that religion cannot be involved with the government. Saying "God Bless America" or "one nation under God" is not unconstitutional in the slightest manner and is perfectly appropriate for politicians to say.
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