Good decision. Not everyone wants to embarrass themselves speaking into the air about nothing in particular. And especially being forced to do so.
It is a good decision, but did you actually read the article?
Judge in THIS State Rules if Pledge Violates Rights of Atheists – “One Nation, Under GOD!”By TPIWriter
The Pledge of Allegiance is said at schools across America, every day. But a Judge in New Jersey, after hearing the arguments made by angry atheists, had to decide if the words “under God” violated the constitutional rights of atheist students. In one local school district, the lawsuit filed by the American Humanist Association, said the phrase promoted an environment of discrimination in class because it elevated religion and made the atheist students feel like “second-class citizens.”
However, State Superior Court Judge David F. Bauman was not happy with these frivolous arguments! The judge upheld a New Jersey law that says pupils must recite the Pledge of Allegiance unless they have “conscientious scruples” that do not allow it.
Quoting George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Dwight D. Eisenhower and the New Jersey Constitution, Bauman said the United States for centuries has woven small aspects of religion and references to God into its customs and traditions – not as an endorsement of any faith, but as an acknowledgement of the role religion played in the country’s founding.
“As a matter of historical tradition, the words ‘under God’ can no more be expunged from the national consciousness than the words ‘In God We Trust’ from every coin in the land, than the words ‘so help me God’ from every presidential oath since 1789, or than the prayer that has opened every congressional session of legislative business since 1787,” Bauman wrote in his decision.
“The pledge of allegiance, in this historical context, is not to be viewed, and has never been viewed, as a religious exercise,” Bauman wrote. Instead, the judge said, it was meant to promote the “core values of duty, honor, pride and fidelity to country on which the social contract between the United States and its citizens is ultimately based.”
And,
Bauman said even the New Jersey constitution included a reference to an “Almighty God.”
“Under plaintiffs’ reasoning, the very constitution under which plaintiffs seek redress for perceived atheistic marginalization could itself be deemed unconstitutional, an absurd proposition which plaintiffs do not and cannot advance here,” Bauman wrote, adding later: “Protecting students from viewpoints and ideas that may offend or upset them is not and has never been the role of public schools in America.”
via NorthJersey.com
What a brilliant response by a Judge. I’m surprised he didn’t lose his temper, having to explain how frequently “God” is mentioned in government buildings, documents, and our currency.
America has always been a Christian nation, and a simple recognition of an almighty creator is a passing reference to where our laws come from. The religious origins of our form of government is clear, and freedom of religion isn’t the same as freedom FROM religion.
Thank you Judge Bauman for standing up for American values!
Do you support the Pledge of Allegiance being said in schools? Please leave us a comment and tell us what you think.
http://www.thepoliticalinsider.com/judge-rules-if-pledge-violates-rights-of-atheists/#ixzz3cmZHxkh4
