While we continue to pay for our slurpees and other purchases with bills that contain the phrase "In God We Trust," more places are being hit with the "separation of church and state" clause:
http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/07/14/life.grandcanyon.reut/index.html
So in essence, we continue to see localized examples of religious expression eroding from public view while we still pledge to a nation "under god, with liberty and justice for all" *AND* continue to circulate fiat currency that makes reference to a supreme being while the ACLU takes shots at regional occurrences of religion.
What I can't understand is why it really matters. Three decades for a plaque to be there is more a historical monument. Are those passages from the bible really going to cause trauma to anyone who reads them?
As a nation, we really need to pick which side of the fence we want to be on -- but this precarious balance on top of the fence is just plain stupid. Either we, as a nation, believe in religion or we do not. But let's not blow sunshine up our own collective asses about the entire thing.
http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/07/14/life.grandcanyon.reut/index.html
After more than three decades at the Grand Canyon, three bronze plaques inscribed with biblical passages have been removed by U.S. park officials over concern that the religious messages violate the U.S. Constitution, officials said Monday.
Officials said they had no choice but to remove the plaques from three popular spots at the majestic canyon's busy South Rim after an inquiry was made by the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.
"They are religious plaques on federal buildings and that's not allowed based on the law," said Maureen Oltrogge, a Grand Canyon National Park spokeswoman.
The plaques are inscribed with passages from the Book of Psalms, specifically, by chapter and verse 68:4, 66:4 and 104.24. The last verse, in the King James Version of the Bible, reads: "O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches."
So in essence, we continue to see localized examples of religious expression eroding from public view while we still pledge to a nation "under god, with liberty and justice for all" *AND* continue to circulate fiat currency that makes reference to a supreme being while the ACLU takes shots at regional occurrences of religion.
What I can't understand is why it really matters. Three decades for a plaque to be there is more a historical monument. Are those passages from the bible really going to cause trauma to anyone who reads them?
As a nation, we really need to pick which side of the fence we want to be on -- but this precarious balance on top of the fence is just plain stupid. Either we, as a nation, believe in religion or we do not. But let's not blow sunshine up our own collective asses about the entire thing.
Hilarious!