To put Americans outside the American community at large, is not American.
No one is putting them outside of the community at large, they are free to join the majority, or they are free to remain a minority.
It is simply human nature to have differences of opinion where there is lack of fact (example is politics, economics, and other arenas where different points of view are the norm).
As long as society allows these differences of opinions, and allow those with different opinions and belief systems the freedom to practice their opinions, that is American.
There will be differences of opinion as long as there are different experiences in life among human beings. We are not robotic computerized creatures.
To be outside the mainstream thought process, has served America well in the past. It was and is the right thing to be 'outsiders' to slavery and racism for instance, when the mainstream accepts and indulges in such action. But it is wrong to name those Americans who support reasonable alternative as outsiders.
Sometimes being outside of the mainstream is good, other times it has been show to be destructive. NeoNazis are outside of the mainstream, as are KKK members.
They believed their alternatives were reasonable, the majority disagreed.
Our society is pluralistic, yet allows diversity, as long as the pluralism doesn't trample the rights of the minority, nor the diversity cause harm to the majority.
For such minorities, who bring around the mainstream's thought to that of a more free and inclusive country, to be described as cult, is indicative of a bitter narrow mindedness.
Any group that is small in number, in which the members are strongly ideological in nature, and would seek to change the thinking of the majority who have a different perspective fits the definition of the word cult.
Your opinion is that of bitter narrow mindedness, however, it is difficult to allow you an objective perspective when in fact you are in the minority position attempting to force your own belief system on others.
Theists, who are yet unaware of the objections to their desire for the mainstream to insist everyone profess a belief in a religious opinion many do not hold, should be made aware of the un-American sound they make.
There is indeed a spirit of nationalism in this country, and that is the majority opinion. Those in the majority would have everyone posses that same nationalism, and the pledge is a nationalistic ritual.
However, those who do not choose to participate, just like those who choose not to sing the national anthem at a ball game, choose to sit instead of stand, are not punished legally.
Yes, the ignorant may ridicule them, but that is human nature. I don't agree with the ridicule of others for their desire not to say the pledge, or stand up and sing the national anthem, they are free to do what they want, and I simply don't care. Others get angry, which is their right as long as the person objecting to the majority process are free to do so without harm.
Many problems are resolved and the country left a better place for changes which come about from the activities of groups whose ideas and reasonable common sense encourage introspection by the mainstream.
Introspection is good. Reduction in materialism in favor of caring about one's family is also good. There is a lot that is good that people in this country have little interest in.
Some start movements to make others aware, sometimes these movement work, other times they don't.
The problem I think you are going to have is that you are claiming to be the group that is MOST reasonable, and in possession of the MOST common sense, and that is where you will likely fail.
In AA, there is a principle of attraction over promotion. The theory being that if someone radiates happiness and recovery, the unhappy and non-recovered will naturally be attracted to that person and ask what they have.
If the atheists prove that their belief system produces a greater abundance of the values people seek in life, atheists will no doubt become attractive to the believers who have less of those values.
Simple human nature at work, people want more, and if you radiate more, people will want to convert to what gave you more.
Previously institutionalized prejudices and intolerance, often caused by the divisive, selfish, self-importance of zealots , political, religious or both, often included by society at large in a tolerant passive acceptance, are eventually disposed of, often due to the instigations of a smaller group.
There are many self important zealots in the cult of atheists.
No one that I know of is burning atheists at the stake, denying them jobs, preventing them from practicing their atheism.
They are free to hold their own atheistic services, have groups to discuss atheistic thought, but when the atheists want to promote their belief systems and deny the majority the right to practice their belief systems, then there is a problem.
We are all Americans. Americans love freedom. A Freedom of religion which omits freedom from religion is not the watered down freedom of America.
How are you not free to practice your religion? This country was founded on the principles of freedom from religious persecution.
How is it that your atheistic cult is not free to practice their belief system?
The majority should bend to your will, simply because you don't like a word or two here and there?
A tolerant free, nation which propounds freedom of religion only, requires that ALL its people are free to insist their own religious beliefs are openly declared and chanted by its children, sang of at public meetings or printed on its currency.
Parents of these children can instruct their children not to participate, or even leave the room during the pledge. No one is forced to recite the pledge.
No one has to read the currency. You are not forced to use the currency, to my knowledge checks and credit cards do not have the word God on them.
But there is no reasonable demand that any of this should be so. There is no call for "A Nation Free Under No God". Yet ironically enough, for a Nation to be free, it should be UNDER Nothing and UNDER no one !
It is not a demand, it is a majority opinion, that allows the minority to cling to their belief systems.
It is not true that a nation should be "nothing." We are all under the law of the land, we are under the power of those who enforce the law of the land.
That the majority believe the law of God exists is their belief system, but they do not demand you share the same belief system.
The only demands for a Declaration of Opinion come from within one group.. theists.
A group of religionists who refer to this country's history in support. But it's a history that chronicles people escaping from a demand for religion and not a history of people who demand religion be publicly avowed.
Not true. Atheists are demanding that their opinion be publicly accepted.
You confuse the word God with religion. The word God is generic.
To some, God is their own brain. Please show me which document tells people how to interpret the word God?
A Patriotic American, who wants to state the Pledge without interruption by words and meaning of religious opinion, is something all Americans might feel more conducive to a free America.
Patriotic Americans are free to state the Pledge, or not. They are free to say the word God, or not.
The majority wants to say the pledge, and say the word God. The majority at a baseball game like to stand up in the 7th inning and sing take me out to the ball game.
Who is punished for sitting in silence?
I leave your thousands of posts