One Nation. Whose G-d?

According to the Constitution on which this nation is based, specifically, the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." So, no laws respecting an establishment of religion, eh?

According to the Supreme Court, that law needs to be upheld. Public schools, which are entities of the government, are not allowed to have prayer. Back since 1962, in Engel v. Vitale, the Court decided (6 to 1) that any prayer, even nondenominational, even voluntary, is unconstitutional; it pressures kids into believing that the government or school supports religion. And that's simply not fair to families which do not want schools (which their children must attend by law) teaching their children that any religion, or even religion itself, is right, true, or valid. That's for the parents to decide.

And so, according to our laws and court rulings, no religion from government. Right?

Well, not really. In spite of what we say in our courtrooms, the nation is seeming with religious propaganda, and it's simply improper. Why can I not buy or sell goods in this nation built on religious freedom without the inscription "In G-d We Trust"? What if I'm not a monotheist. Suppose I believe in gods. Or I'm atheist. In G-d who trusts? Not me!

I have no qualm with religious institutions. If you want to have churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, whatever; fine. But when it comes to the government, can we keep religion out of it? The government should care about the needs of material reality, not superficial spirituality. I don't want leaders who pray to G-d, I want leaders who solve problems. They're elected to run democracy, not theocracy.

So the money thing is a problem. But it doesn't stop there. Remember the Supreme Court ruling that says no prayer of any kind in public school, even nondenominational or voluntary? Well, in my public school, we used to say this every day:

"...and to the republic, for which it stands, one nation, under G-d, indivisible..."

Under G-d? Are you kidding? That's not prayer? Pledging allegiance to a nation which stands under a god?

It doesn't stop there. The United States (land of the free) celebrates 11 national holidays. These include Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and one that is very special to the purpose of the nation: Since 1870, Christmas is a national holiday. Excuse me? Christmas. The only religious holiday recognized by the government.

Now hold on. Do we all remember the Establishment Clause? "No law respecting an establishment of religion." In 1870, Congress passed a law, and guess what it respected? Christmas! As in, Christianity. They've both got "Christ" in the name. What the heck?

And sure enough, even till today, not only do private business shut down (you can't stop private businesses from opening/closing whenever they'd like, and to be accurate, Asian restaurants like to stay open), but here's the kicker: government shuts down. The mail, Congress, and all "non-essential" (the military doesn't stop) government employees are told to go home. Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Atheists, you name it - everyone shuts down in honor of Christmas. That's not recognition of established religion, now, is it? The birth of Christ seems awfully important for democracy and freedom, no?

How about inauguration? Do our leaders and legal judges swear their obligation to the law on the Constitution? Of course not. They use the Bible.

The whole point of religious freedom in society is a no-pressure system where no religion is favored or rewarded. The Establishment Clause was written because the Anglican Church was taking too much control in England, and the founding fathers did not want a particular religion to rule in the New World. Way to honor that, America.

But don't let the White House Easter Egg hunt or Hanukkah Party fool you; this nation values separation of church and state. Our nation is about equality and law. We run under the Constitution. It's what makes us strong, and we don't violate it. We operate under a republic; a system where the many elect the few, and the few represent the many. Or, at least, they represent the religious majority.

"E pluribus unum" was the motto of the United States until 1956. "E pluribus unum" means "Out of many, one." It's about unity, diversity, and the United States of America.

In 1956, Congress legally made our national motto: "In G-d We Trust."