If it’s a good idea to include “God” in our Pledge of Allegiance then, perhaps we should consider inserting the name of our country into the Lord’s Prayer. There are several places in the prayer where “United States” would nicely fit. This isn’t a serious suggestion, but suppose it was. What would opponents to a new and improved prayer argue?
Perhaps they would point out that the prayer is a religious, not political declaration. It would likely be suggested that inclusion of “United States” would be unfair to Christians living in other parts of the world. Surely a person of a different nationality would feel awkward when the congregation made reference to our country – even if he/she choose to remain silent during that portion of the prayer. Both are valid and compelling arguments against politicizing the Lord’s Prayer. Similar reasoning should be applied to pledge debate. The justices were courageous and correct.
Instead of diving headfirst into the debate, Attorney General John Ashcroft should recuse himself.
Everett
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