The subtext is clear and not all religions believe in a single God and not believing in God is a religious preference when talking about a state not discriminating against or in favor of a specific religion.
I can’t think of a religion off-hand that doesn’t have a single God, even famously “polytheistic” Hinduism boils down to narrower aspects of Brahman. And I challenge any thinking atheist to read through Spinoza without adopting a trace of abstract deism. Many of the founding fathers, including Benjamin Franklin to whom some sources trace the motto, were themselves abstract deists; so I question the clarity of the subtext.
If you want to move that goalpost that much try not to hurt your back!
It’s 100% clear that “God” in this case is the Abrahamic God and especially the Christian version of God. In the end the problem is still the same, you can’t pretend your country doesn’t have a religious preference and then put God all over the place.
Inspired by the Gettysburg Address (by a christian), first adopted by the Knights of Columbus (a catholic order), first attempt at amending the pledge by a catholic congressman and finally done by Eisenhower (who came from a family with a strong christian background) after hearing a Presbyterian minister’s sermon calling for the addition… And it all happened during a decade where christian church attendance % was the highest it had ever been and increasing!
In a country where even today only a third of the population doesn’t identify itself to an Abrahamic religions, you really need to be ignoring context to believe that’s not the God being referred to in this context.
How about you find me a source quoting the people that wanted it to be added that says it’s a neutral God and that atheists were taken into consideration when making the change even though they don’t believe in God. I think you’ll have a hard time with that second part considering it was a move against the atheist communists.
The subtext is clear and not all religions believe in a single God and not believing in God is a religious preference when talking about a state not discriminating against or in favor of a specific religion.
I can’t think of a religion off-hand that doesn’t have a single God, even famously “polytheistic” Hinduism boils down to narrower aspects of Brahman. And I challenge any thinking atheist to read through Spinoza without adopting a trace of abstract deism. Many of the founding fathers, including Benjamin Franklin to whom some sources trace the motto, were themselves abstract deists; so I question the clarity of the subtext.
If you want to move that goalpost that much try not to hurt your back!
It’s 100% clear that “God” in this case is the Abrahamic God and especially the Christian version of God. In the end the problem is still the same, you can’t pretend your country doesn’t have a religious preference and then put God all over the place.
Again, no it isn’t. You’ve presented no evidence to support that. It is nowhere near 100% clear.
Sure, all the people who wanted it to be added were christians but they certainly weren’t thinking about the christian God!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pledge_of_Allegiance
Inspired by the Gettysburg Address (by a christian), first adopted by the Knights of Columbus (a catholic order), first attempt at amending the pledge by a catholic congressman and finally done by Eisenhower (who came from a family with a strong christian background) after hearing a Presbyterian minister’s sermon calling for the addition… And it all happened during a decade where christian church attendance % was the highest it had ever been and increasing!
https://today.usc.edu/the-1950s-powerful-years-for-religion/
https://religionnews.com/2014/12/11/1940s-america-wasnt-religious-think-rise-fall-american-religion/
In a country where even today only a third of the population doesn’t identify itself to an Abrahamic religions, you really need to be ignoring context to believe that’s not the God being referred to in this context.
How about you find me a source quoting the people that wanted it to be added that says it’s a neutral God and that atheists were taken into consideration when making the change even though they don’t believe in God. I think you’ll have a hard time with that second part considering it was a move against the atheist communists.