Raging white supremacist bigots and rabid un-Christian Christians aside, embedded in habit and law in this country is a pro-Christian, anti-all others bias.
Protestants outnumbered all others early on and their moral views were a guiding force in legal and social edicts. Perfect example are "blue laws." Closing businesses on Sundays was just to make sure folks were free to go to church — God's day of rest and all. While these laws began to be repealed in the 1970s, vestiges remain: no hunting on Sunday and no alcohol sold until after noon or 1pm in several places for instances. Other signs of the bias exist.
"Under God" was added to the Pledge in 1954 by President Eisenhower. In signing the Congress’ bill he readily admitted it was a decision based entirely on religious preference:
FROM THIS DAY FORWARD, the millions of our school children will daily proclaim in every city and town, every village and rural school house, the dedication of our nation and our people to the Almighty. To anyone who truly loves America, nothing could be more inspiring than to contemplate this rededication of our youth, on each school morning, to our country's true meaning.
Especially is this meaningful as we regard today's world. Over the globe, mankind has been cruelly torn by violence and brutality and, by the millions, deadened in mind and soul by a materialistic philosophy of life. Man everywhere is appalled by the prospect of atomic war. In this somber setting, this law and its effects today have profound meaning. In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most powerful resource, in peace or in war.
His statement follows Congress’ rationality “to acknowledge the dependence of our people and our Government upon the moral directions of the Creator” and “to deny the atheistic and materialist concepts of communism.”
A similar case is “in God we trust.” The phrase first showed up on currency in 1864 thanks to
Rev M R Watkins. In his letter to Treasury Secretary Salmon P Chase, he explained the reason for the change, saying it was important to “relieve us from the ignominy of heathenism.” It wasn’t until 1955 that Congress decided it should be mandatory on all currency. A year later, Congress replaced “E Pluribus Unum” (From Many, One) as our national motto with the religious phrase. The same anti-Communist rationale was put forward in all three 1950s laws.
Although I grew up on the fringes of the Bible Belt, I’m glad my teachers in the late 50s-early 60s taught the inclusive former motto instead of the exclusive newer one. (Admittedly, it may have been because it was a small town and news of the change wasn’t well publicized.)
The Freedom From Religion Foundation states the divisiveness:
Unbelievers represent 7%-9% of the population. By comparison, Jews are a respected minority at 2%-3%. Most people would consider "In Jesus We Trust" to be exclusionary and inappropriate. So, why is it okay to exclude atheists and agnostics?
In this century, challenges have been brought against such religious preferences with mixed results. While some courts have ruled that sectarian invocations at school board and other government gatherings are unconstitutional, the latest to reach the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision in Greece v. Galloway (2014), reversed a lower court and gave religionists the power to let Christian prayers dominate such events. Challenges to religious proclamations at public school events, however, have been more successful.
Donald Trump pandered to the right wing religious and other bigots to help secure his role as President. His choice for the Supreme Court seat (the one that should belong to Merrick Garland) will undoubtedly continue to deny that the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment applies to renewed instances of religious intrusion into government concerns. Pres Trump continues to curry favor with those who see non-white, non-Christian people as a threat to their supposed exceptionality. The ramifications are not positive.
In addition to the new administration’s targeted wide scale roundups of undocumented Latinos and blatant targeting of Muslim immigrants and refugees, attacks by Trump’s bigoted followers on Jewish establishments have seen a marked increase. Supposed Christian entitlement plays a large part in the onslaught and impugnment of “others.”
It has to stop. Christians, Jews and Muslims all pray to the same God yet battle each other over the minutiae of how to frame their supplication. It has to stop.
The pious of all three opprobriate non-believers, Wiccans, pagans and others who don’t hold to the belief in that one supreme being. It has to stop.
If this country is ever to live up to its ideals of equality, justice and the sanctity of human rights, to become “one nation, indivisible”, it has to stop.
It. Has. To. Stop.
