Original post can be found here.

——–

Aacantha posted :

I agree with both of your posts except for the statements about God.
As you already know, while the original European settlers came here because they were persecuted, many others came here because they were hungry, others came here because they were criminals; others were forced to come here; others came here because they wanted the equivalent to wealth in those days – entitlements and land. It wasn’t all about the belief of god.
I’m not inclined to base the next 1000 years on what a small group of white men, many of them who were slave holders, wanted for America. I really don’t think that they were thinking about me or my family.
In addition, I’m not required to base my life or the lives of my relatives on what dead men wanted (I think I got that from Ralph Waldo Emerson).
Some of us think that God is a myth. Some of us think that frighten men created gods to explain earthquakes and thunder and that men who later became known as “priests” exploited this fear to steal from the peasants and peons.
My position is that God, along with Apollo, Ganesha, Ra or Re, have the burden of proof to prove that they exist. Until they do, everything is on the table.
I certainly don’t think that I should pledge an allegiance based on a God that does not exist or swear to a God on a Bible that was written by superstitious men from the Middle East.
God was added to money and the pledge during the Red Scare to fight communism.

First, I make no claim as to why every single person came to this side of the world. Like I mention, everyone came “for one or another reason.” Some criminals volunteered to come to America. The Spaniards, being Catholic, came to populate the new lands Spain had “conquered.” The Scotts and the Irish came seeking better luck, especially after landlords in northern Scotland turned their backs on the clans. [Most of great “American” inventions have come from those of Scottish descent; what would we have done without them!] And the Mexicans!, the Mexicans were here before any “white” man made it to the West. Every came here for different reasons, but most had one thing in common: they all believed in a God.

On the point as of to whether the forefathers were thinking about any of us when they founded the United States, clearly they could have never imagined the country we now live in. But it doesn’t matter who they were thinking about, because they chose to create a nation that allowed for all their differences, and there were many such differences. Furthermore, their ideas came from hundreds of years of civilization, and government: Roman, Scottish, British, Greek.

On “what dead men wanted,” I must mention the fact that not all the dead men that have upheld the beliefs the Constitution holds died 200 years ago; some died just yesterday. We don’t want to offend anyone by saying God, or Christmas, or Hanukkah, or even wearing reflections of our heritage, like the Confederate flag or covered hair; but we do insult the memory of those who died so that we could say what we want, when we want – through any form of expression, so that we may live our lives the way we think best.

On another note, anything akin to “priests” are no more than religious leaders, whether legitimate or not. Man, since the beginning, has sought for guidance, and some have it in them to provide it. Power corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely, no? What people choose to believe, and who they chose to follow, is up to each and every one. That’s why the world is filled with interesting people.

Oh, and the Middle East has nothing to do with this. Since when the books of the Bible, many of which have never been seen by the populace, were written most of the world was unexplored, and thus the writings should – at the least – not be judged as any different as those found on the Egyptian Pyramids, or the Chinese temples, or caves.

As to the currency encryptions, my point is that we, today, tell the world that having a God is okay; but we don’t dare mention him in public within our own borders. Ninety-five percent of Americans consider themselves Christians; yet as many of us don’t want to upset the others by mentioning this fact. The other five percent, regardless of what they believe or not, enjoy the same rights and privileges as the full 95%. So, if we can’t make allusions as to our religion because of the other 5% – most of which belief in God because they are Jewish or Muslim, and thus have to sacrifice our First Amendments rights, then why should day get to keep theirs. “Liberty and justice for all” doesn’t say “all those who believe in a God” or “all those who do not believe in a God”; it just says “for all.”

The point of my discussion is that we, as a people, are becoming dangerously segregated into factions – the same kind the forefathers tried to assuage when they founded this country. Factions are good, but too many factions may be the end of us all.

——-

For more information on the Scotts, I suggest How the Scots Invented the Modern World. Read it skeptically, then do your own research from there. I must say it has very nicely documented research.