Courts: PEBO Can Say 'So Help Me God' As Part of Official Oath on Tuesday*

To those of you who were quoting the Declaration of Independence, remember, that document allowed us to break with England. That was not the document to FORM the United States. That document starts with "We the People." Note that it does NOT start with "By the Grace of the Almighty (but invisible & unknowable) God." The Constitution is about the PEOPLE who make this great nation.
Remember, christians only makes up about 1/3 of the planet's population. With all of the gods available to believe in, WHY do you think you've got it right? WHY do you think you've got the right to proselytize to the rest of us?
Do as it says in Matthew 6:6 go into your closet and "pray to thy Father which is in secret." And stop thinking you've got it right. You don't.

Putting the name of god on our currency, in the mouths of everyones children, and into everyones ears is a issue one way or another. I don't appreciate the invocations, evocations, and religious words used. If I have never felt the will of god am I less than you because you believe you have? If I don't understand this name you speak? Am I less, am I unworthy? Apparently I am, at the least I know now I can't be more than 15 percent as much a part of this country as a christian. Why, I am less. I still love you as my brother 85 percent.... But seriously, what do I tell my child, "Daddy who's god?" 85 percent apparently knows, I do not, what is my child to percieve. All his friends know God. What if daddy doesn't, can't, what does he tell his child. Go to church and find you father is a heathen?

Ted: I meant to say that includes preaching the gospel to you whether you like it or not and whether you want to hear it or not. We Christians can't force you to listen but we wouldn't be doing our jobs as Christians and as Jesus' disciples in today's world if we didn't preach the gospel to everyone wherever we go!

Ted you are wrong! Religion does NOT just belong in church! God should be involved in everything we do! Everything! Jesus told his disciples to "Go ye unto all the world and preach the gospel to every creature". That means ALL the world, not just in our churches, and, like it or not, that includes you!

He should also be able to say: "So help me, Allah!" I suspect some religionists might have a problem with that, though. God...like beauty.....is in the eye of the beholder.

Why can't religion stay in church were it belongs?

Billy...And I suppose you would be just as happy if the situation were reversed??? I doubt it.

There is no such thing as freedom of speech. We only have freedom of select speech.

To all you Atheists out there. Remember this is America, you know freedom of speech. For you to make comments or create lawsuits over the word "God" being used in federal quotations, songs and inscriptions, please remember that they are free to be there as you are free to be Atheist. President Obama gave credit to Atheists in his innagural address, of which no President has done before. You as believers are all apart of "We" Remember that.

All "Atheist" means is that one does not believe in a "Theist God" That does not mean that they don't believe in a "Divine Being"

I think the Atheist should give it up...we live in a democracy in which a majority vote, or views rule....if 95 % of the population want "God " to be kept, then it should stay in. This is not to disreguard the views of the atheist...if they don't believe in God, then don't say the word. But if 95 % of us want to say it, including elected officials, we should be able to. The majority of the paople rule this nation, the minority.

BertieW: You are just the latest in a long line of bloggers on this thread who doesn't get what the suit was about. It WASN'T about prohibiting Obama from exercising his religious freedom. It WAS about a judge who is charged by the constitution to read an oath to Obama, and adds a religious phrase to it. That's NOT his right, because he's not exercising his religious freedom, he's acting as an official of OUR government. Newdow is exactly right. I don't think you're a jerk for disagreeing, I just don't think you've been able to see this issue from the standpoint of someone who isn't Christian and finds OFFICIAL mention of Christian elements by OFFICIALS of government to be contrary to the 1st amendment.

Many good comments on the early history of our country, but I think there is one concept missing. The Declaration of Independence states "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights." This means that there are certain rights that were given to all people that governments should not take away. If governments don't accept this, then governments have the right to do whatever they want. Since most of the founders belived in God, they thought it was important to remind us of this fact in many documents. Just because they did not use it in every sentence and paragraph does not mean that God is excluded from that text. Most founders were Christians, but they did not mention Christ by name but used the more generic term of God so all religions felt they were included.

ellesbells930- power? The power to govern comes from those who are governed. If we didn't allow them to govern us, it wouldn't happen. They also get the power from the military, justice, congress, etc. Are you saying that god wrote a decree or something saying that this is how the US would be governed? NO. It was created by a bunch of men in Philadelphia. Some of them believed that they were inspired by god, but that is all it ever is--a belief.

daswizard - And who do you think gave men that power? It was God.

Give me a Break!!! I have seen several clips of Bush taking his oath and guess what, he said "So Help Me God" and I cant remember a big stink being made over it. Why now is it such a big deal? We all have the right to watch or not watch, listen or not listen...take your pick. Who cares what you believe or don't belive when it comes to Obama taking His oath. That's part of the problem, everyone wants to be right...where is tolerance and the basic respect of others?

IF the christian skygod is really omnipotent as the followers assert, she/he need not worry about being mentioned in the mere affairs of mortal men.

Reply to Ellsbells930: The Declaration may mention "God" (actually "Laws of Nature and of Nature's God," which doesn't sound like the Xian God but the Deist "God"). However, in the next paragraph it reads, "That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." That, to me, means that the Government is to be among MEN not among "Gods". And, that that government takes it's Powers from the consent of the governed, not some "SkyGod."
Get off your knees and stand up for your rights.

REPLY to "Sportin’ Life," specifically this comment: "Because the issue at hand relates to what an individual or individuals may say at the inauguration and not the enactment of laws, the attempted application of the First Amendment is not relevant in this case."

This argument simply ignores the fact that those who are uttering such words are acting not as private individuals but in fact as Government Officials on a government forum exercising government power (to administer and engage in oaths required to assume office and thus exercise government power over the rest of us).

Hence, your argument is fatally flawed, and yes, if Obama shouted "Allah is Great!" 99% of Americans would be up in arms about it, thus validating the "atheists’" objections here that ANY religion spouted by GOVERNMENT officials whilst exercising government functions/power tends to ESTABLISH religion in direct violation of the First Amendment.

Faith is safe -- in homes, churches, public parks -- anywhere one wants to exercise it. Except during government functions. We simply don't need government bureaucrats promoting one faith over another. Indeed, that only injures faith in the long run, and galvanizes the very divisiveness that spawns religious rivalry, wars, etc.

So even if one disagrees about what the Founders meant, this reasoning supplies good cause to urge church-state separation politically, as a core value that helps keep America safe and free, and that secures (rather than erodes) the freedom to worship (or not).

First of all, you all need to get a grip. Removing 'so help me god' is not "forcing atheism" on anyone. The suit is NOT to ask for it to be removed and in it's place be put 'there is no god', or require an hour-long lecture on Darwinism.

Secondly, considering part of this suit is about the many prayers that occur during these GOVERNMENT functions, how is a Christian clergyman (in fact, multiple, from different denominations) asking ME, an atheist, to PRAY NOT forcing your religion on me. Sure, I cold ignore it or close my eyes or stuff my fingers in my ears, but this is a government function and I am a citizen of this country. Why should I be excluded?

Plus, though Newdow is often just treated as an Atheist, he's doing this not just for Atheists, but for people of other religions. Think about how you might feel if, instead of having Christian clerics up there, Obama had everyone conduct a traditional Muslim prayer and followed that up by saying 'praise Allah' at the end instead of 'So help me god'. Would you still be foaming at the mouth to protect his "rights"? I somehow doubt it.