Are you an atheist? other than lead school prayer and such things do you reallycare about what the pledge?

Question

coins say?

Answer 1

I'm agnostic/theist/whatever and I couldn't care less. I don't even mind about school prayer, so long as students can opt out or pray in their own way - or better yet, just have a "silence" time where praying students can do so, and others can read a book quietly. My school had a morning moment of silence (public school) and some students chose to pray.

As for coins and the pledge, it has never bothered me. What bothers me more about the pledge is being forced to say it in school, period, but it doesn't matter that God is mentioned - it's just the idea of teaching kids that their country is the best nation in the world that bugs me.

Answer 2

I live in Indiana and work in a public shcool.

We say the pledge every morning (I just skip the bit about god).
We have 30 seconds of silence (my job is to try and actually get the students to be silent).
Indiana also has an available on request "In God We Trust" plate for cars.

My question is how does all this stuff help? It doesn't make better student. It doesn't make better drivers. People are still foolish with money. What is the point of all this trusting in god?

These are just lame warm and fuzzy measures that mean nothing. It is a waste of time, energy, and money. But, it makes Christians happy, so politicians do it.

Answer 3

It's not like I think it's the end of the world or anything, but I do care. Money is a government document, and religious messages have no business being written on them. How would Christians feel if "Praise Allah" was written on coins and bills? They would wonder what the necessity of *that* would be. (Just like we do.) Also, what difference should it make to them that it be taken off? Would it affect their faith? Of course not. The only *possible* reason people could have to insist on it remaining there is because it's just one more little way to push their beliefs on others, and make themselves feel superior to others. That's why it's irritating.
And as for the pledge, I think whoever WANTS to say "Under God" should be allowed to, but no one should be forced to say it. It should be completely the choice of the person themselves.

Answer 4

The reason I care is because it gives the false perception to our children. Many know nothing of the history of our country and make assumptions that it was our founding fathers intent.
The history taught in school goes from the pilgrims to the American Revolution, with very little in between. Somehow these two events have become linked. They are far from a straight line.
Many early settlers came here to make there fortunes and to escape the class system of England. Not religious freedom. The Revolution had nothing to do with religion or religious freedom.

Answer 5

Yes, I care. I'd like to see the pledge restored to the way it was originally written, and 'In god we trust' taken off currency. They were both added in the mid 1950's in response to the Red Scare (McCarthyism).

No, I don't make a huge issue of it. If I see an opportunity to relevantly speak my mind on the topic, yes, I'll speak my mind, but no, I don't go out looking for such opportunities.

Answer 6

I don't particularly care of public schools or fiat currency anyway, but by your own Constitution, the establishment of a state religion is prohibited. Printing religious phrases on the currency, and persecuting or outright prohibiting other forms of currency (i.e. the Liberty Dollar) is rather telling behavior, don't ya think?

Answer 7

The pledge, yes. 'Under god' was put in there in the 50's due to McCarthyism. Time to remove it. Currency, yes as well. It would be a separation of church and state.

Answer 8

Yes.

"I have no problem with freedom of religion.

Now take In God We Trust off the money, or replace with 'In God, Allah, Thor, Odin, Shiva, Zeus, Jupiter, Ra, Bill Odenkirk or none of the above We Trust'"

-an answer I gave 6 hours ago.

Answer 9

Yes I do....In God We Trust was never originally on our money...One Nation Under God was never originally in our pledge...that is the way our founding fathers would have wanted it....religious zealots have lost sight of that and it needs to be reversed....

Answer 10

I don't mind until it is forced upon me. The pledge and coins and whatnot are part of our history. It would be a shame to change it. I would care, however, if they said something like 'you can't spend in God we trust money unless you are Christian' or 'you have to say the pledge every morning'.