I was watching this on TV tonight and during the scene the children are saying the pledge of alliegance, they skip over "under God."
Was that in the original movie or edited out because of recent controversy?
Pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space 'cos its bugger all down here on Earth.
"Under God" wasn't added until 1954 by act of Congress.
It ain't easy being green, or anything else, other than to be me
It was NOT in the original movie since the movie was made in 1945 and the words "under God" were not added to the pledge until June 14, 1954 under the Eisenhower administration. So since the movie was made 9 years before the words were added that would explain why they are not in the movie.
shareThank you very much. That was very helpful.
Merry Christmas, everyone. :)
Pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space 'cos its bugger all down here on Earth.
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Ha, so the separation of church and state enshrined in the US constitution is 'political correctness'.
shareNote---there is nothing "specific" in the Constitution about "separation of church and state". It appears only in a later letter to the Danbury Baptists written by Thomas Jefferson.
shareThis is the actual text taken from the bill of rights in regards to religion: Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
It's not a seperation of church and state comment so much as a declaration that unlike many European countries the US would not be forcing its citizens to become a member of any specific religion, likewise it would also not keep the citizens from establishing their own religion. The ACLU and others have so twisted this language to the point that everyone misquotes it by stating seperation of church and state when in fact that's not what this amendment says.
I know I've come a bit late to the party, but thank you for being a voice of reason. I think that the Founding Fathers would be appalled at the turn we have taken.
shareYou are the one playing with words here kenneth. In a nut shell that paragraph plainly expounds the virtue of a separation between church and state and is why it is referred to as such. We can see that you understand the amendment but, then you say that's not what it says... talk about twisting words.
shareNo Inamo, you have got that exactly backwards. When Eisenhower added the words 'under god' into the Pledge of Allegiance, he believed that was the 'politically correct' thing to do. He was wrong. The idea of separation of church and state is to prevent any religious institution imposing their beliefs upon others who may believe differently. In other words, Secularism provides Freedom of Religion by disallowing state laws from forcing people to behave in a way that may be offensive to the beliefs of others.. Eisenhower screwed that up good and proper by adding the words 'under god' meaning the christian god, his god.
shareAt the time that the pledge was ruined, the john birch society, along with assorted racist groups like the white citizens councils and the kkk had actual influence in Congress. They pretty much forced the change through, along with other fringe and whacked-out groups.
shareNo, it's not. Get a life.
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brownish33, you really enjoy raising hell don't you? Actually, I knew a Christian who sucked in college...she was popular.
Merry Christmas
God bless
Luke 2
Can you fly this plane?
Surely u cant be serious
I am serious,and dont call me Shirley
I too watched that scene with great interest to see what the children would say as I also know from reading up on the subject that not only were the words "under God" inserted in the 1950's (under pressure from the Knights of Columbus, a religious organization) but also that the original author of the pledge was in fact an ordained minister and purposely chose NOT to put such words into the pledge as he didn't intend it to be a religious instruction. So much for "atheism" right? It helps to know a little about something before spouting off. The changing of the pledge was a political move in an era of fear of the "Godless Reds" (Russians, Communists) much more than an altruistic effort to bring people closer to God. To me it actually was a very cynical thing to do.
shareI agree with you, Donbanf, and may I add this:
There are two very important passages of the Pledge that meant a great deal to those who first heard it, and which were forgotten by the 1950s and remain forgotten today. First -- " . . . one nation, indivisible . . ." We are one nation, one, and we cannot be divided. The man who wrote the Pledge, as well as his comtemporaries, lived through the American Civil War. They knew first hand the death and destruction that came when this nation tried to break apart. These words celebrate the fact that we are one nation, indivisible; we cannot be broken into pieces.
Second -- ". . . with liberty and justice for all." These were not meant to be just words. As they had lived through the Civil War, they had also lived through slavery, emancipation, and the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution. They saw the struggle it took to bring liberty and justice, citizenship and full rights, to every man and woman in the United States.
I could be wrong, but I believe that most reciters of the Pledge today do not understand or care to understand the power behind these two phrases. People seem to think it is vitally important to say "under God," but do not really know exactly what they are placing under Him.
Absolutely ljspin and donbanf. The words 'under god' are unnecessary and serve only to confuse. Eisenhower himself had no real understanding of the amendment or his meddlesome words and the trouble they would cause.
shareActually, Louis Bowman started the idea of adding "under God," citing Lincoln's Gettysburg Address ("....this nation shall, under God, have a new birth of freedom..."). It was adopted by The Knights of Columbus in 1950 and ratified in 1951.
Initial attempts by several people to convince Congress failed. In 1954, after hearing a sermon by the Rev. George Docherty, President Eisenhower suggested that Congress pass a bill to add the words. Congress complied, and the Pledge was amended, effective on Flag Day (June 14) in 1954.
colagada;
That is some interesting detail that I've never read (or heard) before. The original question was answered several posts back, but your detail is extremely enlightening. I will want to research to track your references. I'm not complaining, mind you. I thank you for the information. This is hardly an academic site, so I don't expect references. It is wonderful when someone offers enough detail to pique interest.
The best diplomat I know is a fully charged phaser bank.