Monday, September 17, 2012

The Morality of Ages (pt.2)

   Fact: the pledge of allegiance never had the phrase: "one nation under God". The Pledge was written in 1892 by a man named Francis Bellamy a baptist minister who believed in equality, justice and liberty for all men. In truth, the Pledge never included the United States of America. Understand that at the time of this nation's founding America was made up of many different nationalities and it was this fact that prevented Francis from making a specific reference to a country. This is a look at how the Pledge changed over time:
In its original form it read:

"I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

In 1923, the words, "the Flag of the United States of America" were added. At this time it read:

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

In 1954, in response to the Communist threat of the times, President Eisenhower encouraged Congress to add the words "under God," creating the 31-word pledge we say today. Bellamy's daughter objected to this alteration. Today it reads:

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
    According to John W. Baer who wrote "The Pledge of Allegiance A Short Story" Francis wanted to include the words equality but didn't because slaves and women were denied the rights given to white men. "His original Pledge read as follows: 'I pledge allegiance to my Flag and (to*) the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.' He considered placing the word, 'equality,' in his Pledge, but knew that the state superintendents of education on his committee were against equality for women and African Americans. [ * 'to' added in October, 1892. ]"
   And yet, as we see plainly the pledge as it was originally created and evidence of why the pledge omitted key languages that we have now included, there are still groups in this country who claim that America was founded on Christianity. That it's founders were likewise Christian and created this nation on biblical precepts. Truth or myth?
   "There was a religious element to the American Revolution, which was so pronounced that you could just as well view the event in religious as in political terms. Many of the founders, especially the Southerners, were rebelling simultaneously against state-church oppression and English rule. The Connecticut Baptists saw Jefferson — an anti-Federalist who was bitterly opposed to the idea of establishment churches — as a friend. “Our constitution of government,” they wrote, “is not specific” with regard to a guarantee of religious freedoms that would protect them. Might the president offer some thoughts that, “like the radiant beams of the sun,” would shed light on the intent of the framers? In his reply, Jefferson said it was not the place of the president to involve himself in religion, and he expressed his belief that the First Amendment’s clauses — that the government must not establish a state religion (the so-called establishment clause) but also that it must ensure the free exercise of religion (what became known as the free-exercise clause) — meant, as far as he was concerned, that there was “a wall of separation between Church & State.” " -New York Times Feb 14 2010
  
   In February 1756, Adams wrote in his diary about a discussion he had had with a conservative Christian named Major Greene. The two argued over the divinity of Jesus and the Trinity. Questioned on the matter of Jesus' divinity, Greene fell back on an old standby: some matters of theology are too complex and mysterious for we puny humans to understand.
Adams was not impressed. In his diary he wrote, "Thus mystery is made a convenient cover for absurdity."
As president, Adams signed the famous Treaty of Tripoli, which boldly stated, "The government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion ..."
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/opinion/perspectives/five-founders-who-were-skeptical-of-organized-Christianity-and-couldn't-be-elected-today-218705/#ixzz26oggGmP1
   I am not suggesting that this nation and its founders did not believe in God. But the evidence points to a Deist approach to God as opposed to a christian one. A tolerant religious view as opposed to exclusivity. And who can blame them? After all they were creating a nation in which its citizens, and themselves included, had sought refuge from the religious sponsored state rule of Europe. So why then do many people today insist that America was built on Christianity? It is the widely held view of many conservatives that America's decline is because we have drifted from the christian principles on which this country was founded. My question is a simple one. What christian principles? The genocide of the indigenous people of this land? The pillaging of a "dark continent" stripping it of natural resources and enslaving their people? The slaughter of those people as they forced them to adapt to a new land for free labor? How exactly are these atrocities- at the foundation of this nation's inception- consistent with the widely held view that America was founded on christian principles? How is it that a nation which rose to prominence on immorality now claims by a religious select, that it's decline is because of an abandonment of those same values it never had?
   I will not deny that there has been a drastic change in the barometer of immoral behavior in the U.S. the facts are clear that there has been as clearly outline by this blog's previous posting. But I suggest in this blog not that immorality is a false concept but that immorality gains traction the more pervasive intolerance becomes. For it is intolerance that foreshadows the fall of world powers, not immorality for it is intolerance that obscures truth and abuses power.
  
   Constantine the Great. Much is made of this man in religious history. He is the man who united Rome from certain ruin by defeating Maxentius from the west after he saw a large cross in the sky. The story goes on to say that Constantine drew courage from this sign, drawing it on that of his troops and road divinely to victory, disposing of the pagan Maxentius and his blasphemous legions. But let us examine the story more carefully. There were 10 emperors of Rome who carried out systematic persecutions of the early church: "Many people have heard of Nero throwing Christians to the lions, but Nero isn't the only emperor who is accused of having persecuted the early Christians. The following are the emperors under whose rule you find the 10 major persecutions of Christians during the Roman Empire.
  1. Nero (64 A.D.)
  2. Domitian (c.90-96)
  3. Trajan (98-117)
  4. Hadrian (117-138)
  5. Marcus Aurelius (161-181)
  6. Septimus Severus (202-211)
  7. Maximus the Thracian (235-251)
  8. Decius (249-251)
  9. Valerian (257-260)
  10. Diocletian / Galerius (303-311"
-(by N.S. Gill ancienthistory.about.com)

   Under each persecution the faith only grew in number, influence and power, spreading from the common ranks of society to the affluent and wealthy. Could it be that unlike his predecessors, Constantine realized that he could be the first emperor to reign supreme under a unified Rome since Theodosius I? After all it was Theodosius who legalized Christianity and made Christianity Rome's official religion. Could it be that Constantine saw this move, radical from all the other emperors in Rome's history, as politically gainful and decided to follow suit? If so, why is it that Rome endured after Theodosius but met its demise under Constantine? What was different about these two men and their religious beliefs? If you look closely you will find that both men were politicians as well as generals and that gaining popularity with a religious group of power and influence would in turn make their position stronger but I suggest that Constantine erred in taking it too far. For while Theodosius established Christianity as the religion of the state, Constantine began to persecute the pagans. "Constantine gave one great boon to the Christians--he legalized their religion. From then on it rapidly gained more followers and began edging out the pagan cults. Soon it was the pagans being persecuted. Rioting monks trashed temples and killed pagan philosophers like Hypatia. In 382 the Altar of Victory was removed from its centuries-old home in the Senate. In 391 paganism was outlawed and temples shut all over the Empire. The old cults hung on for a few generations in rural areas, but Christianity was now the dominant power."-The death of paganism: how the Roman Empire converted to Christianity
  

1 comment:

  1. Jared, your pen is indeed mightier than the sword. You are well on your way to your overall goal. I definitely wish you well. Your talent shines!

    ReplyDelete