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Created:July 1, 2002
Latest Update: July 1, 2002
jeannecurran@habermas.org
takata@uwp.edu

Religion and the Separation of Church and State

Essay Copyright: Jeanne Curran and Susan R. Takata and Individaul Authors, Jully 2002.
"Fair use" encouraged.

This essay is based on an article from US News and World Report, July 8 - 15, 2002. Folly 'round the Flag , by John Leo, at p. 4. Backup.

The Ninth Circuit's ruling this week that the phrase "under God," in the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional, resulting in the ruling that "would ban the pledge in public schools" has caused a major furor. The issue that John Leo raises is whether such phrases as "under God," "in God we trust," "God bless you," etc. invoke specific references to specific religions or non-religion, or whether they represent "a ceremonial deism."

Once again, we seem to take issues to the extreme, when mderation might serve us better. The attempt to cast religion aside as irrelevant or even harmful to the functioning of the state has resulted in more confrontational and religious-specific confrontations than are perhaps warranted, for we have often cast aside morality together with religion.

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