OK, here’s some more from the religion/civil society front of the culture wars.  I’ve posted here before about the absolute need of some fundamentalist evangelicals to feel persecuted and embattled as a part of their salvation story…and of their tendency to fabricate, over-blow and obsess on every possible instance that they can find of Christian persecution in order to feel that they are courageous defenders of the faith facing martyrdom and mayhem on behalf of the one true God.

     Here is an example that is most interesting, because it serves double duty…allowing them to force their ideas upon others while framing the objections of those very people as “attacks on God” and by extension, Christians.

     It concerns, as is often the case, The Pledge of Allegiance, and more particularly, the words “under God”.  Evidently, it is an honor to the God who created free will to force children to pledge alleigance to a flag with recitations of words most of them don't even understand, especially if we make sure to also force them to mention HIM in the process...

...and while we're at it, let's make soft-drink manufacturers do it too.

     My friend, Kristi Bruno, got this e-mail from someone she knows:

"DON'T BUY PEPSI IN THE NEW CAN!

Pepsi has a new "patriotic" can coming out with pictures of the Empire

State>Building, and the Pledge of Allegiance on them.

However, Pepsi left out two little words on the pledge, "Under God."

Pepsi said they didn't want to offend anyone.

In that case, we don't want to offend anyone at the Pepsi corporate office, either. So if we don't buy any Pepsi product, they will not be offended when they don't receive our money that has the words "In God We Trust" on it.

HOW FAST CAN YOU FORWARD THIS ONE?"

Her friend, Bunny passed on a couple of links to more information about this e-mail and its contents (It’s false, misleading AND exaggerated):

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/outrage/drpepper.asp
http://www.dpsu.com/drpepper_can.html

Kristi, who is an amazing person in many ways (acting, writing, being classy and self-possessed…that sort of thing), drafted a response.  That follows here:

"Sorry for the rant, but intolerance for religious freedom gets under my skin in a big way. I'd feel I did a disservice if I did not state my opinion. Here's my reply to the original message, still listed below.

Here's the ORIGINAL Pledge, from October 11, 1892:

I pledge allegiance to my Flag,

and to the Republic for which it stands:

    one Nation indivisible,

With Liberty and Justice for all.

On June 14, 1923, to reflect the influx of immigrants, it was changed to this:

I pledge allegiance to the

Flag of the United States,

and to the Republic for which it stands:

    one Nation indivisible,

With Liberty and Justice for all.

June 14, 1923 it was changed to this:

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, Congress, after a campaign by the Knights of Columbus and in response to "McCarthyism", added the words, "under God" to the Pledge.

June 14, 1954 it was

changed to the Pledge we know today. It was established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower saying, "In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most powerful resource in peace and war."

That's right. This version of the Pledge has only been around for 50 years. Most of our parents are older than that.

Remember that the 1950's weren't exactly a time of cultural awareness or acceptance of diversity. The same narrow-minded, affluent white male politicians that added "Under God" to the Pledge were also the same ones that believed that women should be at home in the kitchen and that African Americans should be kept in their place. It was added to strike  additional fear into the hearts of Americans to fight against Communism. Think back to your United States History class and all of those horrible witch-hunt trials by Senator McCarthy. "Are you or have you ever been a member of the Communist party?"

As a country that was founded on the cornerstone of freedom, and included in that, RELIGIOUS freedom, it just this sort of knee-jerk reactionism that DIVIDES our country. What about the REST of the pledge? Are we saying that all of the other statements in the pledge mean nothing without "Under God"? Ludicrous. Believe it or not, believing in God is not a requirement for being a good human being...

or a good country. Even though I don't even drink Pepsi, I fully support them in their choice to do this. Not everyone in this country practices a form of religion; not everyone worships the same monotheistic version of God. THAT FREEDOM is what it means to be an AMERICAN...with liberty and justice for all.

How fast will people be willing to forward THIS?"

     My friends rock with bells on…and I feel so fortunate to know such passionate, smart, thoughtful people who take the time to learn, and know and read and speak.  People like that, as much as any other force, are what are going to keep this a civil society, rather than the totalitarian theocracy that some people are working to bring about.