…So Help Me God

A few days ago, we told you about atheist Michael Newdow’s lawsuit to remove “so help me God” from President Obama’s Oath of Office. Now, folks on both sides are speaking out as well. What does history say?

Intelligencer columnist Phil Gianficaro argues eloquently against Newdow, explaining that phrases like “In God We Trust” (which Newdow sued to have removed from the Pledge of Allegiance on behalf of his 8-year-old daughter) are not endorsements of religion, but rather expressions of our heritage:

What’s more irritating than offensive in Newdow’s case is his lack of understanding that phrases like “One nation under God,” “In God We Trust,” and “So Help Me God” aren’t intended to endorse or establish religion, but instead acknowledge the nation’s religious heritage that dates to the days of American’s founding fathers.

This nation, the very one that Newdow and his kind repeatedly drag into court, was founded on principles of religion. The Declaration of Independence references God so often you’d swear it was a Bible chapter to be found in hotel rooms coast to coast. God is mentioned twice in the very first sentence.

Is He? Let’s see!

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

OK, well, the word “God” is used, once. “Nature’s God”. Fine, it doesn’t say “Jehovah”, and it doesn’t say “Jesus”, and it doesn’t say “Yahweh”. But the point is, a deity of some sort is mentioned. Once. (We guess Phil doesn’t count very well.)

But what did Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration, mean?

Hey, another chance to insert a link. Let’s see!

In the “Declaration of Independence,” the founding document of what would become the United States, Thomas Jefferson mentions “nature’s God.” Unfortunately, this phrase is unclear. The religious beliefs of Jefferson were much debated in his time and still are over two centuries later. Through the letters and other writings of Jefferson, it is possible to construct an outline of his beliefs. Although he supported the moral teachings of Jesus, Jefferson believed in a creator similar to the God of deism. In the tradition of deism, Jefferson based his God on reason and rejected revealed religion.

Fine. So Jefferson wasn’t actually referencing the Christian God. He was referencing a higher power, which is close enough (because Newdow hates ALL gods, not just the True God)!

(A detailed exposition on Jefferson’s religious background is provided at that link. H/T to David J. Voelker for doing our homework for us!)

How about “So Help Me God”? Does that go back to our Founders?

Let’s see! (Yes, Wikipedia IS lazy. So sue us!)

It is uncertain how many Presidents used a Bible or added the words “So help me God” at the end of the oath, as neither is required by law . . . All contemporary sources fail to mention [George] Washington as adding a religious codicil to his acceptance. In fact, the only contemporary account that repeats the oath in full, a report from the French consul, Comte de Moustier, states only the constitutional oath. The earliest known source indicating Washington added “So help me God” is attributed to Washington Irving, aged six at the time of the inauguration, and first appears 65 years after the event.

Evidence is lacking to support the claim that Presidents between Washington and Abraham Lincoln used the phrase “So help me God.”

Well, maybe not.

The Pledge of Allegiance: One Nation, Under God. Our currency, In God We Trust. Surely, those can be found going back to the founding of our nation.

In God We Trust:

The motto IN GOD WE TRUST was placed on United States coins largely because of the increased religious sentiment existing during the Civil War. Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase received many appeals from devout persons throughout the country, urging that the United States recognize the Deity on United States coins. From Treasury Department records, it appears that the first such appeal came in a letter dated November 13, 1861.

The first use of the “In God We Trust” motto appeared in November of 1864. OK, not quite our “founding fathers” . . . but quite a long time ago!

One Nation Under God:

Francis Bellamy (1855 – 1931), a Baptist minister, wrote the original Pledge in August 1892. He was a Christian Socialist. In his Pledge, he is expressing the ideas of his first cousin, Edward Bellamy, author of the American socialist utopian novels, Looking Backward (1888) and Equality (1897).

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. ]

In 1923 and 1924 the National Flag Conference, under the ‘leadership of the American Legion and the Daughters of the American Revolution, changed the Pledge’s words, ‘my Flag,’ to ‘the Flag of the United States of America.’ Bellamy disliked this change, but his protest was ignored.

In 1954, Congress after a campaign by the Knights of Columbus, added the words, ‘under God,’ to the Pledge. The Pledge was now both a patriotic oath and a public prayer.

Bellamy’s granddaughter said he also would have resented this second change. He had been pressured into leaving his church in 1891 because of his socialist sermons. In his retirement in Florida, he stopped attending church because he disliked the racial bigotry he found there.

1954. OK, not founders, but a long time ago! 55 years, in fact!

As we can see, these phrases are surely, as Mr. Gianficaro states, integral to the very foundation of our great Christian nation. Or not.

Some church-state separatists are taking a rather tongue-in-cheek approach to this serious issue. For example, the folks at Irregular Times suggest a few other additions:

It’s not racist at all. No, really, it’s not! When the phrase “Whip A Nigger Today” appears on the $3 bill, it is not intended to endorse racism or the re-establishment of slavery, but instead to acknowledge the nation’s heritage of slavery dating to the days of America’s founding fathers. Really. That’s all the phrase means: an acknowledgment of this nation’s history! Why would anyone want to remove the phrase? What do they have against history? Why do they hate heritage? Why do they hate America?

More at the link.

Christians are looking forward to their duly-elected Christian President, Barack Obama, enjoying a Christian invocation by Christian Rick Warren, then taking the Oath of Office and swearing before the Christian God to defend the Constitution of this Christian nation. Aren’t you?

We’d like to close with another comment from the astute Mr. Gianficaro, whose eloquence is only matched by his willful ignorance of American history:

As long as there are trees, I guess there are going to be nuts. Some are small. Then there are coconuts like Michael Newdow, publicity hounds with nothing better to do with their education and time than to say “Let us prey.”

Related articles:

1. FFRF remains committed to fighting religious pledge
2. In defense of the original pledge: An open letter to NBC
3. Driggs teacher removes 'Under God' from Pledge of Allegiance
4. Federal Court: "Under God" OK in Pledge
5. POLL: Should ‘Under God’ Be Removed From Pledge Of Allegiance? – Wake County – MyNC.com

Jenny Donati is webmistress and co-editor of Secular News Daily. Jenny is an outspoken secularist who believes firmly in the separation of church and state. She demands evidence to support arguments, and holds herself to the same standard. She doesn't write about herself in the third person . . . but there's a first time for everything.

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