WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) -- "One nation under God." That's the message on a new billboard in Wilmington which is reviving the debate over the Pledge of Allegiance. It's a billboard battle that's become heated over the last month. It all started when NC Secular posted a billboard which read simply "One nation indivisible." Now, faith groups are joining together to state their case for God's place in the pledge.
"I found it disturbing, because to me faith is indispensable to this country," said Bob French, who's restaurant French's Classic Burgers is near where NC Secular's billboard was until the weekend.
The group We Still Pray put up a billboard recently, and it won't be the last. Many faith groups, like Myrtle Grove Presbyterian, have banded together to get out their message.
"We believe in free speech, obviously, and people ought to have the right to say what they want to say, but nonetheless I believe as they do that it was time for a little loving push back and put some of our own billboards, so that's what we're doing," said Rev. Steve Mattis, Senior Pastor at Myrtle Grove Presbyterian.
The church's billboard carrying a similar message will appear in the coming weeks just across the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge leaving Wilmington. For now, advocates for God's place in the pledge are pleased.
Westillpray.com has also posted billboards in Asheville, Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Greensboro and Raleigh in direct response to NC Secular's boards, which were put up to advocate removing "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance.
wow!
Some of you have the balls to say such bad things about God. I don't go to church but I believe in him and Thank him from time to time. I would be afraid to go through life with the attitude some of you have...very very afraid...
Read Again Friend
No one here has said anything bad about your "God". It's the pushy agenda of most Christian entities that seem to be the hot button.
Fools! I cant believe it
Understand! The time has come where you can become a minister ONLINE!!! If that dosen't say that religion has become a joke I don't know what else does. In another 50 years Christianity will be all dried up in lew of whatever new religious fad breezes through. Fools! Everyone of you! If you gotta believe in something, believe in yourself!
Disappointing......
I know this will stir a lot of posts but it's something all must understand. There is no God, no God's of any kind. Religion is a crutch for the weak minded because of their fear of death and the unknown. More often than not, when you turn on the TV there is a story about some pastor or decon that has his hand in the offering plate or in a choir boy. On top of that, think of all of those killed for the last 2000 years by Christians in the name of "God." The church uses religion as a shield to hide behind while they try to force God's "word" on the entire world. And based on the history of the Christan religion (and it's various offshoots...Christians can't even agree amongst themselves how to believe) it's believe in our God OR ELSE! Ever heard of the Crusades?
It's one thing to try to scare a child with bedtime stories about how if they're not a good little boy/girl they won't get into Heaven or that the "Devil" will get them, it's another thing to try to scare the American populas into forcing religous wording into advertising. It's time for all of the weak minded zealots to get their head out of the sand and come into the 21st century. The world is not flat! There won't be a second coming because there wasn't a first! Magic and mysticism belong in fictional books and movies, not in the real world. If you must have faith, put that faith in the power of the human mind. Man created God and there can be no higher truth than that.
I almost didn't want to waste my time on you....
...but pitiful human beings always get my sympathy. I really hope that you can make it through the remainder of your life without encountering any evidence that something greater than man himself created the heavens, the earth, all of the wonderful animals, the wonders that keep us searching for the answers of our very existence. The human body in itself is a purely magical machine of which we only understand a miniscule amount. Man cannot develop a pump as good as a heart, a piping system as hearty and flexible as our arterial system, a chemical plant that can perform even one of the processes our body does or a computer with the capacity and speed of our brain. We can move on to the vision system, limb articulation and thermal modulation, but those will only appear as non-issues to you.
I am not going to sit here and write about a bearded man sitting in the clouds holding lightening bolts, or immaculate conception. I will however tell you that my life's experience has without a shadow of a doubt, proven to me that there is a higher power. I can tell you that all of this did not just "come to be" by some spontaneous poof of a gaseous cosmic dust cloud. This all goes much deeper than I can even begin to comprehend, but the fact is...I DO comprehend.
I have pity on you my friend and wish you the very best. Perhaps an event will occur in your life that can loosen your bitterness and expand your understanding of the grand scheme of our existence in this beautifully wonderful and magical environment.
Perhaps, after that experience you will no longer be "disappointed" and will humble yourself in your own ignorance and limited capacity of understanding.
earth=god
"something greater than man himself created the heavens, the earth, all of the wonderful animals"
The EARTH created all living creatures on it and sustains them. New species are created by the earth everyday, do you watch any science channels or do any reading on species creation or evolution of existing species? Its factual so it might throw you.
As far as you thinking that our bodies are magical machines you can thank evolution for making a perfect creature to survive in this earthly environment, though its hardly magical when it cant survive anywhere else without protective or mechanical help, like under water. Too bad we lost our gills.
Conditions where perfect for life here, that is all. Why cant you believe that? Maybe its your limited capacity of understanding?
still disappointed
Your ignorance is astounding friend. Where I am amazed at the true amazement of the human body and human mind try to understand that the simplist and most logical explination must be true. I can't stop you from being weak minded and believing you were conjured up be a mythical being, thats totally your issue. Please don't feel pity for me, I'm secure in my own mentallity and well being. Fool believe there is a magical place they go when they die......your life's energy mearly changes forms and becomes a part of a greater universe. Hopefully, when you pass on to your glory this fact will become all to clear to you. Just because you want to believe your "truth" is real dosen't make it so. Good luck with that
Here's a thought Jedi...
I wonder, if in the near future, when aliens from other worlds make themselves known to us, will the God fearing Christians waylay them for not believing in their religion? Will they try to convert them then destroy them for not converting? Heck, wouldn't an alien negate Christianity all together?
Point is, closed mindedness gives way to flawed logic.....and when logic starts out flawed it can only go down hill from there. When will Christians wake up? Their own faith will be their demise.
Nail on the head my friend
YES! Aliens would be the final nail in the coffiin for the "God fearing" zelots out there. The smug holier-than-thou attitude of the Bible thumpers would be deflated when they discover they are not the center of the universe. However, I'm sure the reality would be that aliens would become second class citizens because "GOD" made us first. I mean, I know space aliens are far fetched but know that most Christians don't believe IN DINOSAURS!!!!!! Follow where I'm going?
Interesting
Your argument is flawed. If you aren't going to talk about a bearded man in the sky, and you believe in a higher power thats fine. However, if you don't buy into the "christian" fables then what difference does it make whether others do or don't. What difference does it make at all?
I for one don't believe in christianity at all or god for that matter. Might there be a higher power who had a hand in creating life...perhaps. I'm open to that possibility, however I will not worship anything. If I knew for a fact there was something then maybe give some thanks, but thats it. Any god that sends people to hell because they don't follow his rules is nothing but a bully. I want no part in it. I definitely agree though that organized religion, in particular christianity, is nothing but a crutch and very old lie that was created to give people purpose and explain lightening and life back before we had any knowledge of modern science. Furthermore, christianity is responsible for a lot of misery, death and wrong in this world. WHILE at the same time offering food, shelter, clothing and good deeds to many also.
$$
.....and the billboard companies are laughing all the way to the bank.
One Nation Indivisible
I prefer the original Pledge. It's too bad that Christians have separated "One nation" and "indivisible" in the Pledge with pompous religiousity. Though, it does reflect how they have caused division in this country by leveraging government to push their religion.
Sorry, while this might be a Christian nation, it is also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Wiccan nation, and a nation for agnostic, atheists and anybody else, no matter what their beliefs. We're all equal here, whether we trust in some god or not.
Government should remain neutral when it comes to religious beliefs. It is supposed to represent all of us. I also prefer our original motto, "E Pluribus Unum". Yes, out of all this great variety of people, we can be one nation. That's less divisive, and much more American.
how bout we put one nation
how bout we put one nation under Alla would that suit you r whiny AZZ
I bet your kids Never do no wrong do they, and if they do you are against spanking them! you people are why this country is in the shape it is in!
idiotic comment
Most people complaining about this issue simply don't want ANY religion represented. Thats the problem...and where did kids come into play?
Here we go with another
Here we go with another urinating contest. Who cares whether or not God is in the Pledge? He is supposed to be in people's hearts, and as long as he is there, all is well. Seems like all concerned could have found better use for their money, like helping a needy person(s), instead of blowing it on billboards.
I guess you are right... we
I guess you are right... we should all be forced to have god in our pledge. While you are at it maybe we should force feed faith-based education to our children. Maybe we should all be forced to attend church and worship the bloodiest "god" in history. A loving push? What about respecting the separation of church and state? How about we just revert to the ORIGINAL pledge? Your "god" was NOT in the original pledge at all....
For those that claim "our country was founded on christian values" have you considered the fact that this country was ALREADY OCCUPIED when the bloody christians arrived? The AMERICAN INDIANS were here long before christians.... so if we think about it this country was really founded by persons of OTHER RELIGIONS. Why don't we just honor the American Indians' spirits and gods? Oh, that's right... christians tend to be self-rightous, self-important and judgmental people that have no respect for anybody else's beliefs.
I don't mind different
I don't mind different groups trying to get their messages out to the public. That's what free speech is all about. But I would hope the good Reverend in the story as well as Mr. French realize that the "under God" parts of the pledge were inserted into the Pledge in the 1950s in response to the "red scare."
It seems to me that these otherwise nice people have forgotten that the U.S. is a country of many faiths, beliefs and non-beliefs. People are free to think and believe in whatever they wish - be it the Christian God, Zeus, the Flying Spaghetti Monster or George Lucas.
A billboard will not make a difference if one is true to his/her beliefs or non-beliefs.
I do hope, however, that Mr. French and the Revered interviewed for the story realize that we are all free to air our messages, whether they are Christian, Wiccan, atheist, Muslim, etc.
Should Mr. French and the Revered believe that only the Christian deity is to be revered, perhaps they may find other countries with similar religious dogmas more appropriate for them. I invite them to relocate to such wonderful places as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and any other country that dictates which God is to be worshipped and which belief triumphs above others.
As far as the billboards go, anyone can advertise whatever their money will pay for, minus a few legal exceptions. Have at it... it's one of our cherished freedoms, just like the freedom to worship or not worship whatever deity/deities we wish.
Christian, Jewish, and
Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religions have a God. Christians call him Jehovah. Jews call Jehovah or Yahweh, sometimes El, Muslims call him Allah. It is the same God. God is the generic name for the Diety. I think that all religions have a Diety. They call this Diety by various names but God is a generic name that most religious people usethe
Please give the people who wish to recognize a God the freedom of speech to do so. I am donating to the billboards due to the fact that some people have no fear of the Diety. This is sad. Think of how great this world would be if everyone believed in a God, by whatever name they wish to use.
There are fundamentalists in all religions. Fortunately, they are a minority. I will not be guilty of blasphemy. It is dangerous to your soul. I stand in awe of God, the Creator and my Judge. I don't take chances with my eternal salvation. Think again before you do. Believe it or not, one day we all will stand before God and answer for our unbelief.