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This blog is the work of an educated civilian, not of an expert in the fields discussed.

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Deism and "Under God"

And Also: Yesterday was World AIDS day. A problem with the force is that a top option for Obama's choice for Drug Czar has (unlike him) opposed clean needle exchanges. (h/t Rachel Maddow ... again, much less knee-jerk than Olberman). Eric Holder also had supportive excessive penalties for drug crimes. Centrism has its limits, but do remember Obama will be the "decider," and disputes are ultimately his call. This new regulation also can be problematic in this area.


When I posted one form of my George Docherty discussion, deism was brought up. It should be noted that "under God" is not really anti-deist.* See, Declaration of Independence. And, Washington's first Thanksgiving proclamation (h/t CJ Rehnquist's Elk Grove opinion):
Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the problems of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor–and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me ‘to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.’

Deists would not necessarily argue that we should not "acknowledge" the God they believe in and that we our rights were "endowed by their creator" and so forth. This does not make daily rituals in public schools honoring such a God correct. For one thing, Jefferson and Madison did not support presidential Thanksgiving proclamations, even though both believed in the God being honored. Not that such things are the same thing as daily rituals involving small children, cites by the likes of Rehnquist and Scalia notwithstanding.

It might be argued that the basic spirit of deism would guard against such rituals. A spirit that accepts a God that is the source of rights and nature's laws, but does not warrant daily rituals, especially those that interfere with the separation of church and state. All the same, the citation in question arguably is perfectly fine for deists, who might not believe many religious tenets, but do (did) tend to accept that our nation is "under God," and that it is perfectly fine to honor the fact in patriotic rituals.**

Anyway, interesting Wikipedia entry.

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* One definition: "Deism is the belief that a supreme natural God exists and created the physical universe, and that theological truths can be arrived at by the application of reason and observation of the natural world."

** One defense of the practice is that it is not "religious," but a patriotic act. This misses the point in that it is a sectarian patriotic ritual, the very issue at hand. Minor or not, it ties a basic religious entity (an active God -- not just a clockmaker, but one that continues to be "over" us and warranting our daily respect) to the state. This is establishment at the very core, involving our nation's very pledge to boot!