Did You Know?

Growing up listening to the radio—A.M. only at the time—Paul Harvey would interject periodically with his famous line “Now, the rest of the story.” So, in honor of that tradition, I wish to give you just that with respect to a certain compilation of "facts" making its way to the populous via a large number of shares on Facebook. I will attempt to persuade you to think about—or you could do some research—these primarily sensationalist ideas propounded on social media pages, before you believe them. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the aforementioned list. I will address each presented fact in the order it appears in the photo.

1.  The original Constitution…had only one reference to religion...

This may be true from a rigorously technical standpoint; nevertheless, most consider The Bill of Rights—the first ten amendments—which were ratified by the first state merely eight months after the original document, to be part and parcel of the Constitution. The Bill of Rights, by the way, contains the establishment clause which is regularly invoked by atheist groups and the ACLU for the purpose of arguing that religious symbols should not be displayed in courthouses or on school grounds.

2. The defacto motto…E. Pluribus Unum...congress changed it...to "In God We Trust."

Again, this statement is true in the sense that the official motto was not changed until much later; however, “In God We Trust” was certainly visible on currency long before 1956—more on this in a moment—as well as on the official seal of Florida as early as 1868. The rendering would ultimately be adopted as the official motto of the state of Florida and of the United States as a whole.

3.  The original Pledge…did not include the words "Under God"...were added in 1954.

Though I agree in principal with this statement, “Under God” was initially proposed by Louis Bowman in 1948, citing Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. By the way, the official pledge has been amended at least five times. Did you know that the original did not even include the words “of the United States of America”?! These were added in 1923 and 1924 by two separate amendments.

4.  The U.S. ...paper currency…"In God We Trust" didn't appear on it for 96 years (1957) 

This troublesome statement omits some very important and pertinent facts. State (territory) currency—in the form of coins—included references to God as early as 1694, as was the case with the Carolina Cent. Moreover, official U.S. coins have borne the inscription “In God We Trust” since 1864. I just now looked at a Liberty Head Dollar minted in 1892, and it proudly displays the motto!

5.  Just after the Red Scare…congress changed the pledge...and...motto over...fear of communism.  

This contention is obviously fallacious. For example: I may have come to believe that the earth is round—by way of a Hallmark card—in 2009. Do these facts invalidate the proposition “the earth is round”? Of course not! Similarly, the addition of “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance is not depreciated because it is widely believed to have been a knee-jerk response to the “red scare”, nor by the fact that it was added as late as 1954. The referenced language may or may not have been in the original pledge; nevertheless, one must have good reason for its removal, other than to say it was a later accoutrement. I doubt one would garner much support for the proposed repeal of women's right to vote on similar grounds. In regard to the addition of the motto to paper currency, it seems a logical extension of the fact that all coins bore the inscription already; hence, there is no real force behind this contention. Perhaps communists limited themselves to paper currency?
 
6.  At a time when fear…and socialism is being used to create the same...as the word communism...remember...country...not founded on fear... 

This conclusion does not follow logically from any of the premises (statements) above, but seems rather Ad Hoc, and to have been employed for effect. The conclusion herein is: Change is bad if even superficially relevant to religion. No one is here objecting to the abolition of slavery or the suffrage of women voters—amendments which were ratified much later than the aforementioned Bill of Rights. Despite the fact that they were not included in the original Constitution, few would maintain that these changes were bad ideas. The same may be said for the adoption of the motto “In God We Trust”, which doesn't seem an abridgment of any constitutional right, even if one has a strong distaste for religion.

This compilation of truisms seems to argue for a static and changeless constitution, while (paradoxically) demanding significant changes to the document. At any rate, if we were to adhere strictly to the original document, without any amendments, as this collective, at first, seems to adjure, further changes to the constitution—even an amendment that would remove "God" from currency—would be prohibited. If our progenitors held these views, slavery would still be legal and women would yet be denied the right to vote!