This post is OT re the Pledge of Allegiance subject, but have decided to link it here as this
"David Niose, legal director at the American Humanist Association, said students regularly contact his organization about problems they've experienced after opting out of reciting the Pledge, especially toward the beginning of the school year when teachers are confronted with students sitting for the first time.
While the issue is more prevalent in Bible Belt states, Niose said, he hears from students at schools all over the country.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the 1940s that free speech rights preserved in the First Amendment protect people from being forced to pledge allegiance cannot, Niose said.
"You could have a fairly progressive school with tolerant values, but all it really takes is one uninformed or overly assertive teacher to cause a problem," he said. "And that's what we sometimes find, that even in communities outside the Bible Belt you might find a rogue teacher, if you will, who kind of insists on trying to force a kid to participate in the Pledge."" .. repeat link .. http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/ct-sta-blue-island-pledge-controversy-st-0916-20160915-story.html
from the post this one replies to sent me scurrying to the Bible Belt .. then this story is so beautifully heartfelt i felt to share it with you ..
9/11/2011
By Positivist ~
I am new to exchristian.net, and I have to admit it has become a lifeline to me in this final phase of my transition from fundamentalist, charismatic believer to agnostic atheist. Here is my story.
I grew up in a Christian home and from a very young age I was obsessed with Truth. I remember when I was six years old I started reading my dad's theology books, in between bouts of reading Little House on the Prairie and Nancy Drew. I also remember having an intense fear of end times. I was fairly certain, even at that young age, that I would end up in a concentration camp one day for being a Christian. I carried this fear with me all the way into my twenties, and it is this fear that cause me to make some very big decisions in the most unnatural ways. After all, we were told at all church and youth meetings, “You are the generation!” I made career and education decisions based on my eschatological views, rather than on personal attributes, abilities, interests, or inclinations.
In my preteen and early teen years, I began to have difficulty with the concept of the Trinity and the divinity of Jesus. I felt terribly about this, because I knew then that my salvation was at stake. I remember our youth group starting to read John Stott’s Basic Christianity, and I was so desperately hoping that I would find the answers I needed in it. However, I was disappointed; I found the arguments circular and requiring pre-existing belief. Also around this same time I began thinking about the social construction of religion. I didn't know the term “social construction” at the time but in essence, I spent a great deal of time in church thinking about the seeming lack of congruence of the “truths” spoken in church and about the seeming irrelevance of church beliefs to life on the outside of the four walls of the church. In spite of my doubts, I was continually grateful that I was born into a family that was perfect and that knew the Truth. How did I ever get to be so lucky? In my ongoing doubts about my salvation, I knew that my family's faith would somehow save me.
.. there are 72 comments, in a fleeting glance at them i did not catch one scintilla of hate .. of acrimony .. of any of the nasty bully-boy vicious feelings we read so much today .. it looks on my brief visit a site inhabited by warm and genuinely caring people .. another reason why i decided to post that first article i read on my visit to stories of Bible Belt U.S.A. .. it's all easy reading .. it was like walking in a field of daisies on a very pleasant summer day .. in bare feet .. lol .. have a look .. :)
This beautiful song fits .. Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now (Live, 1970)
The first commercial release in 1967 by Judy Collins shortly after Joni wrote it .. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Both_Sides,_Now .. the year i sorta by accident arrived in Australia the second time .. .. this one seems by far to be the most popular on YouTube today ..
I felt they both deserved to be here .. hope you enjoy them, too .. it's champion music!
Police union asks deputies to not escort Dolphins until players stand for anthem
September 16, 2016 10:37 PM
[...]
Three of the four players who took a knee during the Sept. 11 game against the Seahawks are leaning toward standing this weekend against the Patriots.
[to end]
The Broward Sheriff’s Office had no comment Friday night.
Miami-Dade police did; they also provide security for the Dolphins’ games.
They said they “have contractual obligations with Hard Rock Stadium to provide public safety. The safety of our residents and visitors is our primary concern.”
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