(My Original Blog Post: http://creeva.com/2008/12/11/chain-mail-i-received-new-pledge-of-allegiance/)

Picture from here

It seems through some of my affiliation that I am attached to that people feel the need to forward me chain letters.   Even if it was something I believed in, I wouldn't want a chain letter.  I would prefer to read your own thoughts.  It seems someone sends me mails with a religious bent to them.   Some of them rail against the separation of church and state, something that even as a christian I hold very dear (for some reason most Christians don't want it separated since they naively believe for all eternity they will be the dominant religion).   I'm more pragmatic.  I don't think the dogmatic moral laws of each different little christian sect should be represented.   I've had my immediate say.  Let's look at the first chain letter in this new series.

Picture from here

A 15 yr. Old SCHOOL KID IN ARIZONA:New Pledge of Allegiance (TOTALLY AWESOME) !Since the Pledge of AllegianceAndThe Lord's PrayerAre not allowed in mostPublic schools anymoreBecause the word 'God' is mentioned....A kid in ArizonaWrote the attachedNEW School prayer :Now I sit me down in schoolWhere praying is against the ruleFor this great nation under GodFinds mention of Him very odd.If Scripture now the class recites,It violates the Bill of Rights.And anytime my head I bowBecomes a Federal matter now.Our hair can be purple, orange or green,That's no offense; it's a freedom scene.The law is specific, the law is precise.Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.For praying in a public hallMight offend someone with no faith at all.In silence alone we must meditate,God's name is prohibited by the state.We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks..They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.To quote the Good Book makes me liable.We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King.It's 'inappropriate' to teach right from wrong,We're taught that such 'judgments' do not belong.We can get our condoms and birth controls,Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,No word of God must reach this crowd.It's scary here I must confess,When chaos reigns the school's a mess..So, Lord, this silent plea I make:Should I be shot; My soul please take!AmenIf you aren't ashamed to do this,Please pass this on.Jesus said,'If you are ashamed of me,I will be ashamed of you before my Father.'Not ashamed. Pass this on..Let's go through this section by section:Now I sit me down in schoolWhere praying is against the ruleFor this great nation under GodFinds mention of Him very odd. Well ironically we still have in god we trust on our money, what people don't realize is that "God" on your money has been found legally to be an abstraction and doesn't necessarily refer to a Christian Diety.   Religious freedom was one of hte purposes of this country.  Once you start choosing an officially sanctioned govenerment religion, or teach the tenets of said religion you undermine the purpose that we were taught in school on why the first settlers came here.  (Yes I know that story is not quite as simplistic or accurate as we were taught).If Scripture now the class recites,It violates the Bill of Rights.And anytime my head I bowBecomes a Federal matter now.Ironically I don't think we have thought police anywhere - like everything else it's a don't ask don't tell world anymore.  If your flaunting anything that's against school rules however you will be punished.   There have been exteremly few federal cases over this so I'm not quite sure it would really be a federal matter. Our hair can be purple, orange or green,That's no offense; it's a freedom scene.The law is specific, the law is precise.Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice. What's wrong with different colored hairs at all?  Mine has been natural.  Mine has been jet black.  Mine has been purple.  Mine has been blue.  There is nothing wrong with this.  My sister however almost got expelled from school because she dyed her hair bright red (not natural red).   I almost went and fought this at the school board, but she backed down (I'm sure with my mother's coaching of not wanting to look bad to the neighbors).   We've lost the freedom of personal expression in schools and it's not just prayers.  Besides if you really need to pray out loud I find you creepy.  Your like the guy at the video game store who picks up every title and reads the description out loud since they seem to lack any inner monologue. For praying in a public hallMight offend someone with no faith at all.In silence alone we must meditate,God's name is prohibited by the state. Um, yes please be silent.  I pray, but I find you audible prayers creepy.  "Dear God please make my genital warts go away" - come on that would just be extremely creepy.   That's the kind of thing I know some people pray for.  We want to pretend that they are all praying that the sick get better or the orphanage finds a savior donor so it can stay open.  It isn't. We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks..They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.To quote the Good Book makes me liable. I'm fairly sure that guns were outlawed in most schools before the bible.  Granted I know some rural schools were teh kids could check in their gun when they arrive because they were hunting before school.   Do we really have to point out on how many levels that is wrong.   We'll stick with just the hygiene issues. We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King.It's 'inappropriate' to teach right from wrong,We're taught that such 'judgments' do not belong.I don't see anything wrong with this - I have great grandparents that were probably married younger then someone who is the prom king or queen.   You can always judge someone, but when you have a holier then thou attitude it just doesn't fly. We can get our condoms and birth controls,Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,No word of God must reach this crowd.Hmmmm, you complain about pregnant senior queens and unwed fathers, but rail against birth control - I won't point out the irony. It's scary here I must confess,When chaos reigns the school's a mess..So, Lord, this silent plea I make:Should I be shot; My soul please take!I've gone to a private school and I've gone to a public school - let me tell you the Christian schools still have the same issues with the ten commandments as part of the curriculum as public schools have without. I'm not alone - someone else railed against this with their own poem - read it here.

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