They Said What? (October 2018)
If they did [intend for separation of state and church], then why did they put ‘one nation under God’ in the Pledge of Allegiance?
Rev. Jerry Carter, Republican candidate for the N.C. House, claiming erroneously that the Founding Fathers both wrote the pledge and included “under God” in it, even though that phrase wasn’t added until the 1950s.
Greensboro News & Record, 7-23-18
God spared my child and she is coming home alive and not in a body bag.
Mandi Keller, mother of 15-year-old Gillian, who was on the amphibious “duck boat” in Branson, Mo., that was consumed by water during a storm, which killed 17 people, whom God apparently did not spare.
Friendly Atheist, 7-2-18
This isn’t intended to slight other religions; it’s about tradition. Government is based on Christian principles, and we abide by those . . . . Prayer is important to me. It puts me in a good frame of mind. I ask for the ability to think and to work with people and to do the best for my constituents.
Brown County (Wis.) Board Supervisor Patrick Evans, a Catholic, in pushing for a referendum stating: “Should the Brown County Board of Supervisors continue to open their monthly board meeting with a Christian-style (prayer) invocation?”
Green Bay Press Gazette, 7-30-18
Australia is not a secular country. It is a free country. This is a nation where you have the freedom to follow any belief system you choose.
The (very confused) new prime minister of Australia, Scott Morrison, a Pentecostal who has denounced what he sees as the lack of respect for Christian beliefs and an opponent of same-sex marriage, who has described Christianity as one of his main motivations for public service.
New York Times 8/29/18
One of the things I’m most proud of is getting rid of the Johnson Amendment. That was a disaster for you.
President Trump, speaking in a closed-door meeting with evangelical leaders, wrongly asserting that his executive order that purported to ease enforcement of the Johnson Amendment was “getting rid” of it.
NBC News, 8-28-18
By the time he had left high school, he [Mike Pence] had decided that he was going to be president of the United States. . . . He thought God was calling him to, now, be vice president and function as a president-in-waiting.
Michael D’Antonio, who wrote The Truth About Trump, in an interview on CNN.
The Hill, 8-28-18
This year’s award recipient wasn’t that difficult. We have never had a year when somebody so surpassed anybody else in the advances they made for religious freedom.
Kelly Shackelford, president and CEO of First Liberty Institute, in awarding the American Legion’s Philip B. Onderdonk Jr. Religious Liberty Award to President Trump.
Legion.org, 8-30-18
Any time I’m criticized for my belief in Jesus Christ, I just breath a prayer of praise. . . . This is a nation of faith. We’ll continue to stand for the things that we believe in.
Vice President Mike Pence in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network.
USA Today, 8-31-18
There is no reason for us to be ashamed of our national motto; it is a vital part of our culture. We are one nation under God, and that reality should be reflected in public life, including in the buildings where our children are being educated.
Kentucky state Rep. Brandon Reed, about a state bill that would require schools to display “In God We Trust” in a “prominent location.”
Friendly Atheist, 9-10-18
Plenty of space on the Ark for dinosaurs — no problem.
Joseph Kezele, a biology teacher at Arizona Christian University, who is being asked to help review Arizona’s standards on how to teach evolution in science class.
AZCentral.com, 9-13-18
