To view this item online, visit http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?pageId=210701
Thursday, January 27, 2011
FAITH UNDER FIRE
WorldNetDaily Exclusive
Now 'under God' dropped from Gettysburg Address!
'We now have positive evidence they know exactly what they are doing'
Posted: October 03, 2010
12:10 am Eastern
By Bob
Unruh
President Obama twice in recent days has dropped from a quotation from
the Declaration of Independence a reference to the "Creator," and now a
columnist at First
Things has documented how a self-described "leading progressive legal
organization" has dropped "under God" from the Gettysburg address. WND
reported on the first incident, Sept. 15, when Obama told a meeting of
the Congressional Hispanic Caucus that the document states, "We hold these
truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, endowed with
certain inalienable rights: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
But the actual quotation is: The video, where the reference appears shortly past the 22-minute mark:
CNS News reported
Sept. 22 when Obama, speaking to a fundraiser for the Democratic
Congressional Campaign Committee, did it again. "If we stay true to our values," the president said, "if we believe
that all people are created equal and everybody is endowed with certain
inalienable rights and we're going to make those words live, and we're
going to give everybody opportunity, everybody a ladder into the middle
class, every child able to go as far as their dreams will take them – if
we stay true to that, then we're going to be able to maintain the energy
and the focus, the fight, the gumption to get stuff done." Now comes word from Robert George, the McCormick Professor of
Jurisprudence at Princeton, writing in the August/September edition of First
Things, which is run by the Institute on Religion and Public Life, a
nonpartisan research and education institute designed to "advance a
religiously informed public philosophy." (Story continues below) He wrote of attending a conference where the American Constitution Society
for Law and Policy was distributing copies of a pamphlet with the
Declaration of Independence, the Gettysburg Address and the Constitution.
George noted that the society's board members include former New York
Times Supreme Court reporter Linda Greenhouse, controversial Obama
judicial nominee Goodwin Liu and former attorney general Janet Reno. "How nice, I thought. Here is a convenient, pocket-sized version of our
fundamental documents, including Lincoln's great oration at Gettysburg on
republican government," George wrote. He described how, since he had memorized the Gettysburg address in
school, he started reciting it, then stumbled on the final paragraph, so
he opened the booklet and read: "It is rather for us, the living, we here
be dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that, from these
honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here,
gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here highly resolve these
dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation shall have a new birth
of freedom, and that government of the people by the people and for the
people shall not perish from the earth." Wrote George, "Deeply moving – but…" "Did you notice what had been omitted? What's missing is Lincoln's
description of the United States as a nation under God. What Lincoln
actually said at Gettysburg was: 'That this nation, under God, shall have
a new birth of freedom." He noted the "progressive" group, which has featured speakers including
Al Gore, Joe Biden, Ted Kennedy, Barney Frank, Jesse Jackson, John
Edwards, Gary Hart, Janet Reno and Eric Holder, must have found Lincoln's
quotation "a little inconvenient." "In assembling their pamphlet they were eager to include Lincoln as a
founder – the author of one of America's founding documents, the
Gettysburg Address. But the Great Emancipator's characterization of the
United States as a nation under God appears to undermine the strict
separationism that the American Constitution Society wishes to promote."
He said it is apparent that the omission was noted, since "the version
of the pamphlet now available as a PDF download on the American
Constitution Society's website has been amended to introduce the words
'The Hay Draft.'" That is one of several documents containing parts or all of Lincoln's
address, he explained. Of the five historical records, three contain the
words "under God" and two, including the Hay Draft, do not. But George called the addition of the reference a "tail-covering
maneuver." And he described the Hay draft as having "the greatest number
of deviations from the other drafts and from what Lincoln is known to have
said at Gettysburg." "Three entirely independent reporters, including a reporter for the
Associated Press, telegraphed their transcriptions of Lincoln's remarks to
their editors immediately after the president spoke. All three
transcriptions include the words 'under God,' and no contemporaneous
report omits them," George wrote. "There isn't really room for
equivocation or evasion: Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address – one of the
founding texts of the American republic – expressly characterizes the
United States as a nation under God." Caroline Fredrickson, the
executive director of the ACS, posted a response that called George's
concerns a "calculated distraction." "At a time when many conservative pundits and policymakers can only try
to distract from the administration's efforts to address real problems, it
is perhaps not surprising that some would try to refocus attention on such
peripheral issues," she said. She described the concerns as "hysteria." But George noted, "The omission of the words 'under God' in a document
characterized as a founding text by a liberal legal advocacy organization
in the context of our contemporary debates over the role of religion in
American public life and the meaning of the Constitution's provisions
pertaining to religion is just too convenient. We now have positive
evidence that they know exactly what they are doing, and, to achieve the
result they want, they are willing to violate scholarly consensus, common
sense, and the memorization of generations of schoolchildren." Other
references to America's Christian heritage have been excised at the
home of the Liberty Bell, the Supreme Court and even the Washington
Monument. Chaplain Todd DuBord, who works with martial arts expert, actor and
philanthropist Chuck Norris' multiple organizations, has documented the
ongoing trend at his National
Treasures website. If you would like to sound off on this issue, participate in today's WND
Poll. Related offers: Criminalizing
Christianity: How America's founding religion is becoming illegal Related stories: 'Our
rights come from God, not Barack Obama' Obama
drops 'Creator' from Declaration quote Cops:
Kids can't pray at U.S. Supreme Court Challenged!
Court using 'feelings' as case decider National
Day of Prayer ruled unconstitutional Teachers
forced to 'hide in closets' to pray Missing
national motto restored in Washington Feds
lift ban on 'Jesus' on Capitol Christmas tree Principal
cleared of criminal count over meal blessing Woman
accused of contempt for dinner blessing 'Friend
or Foe' fights graduation gagging Chritianity
to be restored in U.S. Capitol Christian
heritage a no-show in new $600M visitors center Founders'
prayer violated Constitution as they wrote it Prayer
in public: Can you still say 'Jesus'? Ten
Commandments poster inside courtroom approved You've
got to fight for your right – to pray
WorldNetDaily
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit
of Happiness."
