From capellini to farfalle, perciatelli, ditalini, fettuccine, fusilli, gemelli, gnocchi, lasagna, linguine, macaroni, manicotti, orzo, penne, radiatore, ravioli, rigatoni,, rotelle, rotini, and tagliatelle, there will always only be one Flying Spaghetti Monster. Be mindful of cheap imitations professing to be the real dish. 

FIRST AMENDMENT: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The first two provisions of the First Amendment, known as the Religion Clauses, state that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.1 The Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses were ratified as part of the Bill of Rights in 1791, 2 and apply to the states by incorporation through the Fourteenth Amendment.3 Together with the constitutional provision prohibiting religious tests as a qualification for office,4 these clauses promote individual freedom of religion and SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE.

IN GOLD WE TRUST: – In God We Trust is the official motto of the United States as well as the motto of the U.S. state of Florida. It was adopted by the U.S. Congress in 1956, replacing E pluribus unum (“Out of many, one”), which had been the de facto motto since the initial design of the Great Seal of the United States in 1782. 

The initial reaction of the general populace was far from unanimous approval. On the one hand, Christian newspapers were generally happy with the phrase being included in coins, though some advocated for more religiously connoted mottos, such as “In God alone is our trust” or “God our Christ”. On the other, non-religious press was less impressed by the developments. 

The New York Times editorial board asked to “let us try to carry our religion—such as it is—in our hearts, and not in our pockets”. New York Illustrated News ridiculed the new coins for marking “the first time that God has ever been recognized on any of our counters of Mammon,” with a similar comparison made by the Detroit Free Press. 

The different opinions on its inclusion eventually grew into a dispute between secularists and faith congregations. Others still started to make jokes of “In God We Trust”. The American Journal of Numismatics suggested that people would misread the motto as “In Gold we Trust”, which they said was “much nearer the fact”. 

The Eisenhower administration struck a deeply religious tone, which proved a fertile ground for lobbying for inclusion of the motto in more contexts. This is often attributed to the influence of Billy Graham, a prominent evangelist of the time. After intense public pressure for inclusion of the national motto, it appeared for the first time on some postage stamps of the 1954 Liberty Issue, though lobbying for universal inclusion by Michigan Senator Charles E. Potter and Representative Louis C. Rabaut failed.

The following year, Democratic Representative Charles Edward Bennett of Florida cited the Cold War when he introduced H. R. 619, which obliged “In God we trust” to be printed on all banknotes and struck on all coins, in the House, arguing that “[in] these days when imperialistic and materialistic communism seeks to attack and destroy freedom, we should continually look for ways to strengthen the foundations of our freedom”. 

A law passed in July 1955 by a joint resolution of the 84th Congress (Pub. L. 84–140) and approved by President Dwight Eisenhower requires that “In God We Trust” appear on all American currency. The 84th Congress later passed legislation (Pub. L. 84–851), also signed by President Eisenhower on July 30, 1956, declaring the phrase to be the national motto. – Wiki – In God We Trust.

ONE NATION UNDER ATTACK: The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Blessed Michael J. McGivney. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. 

The organization was founded on March 29, 1882 as a mutual benefit society for working-class and immigrant Catholics in the United States. The Knights of Columbus have played an active role in politics ever since its formation, and promote the Catholic view on public policy issues around the world.

During the Cold War, the order had a history of waging anti-socialist, anti-communist and anti-anarchist crusades. They lobbied for the addition of the words “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance, as a religious response to Soviet atheism. 

The Knights have actively opposed the legalization of same-sex marriage and in terms of funding, they have also been a key contributor to local measures against same-sex marriage. The Knights have donated over US$1 million to the Susan B. Anthony Foundation and other anti-abortion and anti-contraception organizations. – Wiki –

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: 1892 (first version) – “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, ONE NATION, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

1924 to 1954 – (third version) “I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, ONE NATION, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

1954 to 2025 – (current version) “I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

During the Cold War era, many Americans wanted to distinguish the United States from the state atheism promoted by communist countries, a view that led to support for the words “under God” to be added to the Pledge of Allegiance. 

In 1951, the Knights of Columbus, the world’s largest Catholic fraternal service organization, also began including the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. In New York City, on April 30, 1951, the board of directors of the Knights of Columbus adopted a resolution to amend the text of their Pledge of Allegiance at the opening of each of the meetings of the 800 Fourth Degree Assemblies of the Knights of Columbus by addition of the words “under God” after the words “one nation.” Over the next two years, the idea spread throughout Knights of Columbus organizations nationwide. 

On August 21, 1952, the Supreme Council of the Knights of Columbus at its annual meeting adopted a resolution urging that the change be made universal, and copies of this resolution were sent to the President, the Vice President (as Presiding Officer of the Senate), and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The National Fraternal Congress meeting in Boston on September 24, 1952, adopted a similar resolution upon the recommendation of its president, Supreme Knight Luke E. Hart. 

Several State Fraternal Congresses acted likewise almost immediately thereafter. This campaign led to several official attempts to prompt Congress to adopt the Knights of Columbus policy for the entire nation. These attempts were eventually a success.
At the suggestion of a correspondent, Representative Louis C. Rabaut (D–MI), sponsored a resolution to add the words “under God” to the Pledge in 1953.

Before February 1954, no endeavor to get the pledge officially amended had succeeded. The final successful push came from George MacPherson Docherty. Some American presidents honored Lincoln’s birthday by attending services at the church Lincoln attended, New York Avenue Presbyterian Church by sitting in Lincoln’s pew on the Sunday nearest February 12. On February 7, 1954, with President Dwight D. Eisenhower sitting in Lincoln’s pew, Docherty, the church’s pastor, delivered a sermon based on the Gettysburg Address entitled “A New Birth of Freedom.” 

He argued that the nation’s might lay not in arms but rather in its spirit and higher purpose. He noted that the Pledge’s sentiments could be those of any nation: “There was something missing in the pledge, and that which was missing was the characteristic and definitive factor in the American way of life.” 

President Eisenhower had been baptized a Presbyterian very recently, just a year before. He responded enthusiastically to Docherty in a conversation following the service. 

Eisenhower acted on his suggestion the next day and on February 8, 1954, Rep. Charles Oakman (R–MI), introduced a bill to that effect. Congress passed the necessary legislation and Eisenhower signed the bill into law on Flag Day, June 14, 1954.

Eisenhower said: From this day forward, the millions of our school children will daily proclaim in every city and town, every village and rural school house, the dedication of our nation and our people to the Almighty…. In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America’s heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country’s most powerful resource, in peace or in war.

The phrase “under God” was incorporated into the Pledge of Allegiance on June 14, 1954, by a Joint Resolution of Congress amending § 4 of the Flag Code enacted in 1942. 

On October 6, 1954, the National Executive Committee of the American Legion adopted a resolution, first approved by the Illinois American Legion Convention in August 1954, which formally recognized the Knights of Columbus for having initiated and brought forward the amendment to the Pledge of Allegiance. – Wiki – Pledge of Allegiance.

Mar 02, 2025 11:01:03 am