Atheist denial: God still part of inauguration

Today GOD won hands down. Any self respecting Atheist is tieing a rope to the door jam right now. Climbing up on a chair and........
But really all you stinking atheist, how did you like the inauguration? The last time I heard so much about GOD I was in church, that was a long time ago. But everybody invoked GOD and his powers, his forgiveness, and his watchful eye. It was clear to me that President Obama sent you atheist a strong message, your godless vote is not need or wanted. And ....enlist all the attorney's you want, you are still gonna lose GOD is on our side. I was proud of Barack Obama for not bending over for you bunch of morons. This is the first on the lines in the sand that Barack Obama must draw to accomplish anything in the next four years. Good job Mr. President you showed courage and Character. Suck it Newdow.

Hey hey hey, I dunno, it might be just me, but I think thousands of years of recorded evidence compiled in a book that has more credibility and influence than any other(not even historians can deny that), should not be just written off as "make believe".

Just because you've never experienced anything spiritual yourself does not mean it is not very real for those who have. And it's hard for me to believe that they're all crazy.

Obama is a Christian, and maybe a Muslim. So,...I say let him do whatever he fucking wants, and quit trying to control what our duly elected commander and Chief wants to do. Honestly a blogger thinks they know better than the President himself and 200 years of tradition. Fuck that, go control a greenpeace rally first, then work your way up.

Calm the fuck down. You just look more intolerant than the anti-everything conservatives.

All this atheists are doing with this latest attack on the inauguration oath is making themselves look even more intolerant and arousing more negative feelings against themselves.

It looks like Obama credited God for his success. He was chosen by the people to be the president of the USA. He should have the right to be sworn into office as he wishes. I am glad that he looked toward the God of the Universe as partner rather than to a self made athistic godless leader hat will lead soon or later to sure destruction. History is full of athistic leaders that under the disguise of "religion", "reason" or whatever they made as their god, created huge blood bads.

Waitaminnit. You mean Luke Skywalker is...God? I mean, I always had my suspicions, but...

I am trying to think of a debate about which I care less ... nope, can't think of one. I DO know that the atheist who brought that lawsuit needs a social life.

"So help me, God." God knows (as do the rest of us) just how much help President Obama is going to need unraveling all of the problems the last Administration created. If He exists, I hope He DOES help the President. If He doesn't, I am hard-pressed to see how those words hurt anyone, anywhere in any way.

As the vast majority of us have matured into adulthood, we have learned that there are some small annoyances one just has to ignore at the risk of making themselves look like intolerant idiots. For those of us adults who are atheists, this is one of them.

When you swear an oath to a fictional character you are only showing how ignorant you are. It doesn't matter what religion, they are all based on fictional characters and therefore following them makes you ignorant. I think we should move past them. He could swear "so help me Luke Skywalker" it would be just as irrelevant and pointless. All gods are imaginary. Get over it.

If Obama has no problem with it neither do I... I'm glad he respects God...

the united states was founded by great men that knew the truth of God. they forged this country for all of us to live here and enjoy this great life God has provided. can any of us say this? our forefathers wrote the doctrines of order for this, once, great land. so if it is by right to swear in a President by the name of God then so be it! god is real. look around. reality is not a magic trick. something can not come from nothing, right? what stands on the "otherside" , or dimension, thrusting forward the energy and force for all that we call our reality? Or are we just some magical fart from this univerise by accident? ain't that some sh*t!

It's already not required.

we dont have any god or gods to help us. we are on our own. holding on to the god idea just causes trouble. slows progress. thank goodness for science. science saves.

No one should be PROHIBITED from saying "so help me God" however, it should be taken out and added at the inaguree's request, rather than omitted by request. But that's just one agnostic's opinion.

Obama should say whatever the F he wants to say.

thank god our leader is once again, INTELLIGENT.

Also, in defense of humanity...

I doubt that most people who claim to be of this or that faith can really be considered "true believers", or the ones most of us really need to worry about. Anyone who REALLY believes in the dogma of their faith would have to be orthodox, otherwise they're cherry-picking- which is what I believe most Americans do. So for all the talk of the USA being the most religious country on Earth, I'm not positive.

The way I see it, most people get brainwashed of some stuff as kids, then they identify themselves as belonging to this or that religious group, following some traditions but without ever really learning or even thinking about the actual dogmas involved.

Or, they simply pick and choose the elements of the dogma they feel comfortable with as a matter of convenience. Anyone who does such tailoring is actually admitting, even if it's only subconsciously, that a large part of their dogma is really not worth their paying attention to and hence ignore it (I.E.- Deuternomy, anyone?).

This is a great step in the right direction and a good sign for humanity's readiness to evolve beyond our current religions and develop a deeper and scientifically cohesive understanding of life, consciousness, and the cosmos. It's all quite mystical anyways, and in truth we may yet find there is some sort of higher creative power, but it sure as hell aint the one you read about in the Bible or Koran.

With young hearts and open minds, let's grow up and seek the truth together!

If only they could get this worked up about things that actually matter.

Also, they could just work around that like they did the whole swear/affirm thing. It isn't hard to do, and I honestly think there are better things to get all pissy about.

OK, nobody should decide how the oath of office should be used, the only person that makes the decsion is the president himself.

Exactly Flyingkick, He can say it if he want's, but he or any other president SHOULDN'T BE REQUIRED to swear to a god.

God has blessed this country and its people. Take it away could be a grave mistake for all who believe or do not.

it's really all a matter of principle, and trying to build a better, more thoughtful, and more equal society.

matters of church and state should remain in their respective spheres. if the president wants to say "god bless america", of course he has every right- that's his freedom of speech.

but if he is REQUIRED by law to swear an oath to a "God" he may or may not believe in (even an unspecified one), there's something askew and room for improvement in the law.

forgetting that he would've never gotten elected, what if obama was an atheist? no, it won't kill him to say the words "so help me god", but as a free and equal american citizen who happened to be an atheist he shouldn't even be expected to.

hence the lawsuits to keep church and state separate in every way possible, even when it seems mostly harmless. things can be harmless, but still wrong.

Obama should be allowed to say whatever the fuck he wants in his swearing in ceremony.

Re-read the 1st amendment-- Congress shall make no law establishing the establishment of a religion, ***or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.***

If he wants to sacrifice chickens to the Flying Spaghetti Monster, I could not care less.

He's not infringing on my rights of religion by having his own.

I think Bush took all meaning out of the inaugural pledge. He took the pledge and didn't mean a word of it. He said he'd defend the constitution and then did everything he could to weaken it. He says he believes in god but his political record proves he doesn't; "All life is sacred unless I signed the death warrant". The inauguration oath of office has become just a "nice" tradition. Obama can say what he likes, it's what he does that matters.

another frivious lawsuit shot down... move along, folks, nothing to see here.

Just take it off our money.

Why did the judge reject the lawsuit?

re: "let him say ,"so help me god"

Obama or any other president doesn't get to pick and choose what he or she says when they get sworn in. That's the whole point. They're taking an oath that we've put before any president-elect. And in this case the objection is that the oath has elements which imply religious fealty and that's not acceptable if the constitution includes a seperation of church and state.

As was mentioned above the fact that some majority believes doesn't make it right anymore than the fact that prop 8 passed here in California makes it just law.

When the Constitution was written, separation of church and state was supposed to imply that religious beliefs to not effect governing. By saying the words "so help me God," Obama is not governing based on his religion. After all of the rumors about him being Muslim, the Christian majority should take this as Obama's attempt to counteract them.

When he starts invading countries because they don't believe in God, then we have a problem.

I don't think Obama is required to say "So help me God" in the swearing in ceremony. He has a choice and as a Christian chooses to say it.

I also don't believe that Obama saying "so help me God" means the government is endorsing the Christian faith. The Constitution prohibits a government endorsing of religion, not a personal vow.

I agree that children don't really count as believers in a religion when they don't have the capacity to believe in it. More religions should be like the Amish - they give their kids a choice.

89% of americans believe in god? that's bogus... really... sounds fuzzy to me.... there's no way 8-9 out of 10 americans believe in god... that's not even possible. this comes from bad census counts...

this is how they get numbers like that....

census taker: 'ok sir, how many people live in this house?'
head of the house: "five"
census taker: 'and what religion are you?'
head of the house: 'mormon'
census taker: 'so there are five mormons here.'

.... does anyone else see what's wrong here?
just because the head of the house says they're mormon doesn't mean that all his kids necessarily are. really, what are the chances that just ONE of his kids doesn't believe what he believes, let alone the fact that maybe TWO or TREE of his kids may possible not share his beliefs? the census is wrong. these numbers are bogus.

And zealotry rears its ugly head once more. Good job atheists way to prove you’re no different then the theist.

Fuck religion.

'nuff said.

XVX for life, R.A.S.H. 'til death.

Yes, yes Athiests are very upset any time God is mentioned in government.

As a non-christian, I find I don't really care either way. It's part of tradition. This is how it's been done since pretty much the beginning of our country, though sources disagree on whether or not Washington said 'so help me God'. They still swear allegiance to Queen Elizabeth in Britain, and the royalty is basically just glorified celebrities with some ceremonial duties nowadays. They do it because it's tradition.

That being said, this lawsuit was a waste of time and money. The phrase "So help me God" is OPTIONAL. IT IS NOT REQUIRED BY LAW. It's become a political tradition to say "so help me God". Every president since FDR has been recorded saying it. They don't HAVE to say it, but it would be going against tradition and political suicide to not say it.

Do I blow a gasket every time my chosen candidate says "...and may God bless America!" at the end of a speech? Of course not! That's how you win national elections in America - you appeal to that 82% of Americans that ARE Christian.

The bottom line is that no one is forcing Obama to say 'so help me God'. He's a Christian, and if he feels its important to make an oath to his chosen deity, so be it. Just because he follows the tradition of inauguration doesn't mean he's going to start requiring children to read Bibles in school. Just like Gordon Brown isn't going to enforce every whim of Queen Elizabeth.

When Athiests start trying to impose their beliefs on everyone else, they become just as obnoxious and self-righteous as the Christian Right. Accept the fact that you live in a nation populated almost entirely by Christians, and every once in a while you may have to hear someone say 'God'.

Just be thankful Mike Huckleberry didn't win.

He's not required to say it.

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

That's what he HAS to say. They MAY say "so help me God" if he wants.

I understand why this bothers atheists in our country; it's the executive of our country acknowledging a religious point of view. However, I think we shouldn't go so far as to say he is imposing this belief on the whole nation—this is his personal pledge. This is not the establishment of a Federal church, but a man's vow. Chill out people.

Its to be expected. The governments use religion to control the people and to keep the population stupid. There can be no other answer. The government intends to call on religious leaders to become involved with the people in every action and event to rein in the masses.

Choosing to not believe fanciful stories of virgin births, walking on water, etc. does not constitute being labeled a nut job.
It is encouraging to see that many strong popular beliefs of the day (slavery, Earth is flat, burning ‘witches’ alive, etc.) have gone by the wayside. It is only a matter of time when reason eliminates these fictions. There is something to believe in ;)

Also, It’s not the point about people being able to say what they want (although, saying some things will land you in prison).

The real question is: is it doing our country a favor (especially misleading to children) for promoting made-up stories from times when people didn’t even know what a germ was? A molecule? Or, where that big ball of heat in the sky went at night?

How many of the masses understand history and that there are 13 stories written before the christian bible (a fact) was pieced together that have the same basic concepts of mainstream superstitious America’s accepting of any version of a Christian bible (virgin births, exorcisms, December 25th events, crucifixions, rising after being dead for three days, no witnesses until 20 days after the story, etc.).

More kindness and good to others can be accomplished without superstitious stories interfering or distracting good acts and it is worth asking, ‘is it finally time to stop making things up and deal with reality and full responsibility for our actions?’ …

I come in peace here, folks, and there is nothing wrong with asking these questions. It is the right thing to do and is not offensive nor hateful nor disrespectful …

Thank God.

Now if the left could only realize that Obama is NOT God.

Does "being a Christian" mean you literally believe the Bible as historical fact?

No?

So it's a man-made construct used for control?

Well, that explains everything. It is truly torturous living in a world where you are expected to believe absurd and painful lies on a daily basis, or suffer fools who impose their clueless beliefs upon you, but hey, it could be worse.

If God exists, my money is on he is about to totally rewrite everything, so don't sweat this silly details in the meantime.

So help me God.

I can't help but not care about this topic.

I will say that there IS a law seperating church and state, therefore Obama should not be required to say "So Help Me God" during the inauguration.

Just because the majority believe in something doesn't make it right.

I am not a theist nor an atheist. I have met many christians and many atheists. Dear ungod give me a christian any day, they are significantly less intolerant and much more fun to be around.

This is a free country, everybody is entitled to their opinion so is the President of the United States.

If he wants to express his faith, his God whoever that might be, he is free to do it. No harm is done to the people, he is only offering spiritual hope.

This is not imposing , it is expressing.
When atheists will see the difference between these two actions above there won't be any more protests or lawsuits that make no sense.

You're all missing the point.

Obama can say "so help me God" all he wants...
That's not the problem.
The problem is that he is REQUIRED to say it.

Imagine the Mailman having to swear to God before he gets hired. Even if he's into it, it's a little strange don't you think? The president is no different.

This is getting out of hand. Don't people in the U.S. have a right to say what they want? Doesn't that apply to the future presidents? He's not asking for anyone to believe in anything, and people have been sworn in with refrences to God several times. Considering the state of the nation, we should solve problems, not make more.

The only thing more annoying that know it all religious nut jobs is know it all atheist nut jobs.

>
Because it’s make-believe! … Look, at the end of the day, it is simply irrational to believe in invisible space gods, so please stop being 'offended' (heh) by drawings with humorous overtones to your imaginary unseen actors in the sky .. really ...
The superstitious need to stop using the lamest of all words ‘faith’ as some sort of excuse to suspend rational thought and claim to ‘believe’ in something that has NO evidence to support it and plenty of evidence to being made-up by the tribal leaders and storytellers of the day …

These stories were written before they knew where the sun went at night and the Earth was thought to be flat. Grow up for f*cks sake and stop slowing-down real progress. Secular Humanism is much kinder and better for the world.

A much better read than the bible (all 39 versions):
http://disbeliefnet.com/

the picture is funny.

otherwise, this article is a waste of my time.

If you don't like it then don't listen. No constitutional right to dictate the oath of office.

Fine. If it helps him be more committed, let him say it.

For FUCKS sake, Obama is a Christian. Let him say "so help me God" if he wants to. It's not like he'll force Christianity into the government. Geez.

Just shut up about atheist civil rights. Obama saying "so help me God" oppresses atheists about as much as same-sex marriage oppresses Christians, meaning, it doesn't.

1. I find the Image, offensive. mocking using that image clearly represents the disrespect against those who believe in Christianism.

2. God will be part of the American Inauguration because 82% are Religious. Deal with it. If you don't like it, in the Czech Republic is 82% Atheists, you can move here instead.

3. The daily pressure will not make anyone forbid him from using it.

If Obama is elected and the whole US is atheist, but he is Religious, he has the full right and freedom to mention this. It is his will and decision.