The Texas legislature meets once every two years, and the current session is scheduled to come to a close May 28. So the politicians have been working hard to push through important legislation like this, a bill to insert the words “under God” into the state’s pledge of allegiance. (Yes, Texas has its own pledge.) According to this article, bill sponsor Debbie Riddle said adding the words is “common sense.” But that’s not the only bit of hot Jehovah-on-state action the lawmakers have cooked up: the House and Senate also passed bills requiring the posting of the words “In God We Trust” in their chambers.
I deplore this sort of thing because I believe strongly in a secular state and because public servants meretriciously parading their piety to voters make me cringe. I think eventually this constant religious showboating will have the opposite of its intended effect. The sponsors of these bills hope to bring some of that heavenly sense of purpose and allegedly unalterable morality they find in religion to the business of government. But if the state succeeds in bringing the deity so visibly into its everday functioning, it may prompt some citizens to begin thinking of religion with the same fondness they have for the Department of Motor Vehicles or the Internal Revenue Service.
Post a Comment