In God We Trust
From Friday’s Peoria Journal Star Letter’s to the Editors:
For several years my family has traveled to Peoria to visit relatives and to witness the Glen Oak Park fireworks on July 3.
t’s always a rousing good show with excellent music.
However, this year’s experience was spoiled by the vocal selections. Several had overtly religious themes, inserting divisive religious doctrine into what should be an inclusive, secular celebration of American freedom. In particular, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” is overtly Christian. Playing it as a traditional instrumental might be understandable, but singing the words crossed the line of church-state separation.
Inviting the audience to sing along was downright offensive, certainly to me, as it undoubtedly was to many among the 20 percent of the population that is not Christian. Apparently in the sponsors’ eyes, the only good American is a Christian American.
As a government (Peoria Park District) sponsored concert in a public space, the activity should be subject to the same church-state separation principles as any other. Let’s hope that Peoria’s leaders come to understand that they lead everyone, not just the religious majority.
David Boles
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
After I read this letter I wrote up a post strongly disagreeing with the premise that this song contains “divisive religious doctrines”. The song, Battle Hymn of the Republic, was written during the Civil War and lives on as an historic document of a specific time in our history. I referenced Abraham Lincoln’s 2nd inaugural address which was written around the same time and is rife with references to God and the Star Spangled Banner’s 4th verse which says “And this be our motto: ‘In God is our trust.’” to highlight the role of God in our country’s history and traditions.
Then I read the complete lyrics.
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.I have seen Him in the watch fires of a hundred circling camps
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps;
His day is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His day is marching on.I have read a fiery Gospel writ in burnished rows of steel;
“As ye deal with My contemners, so with you My grace shall dealâ€;
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with His heel,
Since God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Since God is marching on.He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet;
Our God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on.In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free;
While God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! While God is marching on.He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,
He is wisdom to the mighty, He is honor to the brave;
So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of wrong His slave,
Our God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on.
Then I slept on it. Then recalled singing this song not long ago in Church and I began to wonder if this ‘crazy guy’ had a point. Were my religious beliefs clouding my judgment so much that I couldn’t see that this could quite possibly be offensive to some? Funny those who preach religious tolerance can sometimes be among the most intolerant.
In the end, I still think the guy is overreacting a bit, but I will grant him that maybe this song wasn’t the best selection for a sing-a-long.
July 14th, 2007 at 4:57 pm
When I was in public high school, in Peoria, we were forced to say the Pledge every morning. Every morning, when we got to the new part of “under God”, I never said those words, ever. Nobody ever noticed, or if they did, never said anything to me. To me, those words are offensive.
I would ask, if any of you went to the same fireworks and all/most of the music contained praised to Allah, would you sing along? Aren’t you all praising the same god?
I find myself smirking whenever somebody claims this to be a Christian nation, founded on Christian principles and beliefs. Slavery, and a flat earth, were Christian principles of the time (and to some, still not a bad idea).
Ok, lemme have it.
July 16th, 2007 at 8:39 am
What if they played & sang Marilynn Manson & 2 Live Crew songs? They have nothing to do with the 4th of July but some would fing those offensive. I guess there are songs by Charlie Daniels, Toby Keith, Ted Nugent and others that talk about going kicking (whomever our current “enemy’s”) @ss. Would that be more appropriate?
As with all songs, if you really paid attention to words and took them to heart, more people would have killed them listening to Nirvana.
Not being overly religious myself, I still think it is odd that people are so anti-Christian tolerant when it is Christianity & its principles that were a large part of what our fore fathers fought for to make and keep this country free. Maybe you don’t believe in God or don’t think promoting Christianity is right; that is your call. But to complain about having to listen to a few songs that were based on our founding fathers beliefs that gave us this free and great country, well, in my opinion it is a small burden to bear.
And if you are so anti-God, please rid yourself and give me all of your currency and change that says “In God We Trust” on it
July 19th, 2007 at 7:35 am
The fact that you had to look up the lyrics (even though you probably could sing the first stanza) in order to realize the religious significance of the words should be a clue as to just how secularized this song truly is. We’re desensitized to the meanings of most song lyrics. How many people can sing along with a song for years and never really think about the meaning of the words even though they know them by heart? Heck, how many people have sung along with “Afternoon Delight” without realizing it was about gettin’ busy? I’ll bet there are more than a few.
I don’t think of the US as a Christian nation. But that’s not to say that it has not had some very strong ties to Christianity throughout the years. The question is, to what degree does someone want to ignore or change the perception of that history to suit himself? Sure, we could eliminate all religious references connected with anything paid for with taxpayer money. But that would eliminate a wide array of total US history. Religion is merely one aspect of history, and it’s impossible to cleave it from our history without affecting anything else. Are we willing to pretend things haven’t happened in the way they have happened because not doing so is offensive to us? I think that’s silly.
My suspicion is that Mr. Boles doesn’t mind when taxpayer money is spent on certain functions that I would find offensive. The truth is, the only time you will find something on which everyone will agree is when you make it so bland that nobody cares. Does Mr. Boles really want public displays that arouse no emotion whatsoever and are therefore not offensive to anyone? Or does he merely want his own sensibilities taken into account at the expense of others who might find his preferred activities offensive?
I guess I’m being insensitive, but I don’t really see the point in getting offended over a musical choice. Nobody forced him to sing along. Nobody even forced him to listen. He was free to not attend or to leave at any time. Mr. Boles, despite his apparent belief to the contrary, is not entitled to have it his way. Some people simply enjoy complaining. In fact, I see people day after day who are happiest when they are miserable. Sometimes you just have to take what life gives you and appreciate the finer points instead of looking for ways to be offended.
July 19th, 2007 at 11:15 am
I attended a religiously-mixed public high school that was dominated by Jews, had a fair portion of Protestants, couple handfuls of Catholics, strong Hindu community, small Buddhist community, some Shintos, Muslims, Jains, etc. Big mix. It was also routinely nationally recognized for excellence in music.
We played and sang religious music ALL THE TIME, mostly Christian, but other traditions when it was available and appropriate, and nobody got their panties in a twist about it.
The thing is that the history of Western music is, for quite a long time, intimately tied to the history of Christian liturgical music, and much of the great music in our shared musical past IS Christian. Completely secularizing music would castrate our musical heritage and leave us with a much smaller selection of music and a much greater proportion of vapid, empty, crappy music.
I have never seen a Mozart Mass performed as a Mass, but boy I’ve seen them performed in concert lots and lots of times! The question is whether you’re interested in great music, regardless of where it comes from, or whether you’re interested in forcing everyone to conform to your ideas of what is and isn’t appropriate in the public sphere and removing any art, no matter how great, that has a hint of any IDEAS about it. Because we all know that every idea offends SOMEONE and that art with no ideas behind it is ever so …….. useless.
God forbid children be exposed to the poetry of Matsuo Basho. THEY MIGHT ACCIDENTALLY BE OFFENDED BY BUDDHISM while learning to love the beautiful use of language! THE HORROR!
July 20th, 2007 at 7:14 am
So you’re all saying I should’ve stuck with my gut reaction.