Took a trip yesterday to Tappahannock for an oyster roast, and we did a little walking tour of Old Town Tappahannock - established 1608, older than Williamsburg. The oldest settlement in VA is Jamestown, this is the second oldest.
One of the things I was most interested in seeing was Beale Memorial Baptist Church, which structure incorporates the old 1728 courthouse which was the scene, in 1774, of four Baptist preachers being tried and sentenced to jail for "preaching and expounding the Scriptures contrary to law."
This was precisely the type of thing that the Virginia Declaration of Religious Freedom was meant to prevent. When it was passed, the Baptists understandably were for it, as well as free-thinkers like Jefferson, while fire-eating Patrick Henry opposed it.
One of the things that the Religious Freedom Act accomplished was do away with paying ministers' salaries via taxes imposed on the citizenry at large.
And really, in my mind, the debate should continue to be framed the same way. People just don't want to be coerced by the awesome and awful power of government into kowtowing to the religious beliefs of others, whether through taxes or otherwise.
I am one of them. I see absolutely no reason to put a creche in the public square, regardless of whether it's accompanied by symbols of other religions or not. Every public square that I can remember seeing has churches nearby that could put a creche on display if they chose to. Oddly enough, in my experience, they don't. Maybe they are afraid of vandals, I have no idea.
As for pledging allegiance to the flag -- how did that get started, anyway?
>>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.
The Pledge of Allegiance was written in August 1892 by the socialist minister Francis Bellamy (1855-1931). It was originally published in The Youth's Companion on September 8, 1892.
In its original form it read:
"I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
In 1923, the words, "the Flag of the United States of America" were added against Bellamy's wishes, as he wanted the pledge to be used by any citizen of any country. At this time it read:
"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."
In 1954, in response to the Communist threat of the times, and fifty-two years after its original publication, Eisenhower encouraged Congress to add the words "under God," creating the 31-word pledge we say today. Bellamy's daughter objected to this alteration. Currently there are Constitutional challenges to this alteration.<<
ushistory.org
When I was a little kid, I liked to say it, but when I was a rebellious teenager, I not only refused to say it, I would sit down when they asked us to "please remain standing for a moment of silent prayer." Never got into any trouble about it.
Anyway, back to the church. You can see the old brick courthouse as part of the structure, with additions like a steeple and wings enlarging it. It must have given the Baptists a feeling of accomplishment to have taken over the courthouse that was used to censure them. |
