August 2002 Vol.5, No. 7 Contents What Do You Mean, "Under God"?; by Cecil E. Maranville Restoration: Hope Beyond the Headlines by Darris McNeely Money Won't Solve These Problems by Melvin Rhodes When Is Enough...Enough? by Darris McNeely In Brief... World News Reviews by Cecil E. Maranville, John Ross Schroeder and Jim Tuck This Is the Way...Getting Underneath the Skin by Robin Webber August '02 Main What Do You Mean, "Under God"?; You've heard the controversy about "under God" and that the vast majority of Americans are in no mood to even consider removing these words from the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance. But is the United States a nation under God? The words are simple enough, but have you thought about their meaning? What do they mean to God? by Cecil E. Maranville From the average citizen to the U.S. president and the entire Congress, indignation was spontaneous over a poorly thought-out ruling by a San Francisco federal appeals court that declared the words "under God" in the American Pledge of Allegiance to be unconstitutional. A Newsweek poll taken immediately after the ruling was publicized showed Americans in favor of retaining the phrase by a margin of 87 percent to 9 percent (July 8, 2002, issue). The country and the world are still reeling from the devastating impact of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. mainland. Few are in a mood for a technical debate over the acceptability of acknowledging God. Harkening back to the days immediately following the terrorist attacks, there were many open and unabashed references to God. A national prayer service in Washington D.C. on Sept. 14, 2001, was attended by a number of former U.S. presidents and many members of Congress, along with countless other dignitaries, all of whom heard repeated appeals to God for comfort and help. At that service, President Bush said, "We come before God to pray for the missing and the dead, and for those who love them...On this national day of prayer and remembrance, we ask Almighty God to watch over our nation and grant us patience and resolve in all that is to come. We pray that He will comfort and console those who now walk in sorrow. We thank Him for each life we now must mourn, and the promise of a life to come. As we've been assured, neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities, nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth can separate us from God's love. May He bless the souls of the departed. May He comfort our own. And may He always guide our country. God bless America" (text published by The Washington Post). Read the full article at www.wnponline.org/wnp/wnp0208/index.htm Related Information on UCG Sites: Table of Contents that includes "What Do You Mean, Under God?" Other Articles by Cecil Maranville Pledge of allegiance: _One Nation - Under God? _Patriotism: The Good, the Bad and the Biblical _In the News Jul/Sep 2004 God's help: _When the Angel Leaves the Storm, Part 2 _Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled _Joel and the Start of the Church _Jeremiah Offers Us Hope for the Future _Can We Explain All Suffering? _Our Dependence on the God Who Created Us _Transforming Your Life - Table of Contents _The Holy Spirit: God's Transforming Power _Help for Sufferers _Learning from the Suffering of Job _A Sudden and Dangerous Turn of Events _Faith, Choice and Commitment _Why We Need the Holy Spirit _When Time and Chance Happen to You _Why do we blame God for Catastrophes? _Where was God? _God Works in Mysterious Ways _Does God Help Those Who Help Themselves? _You Were Born to Win! _"She'll Never Sing, Write or Play Guitar Again" _Under Eagle's Wings _To Prevail Against the Enemy _Do It Anyway _Amazing Grace: A Lifelong Love Story _Flight of the Monarch _Your Job and the "Joseph Effect" _A Different Breed of Warrior _A Big Shadow _A Better Way _Your Responsibility in Healing Search Our Site Key Subjects Index General Topics Index Biblical References Index Good News Magazine Index Booklets and All Literature Index Home Page of this site