By rejecting a compromise that offends almost no one, had been in existence for half a century and could not be claimed as the exclusive language of any one faith, the circuit court has opened itself up to ridicule. And that is one of the most unfortunate byproducts of its decision. Demagogues like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell have discredited themselves with their bigoted comments on Islam and their extremist political views. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals now insures that they will gain much of the credibility they have quite rightfully lost, since one of their more seemingly ridiculous ideas -- that there exist people in positions of authority who hate religion -- has just been proven correct.

In addition to its political stupidity, the court's opinion fails to understand what freedom really means. We need separation of church and state because, throughout history, religions have had a tendency to rely on government to coerce others. But nothing about the pledge is coercive. Students can opt out of saying it. It is not said in a religious building or context. Its purely symbolic role is understood by everyone, including the parent who challenged it. The Pledge of Allegiance is not the Spanish Inquisition. In taking this case and ruling as it did, the appellate court has dishonored those who fought real battles, with real lives at stake, on behalf of conscience. Objecting to the Pledge of Allegiance is not an affirmation of liberty; it is a narcissistic act by selfish people who want their own view of how these things should work taken as definitive. And, to make matters worse, they are not determined enough to fight for their views in legislatures and in the court of public opinion; they rely instead on the most liberal judges in the country to get their way.

Since the 9th Circuit Court has been overruled more often than any other court in the United States, one does not expect that this ruling will stand too long. Yet before it is overruled, it is likely to cause considerable damage. In its own way, the United States has been moving toward solutions to problems that in other societies cause religious wars. We are the most religion-tolerant society in the West, incorporating non-Christians in ways Europe cannot seem to grasp. We tame our religious extremists because we are so reluctant to see politics and religion blended. Americans, to be sure, are not active participants in the life of their country, but our tendency to bowl alone looks good when others kill together. The secret to our success is that we have lacked both a clerical tradition insistent on imposing an official religion on society and an anti-clerical tradition that looks with disdain at anyone who professes religious belief.

The appellate court, having now adopted an anti-clerical position, can only expect a clerical reaction. Its official sponsorship of atheism is as repugnant to our tradition of tolerance as official sponsorship of religion. If Americans are not allowed collectively to express their thanks to a generic and nonsectarian God, they will be more likely to engage in battles between different conceptions of specific ones. We are a moderate people who subscribe to moderate faiths. That is something the extremists on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals fail to understand.

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