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Nothing is more American in summer than baseball.
And nothing is more pathetic than the latest all-out effort to do away with singing "God Bless America" during the 7th inning stretch at Major League baseball games.
A New York newspaper writer has found his mission: Retire God from Baseball, because He's too old.
While attempts are being made at removing God from the "old ball game," reports are showing that many state, local and county institutions are also retiring God this summer in response to threats from atheists.
Gersh Kuntzman, writing for the New York Daily News wrote, "It's time for God to stop blessing America during the seventh-inning stretch."
His headline read: "Major League Baseball Must Permanently Retire 'God Bless America', A Song That Offends Everyone."
"Welcome to the July 4 holiday weekend---when once again baseball fans will be assaulted by saccharine-sweet non-anthem "God Bless America" at stadiums all over this great land," he wrote.
His goal?
"No matter which team you 'root, root, root' for, 'God Bless America' should be sent to the bench."
While Kuntzman believes there was some catharsis and healing of heartache in singing it following 9-11, the song is now merely a headache.
He says he's outraged over it. The song, he says, embodies some good, but also the worst things--"self-righteousness, forced piety, earnest self-reverence and foam."
He claims "everyone" in America dislikes the song.
Everyone?
Yes, he claims everyone---even 88% of atheists dislike the song, he says.
And he's one of the atheists.
But that still isn't everyone, Mr. Kuntzman. "Everyone," to him, is likely his circle of friends, professional and personal, which says more about his circles than his complaint.
Kuntzman has also gotten some attention because of his strident articles against private gun ownership.
Following this article, he Tweeted, "First guns, now I take on god: Baseball must permanently retire "God Bless America."---And yes, he did not capitalize "God."
Our freedom in America extends to this kind of rhetoric, because we believe freedom is a gift from none other than God Himself.
The freedom to assault God is extended even to those atheists who claim not to believe in Him. Whose lives are consumed with talking about Someone whom they claim not to believe in.
While folks are taking a little time off this summer, CBN News is reporting that the assault of God is not only on the baseball diamond. It's also in many state, local and county institutions.
South Carolina.
One school board council in Moncks Corner is now opening their meetings with a moment of silence instead of reciting the Lord's Prayer---which they have done for years.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State says the prayer violates the First Amendment, and "exploits the prayer opportunity to advance the Christian faith" because the Lord's Prayer is "specifically and uniquely a Christian prayer."
Mac McQuillin, a local attorney representing the school district, says the moment of silence the atheists have imposed is really a moment of "censorship" and "prayer unites not divides."
That would be true in another time, but it seems to be very divisive in a time when some are obsessed with "retiring God."
Arkansas
An Arkansas school superintendent has dropped prayer from all future graduation ceremonies because the atheist Freedom From Religion Foundation sent them a threatening letter after one high school student objected to an invocation and benediction.
About 3000 were in attendance. Prayer was removed because of the threat of 1 person.
It costs the atheist organization a few dollars to process and send a certified letter to a school district. They already have the lawyer on staff.
They are removing God for less than 10 dollars. The atheists have this down to a science.
The district gets the $10 letter, the atheists and secularists in the school use the letter to leverage the district, the Christians and conservatives in the school administration oppose, object and denounce, but because all public school districts are broke, they cave---all accomplished with a $10 threatening letter.
North Carolina
A council member at Indian Trail suggested a non-denominational prayer to start the meetings.
The school council wouldn't even discuss it.
Gordon Daniels, the newly elected member, said he is going to make an issue of this, because, "I think it would be in the interest of the community to have a discussion on this end," he said.
Gersh Kunzman, with the New York Daily News, says God Bless America is actually becoming more than a "headache." He has now become outraged over the song, saying it "reminds of him of the dictator Mussolini when people are asked to rise, remove their caps and place the hands over their hearts."
He says, "The better 7th inning song is "Take Me Out To The Ball Game"----he says that song "captures the essential joy of American life."
What Mr. Kuntzman is either unaware of, or is choosing to ignore, is that his "better song" also gives a set of absolutes.
The chorus ends with this: "One, two, three strikes you're out, at the old ball game."
America---Christians in particular, have stood at the plate in the last 2 presidential elections and taken 2 called strikes---one more and we're out.
Consider this:
John Adams
SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE; JUDGE; DIPLOMAT; ONE OF TWO SIGNERS OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS; SECOND PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.1
Without religion, this world would be something not fit to be mentioned in polite company: I mean hell.
The Christian religion is, above all the religions that ever prevailed or existed in ancient or modern times, the religion of wisdom, virtue, equity and humanity.
Suppose a nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their only law book and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited. . . . What a Eutopia – what a Paradise would this region be!
Be Faithful. Be Vigilant. Be Prayerful.