Roscoe Bartlett: “a steady assault on public religious expression undermines Americans' constitutional right to worship. The Supreme Court…”

“a steady assault on public religious expression undermines Americans' constitutional right to worship. The Supreme Court announced it will hear a case alleging the phrase ``under God'' in the Pledge of Allegiance establishes a religion. Not at all. Acknowledging the Creator, in public, is an American tradition, not a religion. The Declaration of Independence declares that all men were given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness by their Creator. The Declaration ends with ``A firm reliance upon the protection of Divine Providence.'' Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg expressed his fervent hope that ``This Nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom.'' Mr. Speaker, the question before the Supreme Court is whether America's tradition of free expression of religion will continue or be further undermined by a new creed of hostility towards religion. I echo Benjamin Franklin, who requested that prayer begin the Constitutional Convention, and every session of Congress since then, because, as he acknowledged, ``God governs in the affairs of men.''”