To those bemoaning the presence of the divine in the inauguration [View all]

[nadinbrzezinski]

A few facts:

1.- Every inauguration, starting with Washington, has had references to the divine, each and every one. The US has a separation of church and state, but not so strict that God has been completely pushed out of political events. It might be galling to you, but it has not. You want an advanced economy where that has happened, look at France. A slightly less, look south of your borders. The latter, Mexico, fought a few bloody civil wars over it.

2.- The US is the most religious country among advanced economies. You want to change that...think generations and a very different educational system, as well as civil calendar. Good luck with it, given Christmas is central to the well being of the economy.

3.- One of the songs today is a deeply patriotic song, coming from the Civil War, and a hymn for former slaves. If you need an explanation for the inclusion of something like this, for god sakes, the very lay Mexico includes things like the Marcha Dragona in military parades, that mention god and all that. It's called tradition.

4.- You go ahead and try to change this, really, good luck. Best it would be if you learned why things are done. These ceremonies include every element they do on purpose and are pregnant with signals to different communities around the US...the fun is trying to understand every nuance, and every whistle.

Oh and yes, atheists are and can be their own worst enemies. Serious.