Technical Itch & Dylan - One Nation Over God lyrics

One of the most common irrational claims our society faces today
Are those offered by religion
Thomas Jefferson once said:
"Religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his god"
I contemplate with sovereign reverence
That act of building a wall of separation between church and state
The United States Constitution makes no mention of god or Christianity
When it does mention religion, it is restrictive, such as, quote:
"No religious test shall ever be required
As a qualification to any office or public trust" in Article 4
The First Amendment says:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment
Of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof"
Keeping government and religion isolated
Allows all of us to worship or not worship as we wish

I know of at least ten churches
That are all within a 10-minute drive from my apartment
Different denominations, different languages
Presumably with different doctrines and different congregations
My family and I are free to attend any, all, or none of these as we see fit
Freedom of religion also means freedom from religion
They are two sides of the same coin
You cannot have one without the other

Yet all around us, we see arguably subtle
But definite violations of this, dare I say sacred freedom
The addition of "In God We Trust" on our coins in 1864
Our dollar bills in 1957
The insertion of "under God" into the National Pledge of Allegiance in 1954
And our own state pledge this year, are direct, if minute
Infusions of religion into the public sphere

It is all too easy to dismiss this as innocuous enough
What could be more all-encompassing
And inclusively vague than simply saying "God"
And leaving it up to each individual to interpret what "God" means to them
The belief in a single deity is a tenet
Of the great Abrahamic religions of Judaism Christianity, and Islam
Which does include the majority of Americans
However, the idea does conflict with the beliefs of some religions
Buddhists don't believe in a personal deity
Hindus believe in many deities
Wiccans believe in a god and a goddess

Even if we acknowledge the imposition
It is easy to write it off as inconsequential
I cannot help but ask
How, believers, would you feel if our pledge said:
"One nation over God?"
Or our dollar bills said: "In atheism we trust?"
We are all free to worship or not worship as we please in our private lives
Yet we are free to do so precisely because we live in a secular nation

All of us, those with faith as well as those without
Should be opposed to any intersection of church and state
No matter how small
He that would make his own liberty secure
Must guard even his enemy from oppression
For if he violates this duty, he establishes a precedent
That will reach himself (-self [?x])

One nation over God

Freedom of religion also means freedom from religion (religion [?x])
Religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his god (god [?x])
We are all free to worship or not worship
As we please in our private lives (lives [?x])
[2x]

Freedom of religion also means freedom from religion (religion [?x])

One of the most common irrational claims our society faces today
Are those offered by religion (religion [?x])

Freedom of religion also means freedom from religion (religion [?x])

We are all free to worship or not worship as we please in our private lives

One nation over God

Freedom of religion also means freedom from religion (religion [?x])