# God save America **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 22, 2003, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-save-america/220452 "2003-12-22T14:27:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-save-america/220452/21 "2003-12-22T18:49:11Z")
AHunter3: > [@](#): > > Well, it would make more sense if it was “God save America”, insofar as America at the moment needs saving more than it deserves blessing. By “saving” do you mean in the Christian sense? ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-save-america/220452/22 "2003-12-22T20:36:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BK \* > \*_Asking God to save the queen is not silly because she is the head of the Church of England. \* As far as the Anglican Church is concerned she is God’s representitive on Earth_ [italics added] and it is presumably in his interest to keep her alive. \*\* And to many of us here in the colonies, this is silly. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-save-america/220452/23 "2003-12-23T01:11:41Z")
I have this vision of **Brutus** pulling out a cell phone to gloat over his victory. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BK \* > **Who exactly is the God in question, I thought the USA was set up as an secular state.** The President has the same freedom to practice his religion as any other American. When he utters the GBA phrase in a speech, he is expressing his personal wishes, not stating official government policy. \*\* > [@](#): > > And why he is saving America in particular? Surely religion is not bound by national boundaries. Indeed this is a cornerstone of the christian church. \*\* As an atheist I don’t use the GBA phrase myself, but if I may speak for those who do, I don’t believe the blessing is necessarily intended to be _exclusive_ to America. I mean, if God wants to bless America, Chad, Denmark, and the Cayman Islands, I think we’re all cool with that. As an aside, it’s worth noting that the phrase “God Bless America” was popularized by a Jew, Irving Berlin. I’m not sure how widely it was used as a catch phrase before the song. Come to think of it, that would make a good GQ. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-save-america/220452/24 "2003-12-23T01:27:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ace309 \* > \*\*Well, it’d be kind of presumptuous to ask God to save Canada. \*\* I don’t know… love thy neighbour and all that… ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-save-america/220452/25 "2003-12-23T01:43:33Z")
The last verse of ‘O Canada’ says “God Keep our Land Glorious and Freeeeeee!” so they’ve got that covered. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-save-america/220452/26 "2003-12-23T02:40:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Brutus \* > \*\*Huzzah! A victory for Brutus! \*\* You jerk! You took my victory! I pointed it out first! Don’t be taking credit for things I did! :mad: 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-save-america/220452/27 "2003-12-23T02:49:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Neurotik \* > \*\*You jerk! You took my victory! I pointed it out first! Don’t be taking credit for things I did! > > :mad: 😛 \*\* Pardon moi. Please note the entry just above yours. ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-save-america/220452/28 "2003-12-23T02:51:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Neurotik \* > \*\*You jerk! You took my victory! I pointed it out first! Don’t be taking credit for things I did! > > :mad: 😛 \*\* Jealous, eh? Well, get used to it. My knowledge and wit is legendary in these parts. You might even say that _I_ am the real ‘Cecil Adams’. You might. Maybe. You know, like if you were 3-sheets to wind and maybe going into hypoglycemic shock, you might say that… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![pizzabrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9c0ed/32.png) [@pizzabrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pizzabrat)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-save-america/220452/29 "2003-12-23T02:53:36Z")
> [@](#): > > _jklann_ > > As an aside, it’s worth noting that the phrase “God Bless America” was popularized by a Jew, Irving Berlin. How ironic. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-save-america/220452/30 "2003-12-23T02:59:32Z")
Why? Because he was originally Russian? ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-save-america/220452/31 "2003-12-23T03:36:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Telemark \* > \*\*Pardon moi. Please note the entry just above yours. \*\* Bah! It was a tie. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-save-america/220452/32 "2003-12-23T05:28:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Brutus \* > \*\*Huzzah! A victory for Brutus! \*\* [The Count]…That’s ONE! ONE victory for **Brutus** …[/The Count] ---
**Author:** ![Tir\_Tinuviel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@Tir\_Tinuviel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tir_Tinuviel)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-save-america/220452/33 "2003-12-23T11:44:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by David Simmons \* > \*\*And to many of us here in the colonies, this is silly. \*\* I’m not sure I follow you, why is it silly? There are/have been plenty of other instances of “God’s Representative on Earth”. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-save-america/220452/34 "2003-12-23T12:37:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Neurotik \* > \*\*You jerk! You took my victory! I pointed it out first! Don’t be taking credit for things I did! > > :mad: 😛 \*\* Stabbed in the back by Brutus… what an irony. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-save-america/220452/35 "2003-12-23T13:14:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tir Tinuviel \* > \*\*I’m not sure I follow you, why is it silly? There are/have been plenty of other instances of “God’s Representative on Earth”. > > 😕 \*\* And all of them equally silly, _i. e._ traditional customs without any empirical foundation or much use that I can see. Maybe “silly” isn’t quite the right word. Maybe “evil” is better because they constitute a privileged class who exist because of the efforts of others while contributing little or nothing themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Aldebaran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Aldebaran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aldebaran)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-save-america/220452/36 "2003-12-23T14:09:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jklann \* > The President has the same freedom to practice his religion as any other American. When he utters the GBA phrase in a speech, he is expressing his personal wishes, not stating official government policy. When the president of a nation makes a public speech in function as president of that nation, he does so as (eventually chosen) representative of all the citizens of that nation speaking to all the citizens of that nation. That excludes in my opinion adding sentences or words who refer to his personal life from which religion is part. I can add here that this stubborn repeated “God bless A…” used by every president I know off only adds to the impression that the US isn’t a secluar nation to begin with and secondly that God should bless “the US only”. I find it ignorant and arrogant both for presidents to use these words in public speeches and during public appearences. Salaam. A ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-save-america/220452/37 "2003-12-23T14:17:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shade \* > \*\*Stabbed in the back by Brutus… what an irony. \*\* Alanis? Is that you? 🙂 > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Aldebaran_ > **I can add here that this stubborn repeated “God bless A…” used by every president I know off only adds to the impression that the US isn’t a secluar nation to begin with and secondly that God should bless “the US only”.** Uh huh. And when I say “God bless you” after a sneeze, I believe that God should bless only that person and nobody else ever. And when my dear departed Gramma would say “bless you, dear” instead of “thank you” sometimes she meant that I was the only person that should ever have been blessed ever and everyone else should go to hell. Give me a break. **I find it ignorant and arrogant both for presidents to use these words in public speeches and during public appearences.** [/quote] Whatever. I’m sure if they didn’t, you’d have a problem with that, too. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-save-america/220452/38 "2003-12-23T14:19:40Z")
Dammit. ---
**Author:** ![Aldebaran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Aldebaran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aldebaran)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-save-america/220452/39 "2003-12-23T14:24:50Z")
Neurotik, I guess you are not the president of the USA and your grandmother wasn’t the president of the USA, acting thus as the representative of all the citizens of the USA and making public speeches in that function? If someone who is president of the USA says such words in private circle, there is nothing wrong with it since it is adressed and meant to only private circle in private life situations. Salaam. A ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-save-america/220452/40 "2003-12-23T14:25:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Neurotik \* > **Alanis? Is that you? 🙂** I don’t think so… I’m missing a joke here, aren’t I? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-save-america/220452.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-save-america/220452.md?page=3)