NPR has posted this article recently attempting to decipher Trump's meaning behind his new favorite slogan, "... together as one people, under one God, saluting one flag". The phrase "under one God" is disheartening to hear and has some groups concerned over its meaning. Trump and his campaign have not commented on clarifying such an outrageous goal and religious advocacy groups are worried about the implications that could arise if Trump is elected to the presidency. Barry Lynn, the executive directory of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, explains his concern that Trump might actually believe that being president would allow him to "somehow bring us (Americans) together by converting us all...." Other religious groups, such as, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), worry that phrases such as the one Trump is using, could potentially imply that certain types of Americans would gain priority over the rest in a Trump presidency. On the contrary, the CEO and President of the conservative Christian group Concerned Women for America Penny Nance, interprets Trump as "...a call for unity, a call for really understanding that we are a nation under God." However, for CAIR, Trump's comment goes against this country's moral code that "...you can have multiple faiths and still share the same ideal of being American...." They claim that using 'one God' "immediately excludes Hindus, Atheists, and Native Americans..." and that all Americans, no matter their faiths, have the right to be considered a part of this nation's identity.
This article is important because the separation of Church and State is a huge deal, and the larger America gets, the more diverse it becomes. To just assume that Christians, or variations of Christians, are the most important is utterly horrifying. As an non-religious person myself, to be forced to live in a world where one God is chosen to be the true and right God, and be expected to follow suit with others beliefs is absolutely absurd. As Americans we should be proud to have many Gods within one country. To bring religion back into politics is just ridiculous and unethical.
