Anonymous
Post 02/03/2014 12:36     Subject: "America the Beautiful" a 'Christian anthem'?
Real Americans know that "God" means the Christian God, preferably Protestant, but nowadays, Catholic God is OK too, as long as He remains a reason to exclude birth control from employer health care plans.
- sarcasm, sort of
Anonymous
Post 02/03/2014 12:16     Subject: "America the Beautiful" a 'Christian anthem'?
I was really annoyed by that car commercial that played on people's emotions related to cancer. It's just sick selling cars by making people feel that kind of emotion. I don't find it clever at all.

Sorry to hijack.

OP, I agree that the God references in "America the Beautiful" could be construed as not necessarily only Christian. I didn't particularly view the song as "deeply religious" - just as stemming from a very Christian nation.
Anonymous
Post 02/03/2014 12:16     Subject: "America the Beautiful" a 'Christian anthem'?
We could sing "all mighty dollar shed your grace on thee" since the majority prefer to worship their stuff anyway.
Anonymous
Post 02/03/2014 12:11     Subject: "America the Beautiful" a 'Christian anthem'?
Anyone upset about the Coke commercial is an ugly, ugly person.

E pluribus unum.
Anonymous
Post 02/03/2014 11:28     Subject: "America the Beautiful" a 'Christian anthem'?
Anonymous wrote:Ameriac the Beautiful is sung in Catholic Mass. They don't allow secular songs as part of Mass. I have always viewed it as religious and patriotic.

OP here. I would have had no issue whatsoever if Leahy had said 'deeply religious'.

Along with God, brotherhood is also stressed. That too is part of Christ's message, but not unique to Christianity. However, it seems somewhat foreign to Leahy.
Anonymous
Post 02/03/2014 11:24     Subject: "America the Beautiful" a 'Christian anthem'?
A great many conservatives want this to be a Christian nation where, despite the protections of the First Amendment, Christianity is given a free pass based on heritage. So obviously they want to claim anything historical or cultural which can reinforce that position.

If we are going to read the song carefully, it is obviously communist:
Till selfish gain no longer stain
The banner of the free!


Anonymous
Post 02/03/2014 11:21     Subject: "America the Beautiful" a 'Christian anthem'?
Ameriac the Beautiful is sung in Catholic Mass. They don't allow secular songs as part of Mass. I have always viewed it as religious and patriotic.
Anonymous
Post 02/03/2014 11:20     Subject: "America the Beautiful" a 'Christian anthem'?
There are tens of thousands of comments on Coca-Cola's Facebook page about the commercial featuring this song, so I don't think that OP is the only one contemplating it this morning.
Anonymous
Post 02/03/2014 11:19     Subject: "America the Beautiful" a 'Christian anthem'?
Anonymous wrote:Michael Patrick Leahy, writing on Breitbat.com (http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/02/02/Why-Coca-Cola-America-The-Beautiful-Ad-Was-Offensive) refers to "America the Beautiful" as 'a deeply Christian patriotic anthem' in objecting to the Coke Super Bowl commercial in which the song was sung in many languages, and which featured a gay couple and their kids. I am not surprised that foreign languages and gays bother some people, but I looked at the lyrics of the song (http://www.scoutsongs.com/lyrics/americathebeautiful.html) and, while God is certainly mentioned again and again, I see no reference to Christ. I rather thought God is also worshipped by people in non-Christian religions.

Does anyone here know what Leahy means by 'deeply Christian'?


Wikipedia has a summary of the history of the song. While Wikipedia is not always the most reliable source, the information here seems to be in line with other info. It probably has the reputation of some as being "deeply Christian' because the tune was originally a hymn tune as noted below.

"America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. The lyrics were written by Katherine Lee Bates, and the music was composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward.
Bates originally wrote the words as a poem, Pikes Peak, first published in the Fourth of July edition of the church periodical The Congregationalist in 1895. At that time, the poem was titled America for publication.
Ward had originally written the music, Materna, for the hymn O Mother dear, Jerusalem in 1882, though it was not first published until 1892.[1] Ward's music combined with the Bates poem was first published in 1910 and titled America the Beautiful.
Anonymous
Post 02/03/2014 11:18     Subject: "America the Beautiful" a 'Christian anthem'?
Sigh. We really need to take our country back from these moonbats.
Anonymous
Post 02/03/2014 11:16     Subject: "America the Beautiful" a 'Christian anthem'?
Anonymous wrote:I think he is just making studd up To my knowledge, Katherine Lee Bates wasn't very religious. She was a lesbian, so I bet she is smiling down on us since a gay couple was used in the commercial


Oops - stuff
Anonymous
Post 02/03/2014 11:15     Subject: "America the Beautiful" a 'Christian anthem'?
I think he is just making studd up To my knowledge, Katherine Lee Bates wasn't very religious. She was a lesbian, so I bet she is smiling down on us since a gay couple was used in the commercial
Anonymous
Post 02/03/2014 11:13     Subject: Re:"America the Beautiful" a 'Christian anthem'?
Anonymous wrote:This is what you ponder on a Monday morning ? Get a hobby or a job. There are more important things happening in the world.

I'm retired, DCUM is one of my hobbies, and I happen to be outside of DC and snowed in right now. Thanks for the enlightening advice anyway.
Anonymous
Post 02/03/2014 11:09     Subject: Re:"America the Beautiful" a 'Christian anthem'?
This is what you ponder on a Monday morning ? Get a hobby or a job. There are more important things happening in the world.

Anonymous
Post 02/03/2014 10:57     Subject: "America the Beautiful" a 'Christian anthem'?
Michael Patrick Leahy, writing on Breitbat.com (http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/02/02/Why-Coca-Cola-America-The-Beautiful-Ad-Was-Offensive) refers to "America the Beautiful" as 'a deeply Christian patriotic anthem' in objecting to the Coke Super Bowl commercial in which the song was sung in many languages, and which featured a gay couple and their kids. I am not surprised that foreign languages and gays bother some people, but I looked at the lyrics of the song (http://www.scoutsongs.com/lyrics/americathebeautiful.html) and, while God is certainly mentioned again and again, I see no reference to Christ. I rather thought God is also worshipped by people in non-Christian religions.

Does anyone here know what Leahy means by 'deeply Christian'?