Alonzo Fyfe

Which, I hasten to add (on the off chance somebody may get confused on this matter) that this has as little to do with weakening the walls between church and state as the fact that Bush mentions God in almost all of his speeches.

Or would we accept it as valid if, 150 years from now, people debating the separation of church and state were to argue, "Bush continually mentioned God during his speeches. Therefore we are a Christian nation and there is no legitimate argument for a wall between church and state."

No doubt, we would encourage future generations to regard Bush's speech the same way we should be regarding Lincoln. "He gave his own opinion on the matter of God. That is his right. A speech is not the same thing as a law respecting the establishment of religion."

Valentine Pontifex

A very interesting "proof"!

Of course that would ignore that the Gettysberg Address was not any kind of official decree, law, statute, order, act, bill, etc. It was a speech by a politician. An important speech by an important politician, but in the end a speech.

What the politician who so happens to be president says is not very good evidence.
If it it, I am sure we can find some pretty
funny things that must be true from the many things that George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Bush Classic,..., John Adams, and George Washington have said.

Oresta

This highly informative thread comes in the wake of my recent reading of Gore Vidal's excellent historical novel Lincoln. Sources cited here indicate the quality of Gore's research. Gore's Lincoln delivers the address version as reported by Charles Hay of the Boston Daily Advertiser. When Lincoln says, "under God," Gore has Nicolay whisper to Hay, "He just added that. It's not in the text." Gore also depicts Lincoln as departing at times from his written version. However, Buffman's Weblink,

<a href="http://www.wordchecksystems.com/examples/gettysburg.htm" target="_blank">http://www.wordchecksystems.com/examples/gettysburg.htm</a>

says such departure would have been "uncharacteristic".

Furthermore, Gore's depicts the inclusion of the the phrase is not being Lincoln's ad libbed inspiration, but an assent to Seward's suggestion to do so.

Gore employs a subtle mix of fiction with careful research to remain consistent with HIS Lincoln, a persona not wont to invoke God frequently.

Thanks for the insights this has given me into the work of a favorite author.

{edited by Toto to fix tag and link}

[ August 21, 2002: Message edited by: Toto ]</p>

Radcliffe Emerson

This makes me wonder what other written works passed on to us have been doctored?

4th Generation Atheist

I can think of one....