I've always loved this song and thought it would be a wonderful national anthem, but someone in another thread objected to it being sung this week because it is too religious in its perspective. The song brings Christians, Jews, and Moslems together, but does it exclude others? If we are to be inclusive of all, must we remove mention of God from all public gatherings?

What do people think of this? How far do we have to go to be inclusive? I live in California, a state which nervously refers to December 25 as "The Holiday" for fear of offending somebody - and that really bothers me because I think it's wrong to cleanse all aspects of our culture and language from the religions that are part of its history. On the other hand, it would make me a bit nervous to choose a national anthem that seems so much like a religious hymn (although the current anthem is too militaristic for me).

What do you think? I'm a bit afraid to bring this topic up this week because emotions are running high, but I think it's a valid question. "America the Beautiful" does seem to be a religious hymn. We sing it in church, and we don't sing "The Star-Spangled Banner." Is it appropriate to sing "America the Beautiful" at public gatherings?

-Joe Offer-