“One nation gone under” (joke on “One nation under God”)
U.S. President Ronald Reagan spoke about the importance of god in government at an ecumenical prayer breakfast in Dallas, Texas, on August 23, 1984:
“Without God, there is no virtue, because there’s no prompting of the conscience. Without God, we’re mired in the material, that flat world that tells us only what the senses perceive. Without God, there is a coarsening of the society. And without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure. If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”
“If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under” has been printed on many images.
“One Nation Gone Under” had been printed in The Record (Hackensack, NJ) on November 5, 1964. Reagan said “a nation gone under,” but “one nation gone under” is sometimes given in the quotation. Also, “we’re one nation under God” is sometimes written as “we are one nation under God.”
Wikipedia: Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan (/ˈreɪɡən/ RAY-gən; February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 to 1975 and as president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1947 to 1952 and from 1959 until 1960.
Newspapers,com
5 November 1964, The Record (Hackensack, NJ), “Flag-Pennant Battle Spreads: Case for ‘Under God’ Banner Will Be Presented To Grand Jury Tomorrow” by Frank Sherry and Jonathan Lazarus, pg. 6, col. 2:
(A “ONE NATION UNDER GOD” banner was placed at the bottom of a municipal flag.—ed.)
Mrs. Theresa Hetzel, the person who first suggested use of the pennants in Rutherford, broke into tears at the meeting. “I think,” she declared, “some people would rather see a flag that says ‘One Nation Gone Under’.”
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum
Remarks at an Ecumenical Prayer Breakfast in Dallas, Texas
August 23, 1984
(...)
The Mayflower Compact began with the words, “In the name of God, amen.’’ The Declaration of Independence appeals to “Nature’s God’’ and the “Creator’’ and ``the Supreme Judge of the world.’’ Congress was given a chaplain, and the oaths of office are oaths before God.
(...)
Without God, there is no virtue, because there’s no prompting of the conscience. Without God, we’re mired in the material, that flat world that tells us only what the senses perceive. Without God, there is a coarsening of the society. And without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure. If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.
Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute
AUGUST 23, 1984
REAGAN QUOTES AND SPEECHES
REMARKS AT AN ECUMENICAL PRAYER BREAKFAST IN DALLAS, TEXAS
“If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”
(A short video of this line.—ed.)
Newspapers.com
23 August 1984, Fort Worth (TX) Star-Telegram, “Reagan says religion plays role in politics” by Dave Montgomery, pg. 1A, col. 5:
In a morning speech to 17,000 supporters at an ecumenical prayer breakfast (in Dallas—ed.), Reagan declared that religion plays a critical role in politics, charging that those who are attempting to drive God from government and the classroom are “intolerant of religion.”
Pg. 11A, col. 4:
“If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”
Twitter
Michael Nöthem
@mikandynothem
“If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be one nation gone under.”
~ Ronald Reagan
3:25 PM · Feb 6, 2021
Twitter
Mayra Flores
@MayraFlores2022
If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under. - Ronald Reagan
10:31 AM · Oct 25, 2022
Twitter
Rep. Dan Crenshaw
@RepDanCrenshaw
“If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.” -Ronald Reagan
6:29 PM · Feb 24, 2023