This story is actually less about what happened, and more about WHY it happened.
In case you missed it, Samuel Adams Beer® (named after one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence) decided to omit the phrase “endowed by their Creator” in a recent commercial which quoted that key line of text from the Declaration.
Now, if that’s all there was to the story, it wouldn’t be that big of a story. To be fair, there’s nothing listed anywhere that mandates someone has to quote our founding documents verbatim in a commercial. However, this is just the beginning.
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HERE’s the REAL story (via FoxNewsInsider):
The manufacturer’s decision to leave out “endowed by their creator” in its invocation of the Declaration of Independence has critics outraged, but Sam Adams says they were just following regulations.
In a statement, the company said:
“The Beer Institute Advertising Code says, ‘Beer advertising and marketing materials should not include religion or religious themes.’
We agree with that and try to adhere to these guidelines.”
Oh, for pity’s sake: that excuse doesn’t even rise to the level of weak sauce.
Are we now in a place where quoting accurately from the document which helped to form our country is verboten, simply because it mentions God?
Apparently so.
We’ve highlighted example after example of times that freedom OF religion has been warped to mean freedom FROM religion. With this chapter, we have another one which is noteworthy only for its spinelessness.
Sam Adams, himself a man of intense faith who was essential to our country’s creation, would be appalled at such a sniveling excuse. It would have been better for the Company to have offered no reason at all, rather than to fall back on “gee, folks, we’d LIKE to n’all, but we just CAN’T mention religion or religious themes….”
Pathetic.
Especially when one considers that this is less of a religious theme than it is of an accurate, HISTORICAL one.
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Moreover, it’s a fact that our founders were religious men, even though secular historians have been trying to strike that from the records for decades now. We cannot allow that history, which in great part was due to our founders’ desire for religious freedom, to be revised and remade into something it clearly wasn’t.
And for anyone who maintains that any and all references to God are somehow repugnant to the idea of true liberty in our nation, I leave you with this quote from none other than Benjamin Franklin, in a speech to the Constitutional Convention in 1787:
“…I’ve lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing Proofs I see of this Truth — That God governs in the Affairs of Men.
And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His Notice, is it probable that an Empire can rise without His Aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that except the Lord build the House they labor in vain who build it.
I firmly believe this, — and I also believe that without His concurring Aid, we shall succeed in this political Building no better than the Builders of Babel…”
Two Heads are Better Than One 
“The Beer Institute Advertising Code”????? REALLY? THAT’S what they’re going to stick to? HILARIOUS!
Of course, the “BIAC” (as we insiders like to call it) apparently says NOTHING about:
1. Scantily clad women.
2. People of “color” in a malt liquor commercial.
3. Insulting the manhood of a dude who doesn’t drink a particular beer.
4. Etc, etc, etc…
BUT! Just bring the word “God” into something, and all of a sudden we have a “code”.
Or is this another case of Hector Barbossa’s “the code is more what you’d call “guidelines” than actual rules”?
First things first: both you and GBL seem to be on the same wavelength with your reference to that particular movie quote: https://thabto.wordpress.com/2013/07/01/more-thoughts-on-free-speech-public-places-and-pirates/
Anyway: yes, it’s the Wild, Wild West where anything goes in beer commercials… except any mention of God.
Why, you ask?
“Stop trying to force your weird religion on me, you crazy, rightwing, zealot!!!!!”
… that being the appropriate response in the Media and Academia these days.
As for MY answer regarding Samuel Adams Beer is concerned, I think they have simply picked up on the message: “don’t mention God, ever!!”, even obliquely or when it is called for contextually.
It’s similar to the whole AP/FoxNews/DOJ deal, where folks are scared to speak to reporters now. People usually try to avoid danger, and the DOJ has gotten the message out: speaking to reporters about the Gov’t could be dangerous: to YOU.
And Sam Adams picked up a similar message: don’t mention a “Creator” (regardless of why), or it could be dangerous: to THEM.
Like I said: spinelessness.
Yep, it’s against the law (PC Law) to offend a liberal and while BO is still stinking up the nation with his radical policies, that will continue.
Liberals hear “dog whistles” that only exist in their heads.
Too true, RP. The Dog Whistles are everywhere, and people are now so paranoid in the Land of the Politically Correct, they can’t make the simplest judgement as to when mentioning God is appropriate, inappropriate or benign.
Which was what the secularists had in mind all along….
As I said to a member of the PC Police the other day (who chose to correct me for my NON PC verbiage: “Now I know how the Philistines felt when they were slain by the jawbone of an ass.”
What has God not done for these people. It struck me the other day about first going to Bible Study many moons ago. When all these ladies began telling their personal stories about God and doing His work, I got nervous. I thought I was a pretty good person, but realized Icould do more. That was the scarey part. I remember asking ” How can youdothat?” Now, I see. I think these people are so doing anything they want that God actually scares them! People don’t want to admit there is a God and living is not just for yourself, but to help others too. Evil is evil and that suppresses God,
Apparently we are not allowed to mention God in public. That’s why I was struck by the courage of Nik Wallenda as he traversed the Grand Canyon last week.
Okay, yes, the tightrope walking thing. But also the fact that he prayed aloud to God for 22 minutes on television while he walked and millions of people were listening.