"Under God" should be removed from Pledge

September 26, 2005 —

The Pledge of Allegiance debate is again gaining strength, this time in California where a District Court Judge ruled that public schools cannot lead students in a pledge which forces them to say the words, "under God." And while many are furious with the decision, saying the phrase is only meant to unify Americans-not promote religion-it was the right decision to make nonetheless.

The Pledge as we know it was established in 1954 when Congress added the controversial words to the line, "...one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." At the time, the United States was in the middle of the cold war and the decision was made to add the words as opposition to communist atheism. More than fifty years later, the world is far different and there is no time better than now to remove religion from the Pledge.

Our constitution protects the citizens of the United States of America from Government endorsed religion in order to uphold the freedoms of those in the minority. Most Americans believe in a higher power and find no harm in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance as it stands. Even many who are not religious feel those who want the Pledge changed back are just being overly picky. But for those who do not fall either category, the wording should be changed to protect their best interests.

Michael A. Newdow is one of the individuals behind the push to remove "under God," from the pledge. Newdow is the plaintiff in the aforementioned California case and cites many of his beliefs and reasons on his website, www.restorethepledge.com. He also provides an interesting comparison when he questions on the site how the majority of the country would feel if the Pledge read, "One nation under white people." Though Newdow himself admits the difference between the religious implications of the former and the racial implications of the latter, it is a good point nonetheless. Some people may be extremely offended by the phrasing, "under God," and for that reason, any acknowledgment of religion or a deity should be removed from the Pledge.

A number of people believe that removing "under God" opens the doors for frivolous lawsuits over other things people find offensive; that people could eventually file lawsuits because they find the phrasing of the Star Spangled Banner offensive, for example. But that will not be the case, since it is not in direct violation of the constitution, as is the current Pledge.

Many Americans believe the phrasing, "under God" helps unite the country and form a stronger bond amongst its citizens. However, our founding fathers recognized a need to draw distinct boundaries between government and religion and thus, created a law that prohibits it. Removing two words from the Pledge of Allegiance will not tear this country apart in these trying times. It may just bring us together, when they discuss and realize the reasons they should never have been added in the first place.