”
Under God
”
has become one of the most controversial phrases in the Pledge
of Allegiance. Some people find it comforting to utter those words
but others find it unconstitutional to be said at school. I believe
it should not be said in public schools.
“Under God” has become one of the most controversial phrases in the Pledge of Allegiance. Some people find it comforting to utter those words but others find it unconstitutional to be said at school. I believe it should not be said in public schools.
The Pledge of Allegiance is a pledge that represents our country and is a way of showing patriotism and love for our country. I think it is great that we have a pledge to our flag.
Everyone should recognize the greatness of the country every day. In this time of war and protest in our country we need our citizens to be as patriotic as they can. I think that patriotism should be taught in public schools so we as students are more aware and thankful for what we have. But I don’t think that something that mentions religion should be apart of the pledge that represents our country.
People running away from religious persecution founded this country. That is why when our Founding Fathers wrote the Bill of Rights they, in the First Amendment, wrote that in the United States we would be free to worship freely or to not worship as we wish.
They believed it to be very important that people would not be punished for their religious beliefs. By including “under God” in the Pledge I feel it is almost doing that. It is saying if you don’t believe in God then you aren’t really an American.
A Baptist minister, and Christian socialist named Frances Bellamy wrote the Pledge of Allegiance in October of 1894. He wrote it for a ceremony that took place in Chicago to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America.
It originally read “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands; one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
It was later changed by the American Legion and the Daughters of the American Revolution to say “I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and the Republic for which it stands; one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
At the time there were so many immigrants coming into the country and they didn’t want the immigrants, when saying the pledge, to think of the flag of the country they came from. So, they made it more specific by stating what flag we were pledging allegiance to.
Congress, after a campaign from The Knights of Columbus, a Catholic men’s society, added the words “under God” in 1954 during the Cold War.
That brings it to what we know it as today: “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.”
I believe what is so great about America is that we can choose to do what we want within reason of the law. You don’t have to believe in God, so I don’t feel the Pledge of Allegiance should be telling us that and I don’t think we should be having students say it at public schools.
I am Catholic and I do believe in God but I feel that religion should have nothing to do with the government. That is why we have separation of church and state.
Recently the phrase was challenged in court. A California district court dismissed a lawsuit brought by an atheist that wanted to sue the Elk Grove School District because his daughter’s class was saying the Pledge of Allegiance at school. He argued it was a government endorsement of religion that went against the First Amendment.
Later the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled 2-1 in favor of the man saying that the words “under God” were unconstitutional.
Still, though the law in California states that every student in a public school engage in some kind of “patriotic act” before class each day, this does not have to be the Pledge of Allegiance.
Stephanie Smith is a Gilroy High School senior. She participates in choir and is on the swim team. Her column is published occasionally. Reach her at te****@*****il.com.
