[pat53]

What a shame to leave out the words "UNDER GOD" when referencing the Pledge of Allegiance???

"You have to stand for something or you'll fall for anything!!"

[living a life]

it depends on if u believe in a god. some do not. some believe in many so to them its not "under god" as it is stated in the Pledge but "under gods"
I dont know if it is politically correct or not....it depends on what you believe i guess.

[CultureGeek]

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or restricting the free exercise thereof...

The term "politically correct" is a reference to Stalinism. I don't think the Framers were Stalinist, do you?

Also, the removal of the words was actually just a return to the original version. The words "under God" were added in 1954.

Bonus question: Do you know when the words "In God We Trust" were added to the dollar bill?

America is the only country in the world with religious freedom written into its founding documents and I think that's very important. In this case, the 1950s additions are definitely an establishment of a particular religion, and it's actually narrower than you think. Not only are there many Americans who believe in many, or no, gods, but some Jewish people (and even some Christians) consider saying or writing the word "God" in that fashion blasphemous.

[CultureGeek]

Politically correct? Absolutely not.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or restricting the free exercise thereof...

The term "politically correct" is borrowed from Stalinism and the people who wrote the above were NOT Stalinists.

In fact, the original pledge (adopted by President Benjamin Harrisson in 1892) did not contain the words "under God". They were added in 1954.
Pledge of Allegiance - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The same decade saw a similar change to the dollar bill, actually. "In God We Trust" was added in 1957.
United States one-dollar bill - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not only does "God" (masculine, singular, capitalized) not reflect the religious beliefs of all Americans, but its use outside of specific religious contexts is offensive to many monotheists too. For instance, members of some Jewish sects (and some Christians too) consider it blasphemous to write it or say the English word aloud. They will write it as "G-d" instead, and not say it aloud.

America is a great and diverse nation. America is also the only country in the world with religious freedom written into a founding document. I am very proud of that and I believe that it is very important that it be protected.

[american_flag_uk]

the origional pledge of alliegence was


i pledge alliegence to my flag and to the replublic for which it stands
on nation indivisable with freedom and justice for all.

personally i live the pre 1952 version without the words 'under god'
not everybody in the US believes in god and they should have the freedom to say the pledge without having to say under god in it.
the 2nd reason i dont like it is that it disrupts the rhythm of it... you almost have to take another breathe to fit it in

but i guess this os one of those time where i can be told to shut up - because im english not american!!

[Peter Ansoff]

I have several problems with the Pledge of Allegiance.

First, it is "backwards" if you will. It calls for allegiance to the flag and (oh, by the way) to the republic for which it stands. My allegiance is not to a flag or even, ultimately, to the nation. As I've said in many other posts here, I am a patriot because I believe that the ideals on which our country is founded are good things, and worth fighting for. My allegiance is to those ideals, as expressed in our country's government and symbolized by its flag. The flag itself is not an object of worship; it is important only because of what it stands for.

Second, it is incomplete. It speaks of liberty and justice, but it leaves out equality, which is one of our most fundamental values. My understanding is that this omission is not an accident -- the notion that equality should extend, for example, to women and African-Americans was not popular when the pledge was written in the late 19th century.

Third, there's the matter of "under God." The problem is that something like 12% of Americans do not believe in God. If the pledge is really a fundamental statement of what it means to be a patriotic American, then it's telling those 12% that they are *not* patriotic Americans. That is wrong.

Fourth, and in a more general sense, I'm not sure I see why a free nation like ours needs a "loyalty oath." Promoters of the pledge have said over the years that it will encourage people (school children in particular) to love their flag and their country. Frankly, I doubt this. I think that most school kids repeat the words by rote, and don't give a passing thought to what they mean. Far better, I think, would be to really teach them about the ideals that our nation embodies: freedom, equality, and the belief that people of different cultures and backgrounds can thrive together in a cooperative, self-governing society.

Peter Ansoff

[american_flag_uk]

yea good peter... we dont have a pledge of alliegence to our flag in the UK but we turned out OK!!

[Bobby4USN]

When the pledge was written through even when it was revised almost every inhabitant of this country was religious and believed that swearing allegiance to a flag really meant that you were in fact swearing under the watchfull eye of a God allegiance to all that the flag represents and the nation that in which you are a CITIZEN. When they looked at that flag they remembered the many thousands that gave their lives to legitamize the flag of this nation in our war for independence, and the thousands more in the following wars to keep freedom, equality, and justice a reality. God was a integral part of the founding of our nation because our founding fathers were, yes, God fearing men. The founding fathers believed very strongly that a citizenry that feared a God would be all in all more lawful But, due to the influx of liberal lunacy and lack of respect for the flag, what it represents, and just national pride in general I can see how the logical next step would be to erase God from all documents and remove the pledge entirely. We truly need more national pride and well...the pledge was something that introduces people to American pride and nationalism either in the forum of immigration or school children before class began.
SEMPER FIDELIS!!!!!

[CultureGeek]

Well said, Peter Ansoff.

Speaking of the exclusion of equality not being a coincidence, have you checked out the article yet? I think you'd enjoy it.

[Bobby4USN]

I have read the article, very well researched.

The founders were all christian and in fact when they referred to freedom of religion they were speaking of religious tolerance toward other sects of christianity. for instance the Quakers of PA, the Puritans of New England, the Baptists/Methodists/lutherans-etc of the south, and of course the Catholics of MD. They probably would have no problem allowing other religions to practice here but they would take serious offense with someone trying to make it a policy to listen to that minority and change something to favor non-christians over christians. This IS a christian nation which due to the benevolence of christ-minded individuals ALLOWS other faiths to practice here free of persecution. Remember that religious people (particularly christians) outnumber non-religious folk even now by quite a large number in this country. so, logically someone who is not religious should naturally grow thick skin and push silently forward without trying to enforce his/her godless or other godly views on a society that he/she is clearly a minority. Every time something like gay marriage or taking the ten commandments out of the courthouse (that goes directly against christian thought) goes to a vote it is always voted down. Do your research, the only time the lefty loonies win a social change it comes through the tyranical courts not the people. So, with respect to the pledge- even though the founders didn't have under god written in it that does not mean that they would have a problem with it. The courts are turning this country into a much worse place to raise children. I have never thrust my religion on someone else, and in this time that we reside I think that under God should be optional for sure, but we must never rule in favor of the minority.