A Few thoughts on the words "Under God" in the pledge of Allegiance.

[citizen snips]

Let me first start off by saying I am a Freshman in high school.


I don't understand why everybody is getting so worked up about the words "under god' in the pledge of Allegiance. Becuase we hardly every said the pledge in my school. I remember I hardly said the pledge in the 5th grade 6th grade and the 7th grade. And after 9-11 they finally told us to say the pleade after 3 years of not saying it. We don't even say it in high school.

The point is this I don't care if they keep the words "under god" or take it out because most of us don't say the pledge anyway.

[HydroAddict]

1. Curious...What state are you in?

When I was in HS in Maryland, I was forced to pledge AND pray (Lord's Prayer) in homeroom each morning. But I also attended a private Catholic HS. Interesting that I'm an atheists now, eh?

I know here in Texas (where I am now), a lot of public schools do require the pledge.

[citizen snips]

3. Times have changed.

I am now a Freshman in High School. They did not put as much emphasis on the pledge today as they did back then.

[Gildor Inglorion]

2. Well said!

And a very thoughtful post from a bright young man. I am old enough to remember when "under God" was added to the pledge, and how strange and awkward it sounded. Of course, back then we opened each school day with a lengthy prayer by the teacher. I think the reason people object is that requiring a child whose parents don't believe in God to recite the pledge would be violating that child's rights. Also, if the child asked to be excused from saying it or just refused, other children might pick on her. To me, the problem is making the pledge something "official" at all. It's just plain silly. Our allegiance should be to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, not a scrap of cloth.

[citizen snips]

4. It is different today.

When I was in the 8th grade and we started saying the pledge again some kids put their hand over their chest but they did not say the words. Most kids don't say the pledge anyway but I did say the pledge.

[salib]

8. Well said also

I would even go farther though. I understand that the "pledge" was not even in existence for the the first 100 years of the United States. It is worse than silly. It is insulting to the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. The Constitution begins "We the People ..." NOT "We the loyal citizens." We constituted the "state" and its loyalty flows from us, not the other way around. Once we were becomming a power on the world scene and cut our militant teeth in the Mexican-American War and Civil War (and, of course, don't forget the Maine!), in my opinion, we just conveniently forgot why we constitued this Republic somewhere at the end of the Nineteenth Century.

So, here we are "defending our interests abroad", while ensuring that EVERYTHING we can get our hands on is in our interest. What did we expect?

Oh well, it is just ranting after that so...

[Bandit]

5. We would like to think of ourselves as being a United States

Indivisible is also in the Pledge however many many people do not believe in the God in the pledge. It is a form of dividing our great nation when it isn't necessary. The original Pledge did not have that phrase in it and no one felt there was a problem. Now since the phrase has been inserted a lot, and I do mean a lot, of people feel it is against their beliefs. We as a free country should not be forced to utter a pledge to a God that some do not believe in. It is a matter of Freedom. Something that we as Americans hold dear. In fact I would say Cherish. Many Americans have fought and died to preserve our Freedoms and that is what this issue really boils down to. The Government should not force my child to recite a pledge to some God that I as a parent might not believe in. Either we are a Free Nation or we are not. By Forcing a Pledge of Allegience to some random God upon our children we are not demonstrating Freedom.

[Az]

6. Its a two way street

The case went before the supreme court not because of Newdow. He had already won his case in the 9th. It is those that had a vested interest in keeping Under God in the pledge that pressed it to the highest court.

There are a mirriad of slices delivered by our government to atheists and nonbelievers. Just as you mention, the pledge is a relatively minor issue. And yet the resistance to turning it back to its pre50's version is intense.

Discrimination against atheists is a permissible prejudice in this society. When a preist tells his congregation that atheists are in league with satan no one stands up and demands they retract it. When Star Jones informs people that she does not think atheists can be moral no one bats an eye. When George Bush Sr tells the press that he does not believe that atheists should be citizens there was no uproar.

We can abide this discrimination. We can strive to change peoples views. But we do not have to abide discrimination on the part of our government. A government meant to serve all this nations citizens. A government meant to be blind to all matters of race, gender, or religion. That we focus on the pledge is simply a sign of our restraint. There is much that is a slap in our face. We are just fighting for our place.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

7. When I taught third and fourth grade

in the 70s and 80s, I didn't say the pledge unless the kids requested it. We had Witnesses in our school district, and when any JW kids were in my classroom, I explained to the kids why the JW kid wasn't saying the pledge-that this showed the strength of our country because it allowed dissent. If the kids wanted to do something in the morning, we tended to sing something like "My Country 'Tis of Thee", because it stressed liberty and freedom.

[LastDemocratInSC]

9. Well, I remember the good old days ...

In the elementary school I attended in the late 1950s there was a policy that the teacher wouldn't start the pledge of alliegance until "all hands are over the heart" and wouldn't start the morning prayer until "all eyes are closed and every head is bowed for Jesus". I wasn't particularly religious or patriotic in those days - most children aren't. Most children are concerned with family, friends and the necessities of life instead of the finer points of nationalism or religious doctrine. I remember placing my hand over my heart, closing my eyes, and bowing my head obediently. Go along and get along, I guess.

There were several times during those early years when some children didn't go along with the class. On those occasions I can remember that the teacher told us that so-and-so hadn't cooperated with the class but that she would go ahead with the pledge or the daily prayer anyway and that our two recess periods would be cut by 15 minutes on that day. You can imagine what happened on the playground after that happened.

Yes, the teachers relied on peer-pressure to take care of those pesky little problems.

In later years, as my young brain began to actually think, and my conscience began to feel for others, I learned that those troublemakers were the smartest in the class and my best friends in the long run.

I was in my grandson's kindergarten class a week ago in Virginia and all the children are required to say the pledge - just a mass of words with no meaning. They just want to have a good time and play.

He has no idea what any of the pledge means but he can memorize and recite as well as any person I have ever known. Anything to get more time on the playground, I guess.

Edited to remove un-cut text that I forgot to remove.