Having "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance has been very controversial topic for many years. 1954 was when "under God" was officially added to the pledge by president Eisenhower and Congress. The people that appose having it in the pledge say that church and state have to be completely separate as intended to by the founding fathers. They also say that the constitution protects minority rights against majority will. They say that having under God in the pledge violated the establishment clause of the first amendment because it is a religious phrase. People that support having under God in the pledge say that America is a Christian nation. 80 percent of Americans support the phrase. They say that under God is a reflection of our cultural heritage and that it is not prompting the United States to be pro Christian. They argue that having under God is alright to have because in the presidential oath there is a reference to God thus if you want to take it out of the pledge you would have to take it out of the presidential oath as well. My thoughts on this issue is that it is perfectly fine to have under God in the pledge because there is nothing saying you have to say the pledge or you have to worship God or bow down to him or anything. I think that if you oppose having it in the constitution you just should not say it or just ignore it because it brings no harm to anyone. Saying under God could only bring good not bad because nothing bad could possibly come out of it unless someone hates it so much that they do something radical or something. In the supreme court case Lynch v. Donnelly the court said that if the city of Pawtucket wanted to display a nativity scene they could because there was no obvious attempt at advancing any religion it was just an acknowledgment of our religious heritage. Since a nativity scene is able to be put out by the city and be constitutional having under God in the pledge is just the same we are acknowledging our religious heritage and not advancing religion in any way.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Establishment_Clause_of_the_First_Amendment
This can help you understand what the establishment clause is when it is talked about in the first video and in my writhing.
In MY opinion, saying "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance is no problem to me. But for some people, such as possibly Athiests who don't recognize any religious leaders, this may be a problem. But honestly it is a choice, you may say the Pledge in respect for your country, but you don't have to recite the "Under God" section. If you don't aknowledge this specific part, then at least have respect for the country that you live in and it's basic standard. You also have the right to not say the Pledge at all. . .
ReplyDeleteI believe that pledging under God is just fine. Although i have no problem with it being opptional. I understand that not everyone bleieves in God so i think its fine that it optional!
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