This was a point brought up by another person on this site. It was concerning the division of church and state, and whether or not teachers should have to take a loyalty to God and country. The original Pledge of Allegiance did not mention God. It was added on many years later(1954 I think). Is this a form of idolatry? The worshipping of a thing or symbol?
2007-03-18 07:32:29 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
I was a teenager when those dopes in Washington added the phrase "under god" to this lovely patriotic pledge.
It was not a loyalty oath. It was a declaration of love and respect for our nation and the flag it represents. We started every morning with it. When they added the objectionable phrase to it, it then became a religious statement and no longer applied to those citizens who had a different belief or no belief at all.
I stopped saying it then. I am not less patriotic, I don't love my country less, but I don't believe we are a nation under god or anyone else.
And - no, it can't be made mandatory in school or anywhere else due to the religious reference...
2007-03-18 10:52:50 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I do not have a quarrel with the Pledge of Allegiance in schools. It is, not only a pledge to support the country you live in, but it is, or should be, in essence, a history lesson as well. But, I do strongly object to any reference to God in any governmental unit. I fully and completely believe in God, that is not the issue. The issue is to protect the original freedoms that we created this country for. We escaped the oppression of other countries who were controlled by churches who tried to force people to believe and act according to that faith in direct contradiction to those peoples' particular religious belief. This is why maintaining a separation of church and state is important. God should not be mentioned in the Pledge of Allegiance, it should not be in the oath taken at trials, or any legal proceeding, the 10 Commandments should not be on any wall or grounds of any governmental building, etc. It is not a form of idolatry worship, it is simply a violation of our Constitutional rights.
2007-03-18 09:19:38 · answer #2 · answered by Venice Girl 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You know, that's a good question. I remember in grammer school having to say the pledge every morning, with my hand across my heart. What is funny about that is that we as children had absolutely NO idea what we were chanting about. We were just told to memorize the pledge and we chanted it like robots every day. It was a crazy way to make kids "respect" the country. However, that is not how a country earns nor keeps respect. The funny thing is, I don't recall saying it when I was in Highschool or even Jr. High, when I would have understood the concept of the words. Makes you wonder.
2007-03-18 08:03:47 · answer #3 · answered by lyquidskye 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In 1953, the House of Representatives, at the urging of the Knights of Columbus, introduced a resolution to add the words "under God" to the Pledge.
West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette (1943) when it ruled that citizens could not be forced to confess their loyalty.
I think that answers the second part of your question.
The key word is "citizen"
However, the Pledge plays a prominent role in naturalization ceremonies.
2007-03-18 07:55:01 · answer #4 · answered by Gray Matter 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Separation of church and state ? was the true meaning to
get the church out of the schools, or ensure that the state
didn't dictate what church we would attend (i.e. Russian
Orthodox)--- interpretation and statistics can prove anything
either way. In short, definitely believe this is one nation under
God (pray that he'll bless America again) and that all citizens
owe dues and loyalty for our freedom. Recitation of the pledge
of allegiance is something that reminds us of the priviledge
of living here and you can't learn too young inherent responsibilities
2007-03-18 08:02:17 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
no its not a form of idolatry. It is a form of respect to our country. Actually, the pledge of allegiance always started our class day when I went to school. bettyk
2007-03-18 07:43:39 · answer #6 · answered by elisayn 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
A friend of mine from russia said that she was shocked that we did that to our children when even under communist russia they didnt do such a thing,,,
2007-03-18 07:37:05 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋