Should the phrase "under God" be omitted from the pledge of allegiance?

Question

People often misinterpret this phrase. The word "God" in the pledge of allegiance is not narrowed to just the Christian God. In the nation of Islam, they have "Allah." Is he not the "God" of their religion? In buddhism, is Buddha not the "God" of their religion? Get it together folks. Ever since this country was established Christianity/Protestant has been the official religion so why change it now?

Ok, i'm getting really tired of some of these ignorant answers that some of you all are leaving. Personally, I do not care what religion you belong to. If you dont want to say "under "God" then shut your trap until after the phrase and then continue. It is as simple as that. Grow up.

Answer 1

ABSOLUTELY!!!

Considering the original pledge made no mention of GOD! Which is rather ironic since it was written by a baptist minister in the late 1800s...

It wasn't until the whole fear of the godless commies came around in the 1940s - 1950s that the Knights of Columbus used fear mongering to try and make this a Christian nation which would have god on it's side to defeat communism.

The original pledge:

I pledge allegiance to my Flag,
and to the Republic for which it stands,
one Nation indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all.

Later changed to:

I pledge allegiance to the
Flag of the United States,
and to the Republic for which it stands,
one Nation indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all.

1 year later changed yet again to:

I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic for which it stands,
one Nation indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all.

Then in 1954 changed YET again to the version we now have...



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as for your additional details, wow, that's like calling the kettle black, the way you tell people to shut your trap, don't say anything until it's over and to grow up. Where I come from we like to call that sort of thing "ironic" Why not keep the pledge the way it was originally written and when it comes to the part where you think "under god" should be, you just say it in your head? where's the harm in that?

Answer 2

Okay. The phrase was adden in the 1950's ('52 or '53 I think) as a response to the perceived threat of communism in the US. It was a way to show the moral and ethical superiority over the "Godless" communists by having a pledge of loyaly to the United States be a religious oath as well. It was added as a purely Christian inspired idea.

Even the family of the person that originally wrote the oath want it restored to its original state, despite their own deeply religious background. Find a copy of the text from before the 1950's and you will find that phrase is not there. Those that grew up prior to that time can tell you it was added.

It should be restored to its orignal state as the cahnge was made for the wrong reasons and motivated more by the need to enhance their won feelings of superiority over those they felt were inferior rather than from any religious conviction or official recognition on their part.

Answer 3

Just a few corrections....

1. Buddha is not the god of Buddhism.

2. America has never had anything like an official religion, nor are its communal expressions necessarily religious in nature.

3. It's a paradox to argue both that Protestant Christianity is the official religion and then argue that "under God" refers to all ideas of God.

4. "Under God" was added to the pledge under Eisenhower. It is not a reference to a religious schema but to the principles expressed in the Gettysburg Address (it is a direct quote from Lincoln).

Answer 4

1) The US is and always has been secular (read the Treaty of Tripoli)
2) Buddha was a man, and Buddhists are (generally) atheistic
3) The phrase in the pledge and on the currency violates the Non-establishment Clause of the US Constitution by establishing theistic religion (since not all religions are theistic, as per 2 above)

Answer 5

I WAS going to say, who cares, let it stay. Generally speaking, the phrase "under god" does not violate the 1st ammendment, as some answerers claim. It is vague enough not to "respect the establishment of a religion."

But then reading some of the other answers here, where people insist we are a "Christian" nation, I must say it should go, because it reinforces the false and narrow-minded perception that christianity is some kind of "national religion."

You christians can do whatever you like in your own clubhouse, but don't impose your nonsense on me!

Answer 6

Yes. God made the whole world. Having "under God" in the allegiance gives the arrogant impression that this is the "favored" nation apart from the rest of the world.
Also, it's nice that you are thinking of including the gods of other beliefs, but what about those without a belief in a god? Why should the allegiance exclude their beliefs? America has its share of Atheists and they are no less American than the believers.

Answer 7

The reason we have a separation of Church and state is because our founding fathers had experienced religious persecution. I believe this is the right way of going about things, especially since we live in a very diverse society. We seem to go out of our way not to offend any one particular religious group and the PC world seems even to protect those that believe in nothing at all. The delicate sensibilities of the good Christians have been trampled on enough. The Pledge is what it is and I think they need to leave it alone. One of the most admirable qualities of the Christian faith is it’s ability to tolerate other religions and other faiths, but here recently, and especially in America, Christians have been taking a beating from just about every other religious group. There is a fine line between being a good neighbor and being taken fro granted. So I purpose that if you believe in Nothing, go and be happy and leave everyone else alone. We have a right in this country to Rule by MAJORITY that is how a Democracy works. We have to stop trampling on the rights of the Christians in order to accommodate all the other minority groups in this country.

People who don't like the
Pledge the way it is, do not have to use it. That should be the end of that. Forcing everyone to bend to the minority will is as wrong as forcing our beliefs onto them .

Answer 8

So many errors in one question....

The word "God" in the pledge was specifically intended to refer to the Judeo-Christian God.

Buddha is not the "God" of Buddhism.

There is no "official religion" in the US. The Constitution guarantees that there will never be an official religion.

Why change it now? Why change it in the first place? (you do know that "under God" wasn't in the original, right?)

The official version of the Pledge should not contain the phrase "under God", but people should be permitted to add it to their recitation if they wish.

On the whole, it's really not an important issue in the grand scheme of things.

Answer 9

No, Buddha makes it very clear he is not a God. He is an enlightened, or awakened person, who has eliminated all sufferings. His teaches his path towards the same enlightenment. He does not claim superiority, power or control over all other sentient beings. He is just like a teacher, pointing the way towards enlightenment. If you follow the path, you will also become a Buddha one day.

Can anybody become another God? Nope.

Answer 10

The phrase should be removed to restore the Pledge to its original form.

"Christianity/Protestant has been the official religion"

Not true.