Under God?

[U.S.Repub1]

Do you think that it is ok to say "One nation under God" in the pledge?

 

[earthworm]

Do you think that it is ok to say "One nation under God" in the pledge?

Absolutely.
And this is one of the many things we cannot allow the atheists to change.

 

[jfuh]

Seeing that the US is supposed to be a secular state with complete seperation of church and state it should not be recited, in particular that not everyone believes in god.

As for it being recited, eh who really cares. It's just as rediculous as the war on christmas rhetoric that Bill O'Riley started in his show.

 

[Engimo]

Absolutely.
And this is one of the many things we cannot allow the atheists to change.

You're aware of the fact that the "Under God" in the pledge was added in The 1950's in order to separate us from the "Godless Communists"?

 

[Kandahar]

Another idiotic straw man poll. You can say whatever the hell you want when you say the pledge. You can say "One nation under God" or "One nation" or "Heil Hitler" for all I care. But the official wording of the Pledge of Allegiance (if we must have an official Pledge of Allegiance at all) should not include any reference to God.

 

[Stace]

Are you sure you worded your question correctly?

SHould kids be able to say "One nation under God"

Well, of course they can say it - IF THEY WANT TO. But no one should be forced to say it.

Especially seeing as how we are NOT one nation under God. Not all of us believe in this God character. Some people believe in the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

Maybe if it went something more like "One nation under God, Buddha, Allah, all of the goddesses, and the Flying Spaghetti Monster".....that'd certainly be a more accurate representation of what our nation is under.

 

[Comrade Brian]

You're aware of the fact that the "Under God" in the pledge was added in The 1950's in order to separate us from the "Godless Communists"?

Yes I am aware of that, and it was written by either a communist or socialist in the early 1900s, or something like that. I've been to the house where it was written, in Boston.

 

[RightinNYC]

Another idiotic straw man poll. You can say whatever the hell you want when you say the pledge. You can say "One nation under God" or "One nation" or "Heil Hitler" for all I care. But the official wording of the Pledge of Allegiance (if we must have an official Pledge of Allegiance at all) should not include any reference to God.

exactly.

personally, i liked the old pledge better. the structure flowed more smoothly.

 

[jdpworld]

no.... not include any reference to God.

 

[JustMyPOV]

I had this really neat trick I used to do as a kid... When I was reciting the pledge, I used to omit 'under god' and nobody was ever the wiser. This whole thing is a mountain from a mole-hill created by the conservative media to outrage the religious right. There's more to being patriotic than memorizing and reciting a bunch of words while staring at a piece of cloth, and many pressing issues that better deserve the media attention provided to this non-issue.

 

[Trajan Octavian Titus]

90% of the U.S. population believes in a god in one form or another. The original intent of the first amendment wasn't the seperation of church and state in the first place it was to stop the forced worship of a single religion IE the Church of England which Britian ordered to be the official religion of the Colonies and which they ordered the citizenry to pay dues to. I'm like Jefferson while I don't myself prescribe to the divinity of Christ I realize the important role which religion plays in effecting the morality of the citizenry of our Republic.

 

[Kandahar]

90% of the U.S. population believes in a god in one form or another. The original intent of the first amendment wasn't the seperation of church and state in the first place it was to stop the forced worship of a single religion IE the Church of England which Britian ordered to be the official religion of the Colonies and which they ordered the citizenry to pay dues to. I'm like Jefferson while I don't myself prescribe to the divinity of Christ I realize the important role which religion plays in effecting the morality of the citizenry of our Republic.

Jefferson and Madison would both be considered part of the godless-liberal-atheist lobby today, as they fought (unsuccessfully) against even having a taxpayer-funded congressional chaplain. The separation of church and state issues of those days were relatively small compared to the crap that religious zealots are trying to force on us today. Can you imagine the reaction from Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity if a politician today proposed getting rid of the congressional chaplain because it's unconstitutional?

 

[aps]

Absolutely.
And this is one of the many things we cannot allow the atheists to change.

Why? "Under God" was added to the pledge of allegiance in 1954 by Congress. So it wasn't even part of the pledge to begin with. Why does your desire to keep it in the pledge outweigh my desire to keep the initial pledge as it was--without the words "under God"?

I certainly don't mind kids saying it when they say the pledge, but I don't think it should be part of the pledge.

 

[conserv.pat15]

Do you think that it is ok to say "One nation under God" in the pledge?

Yes, it is OK to say "under God" in the pledge. It is easily Constitutional!

 

[cherokee]

90% of the U.S. population believes in a god in one form or another. The original intent of the first amendment wasn't the seperation of church and state in the first place it was to stop the forced worship of a single religion IE the Church of England which Britian ordered to be the official religion of the Colonies and which they ordered the citizenry to pay dues to. I'm like Jefferson while I don't myself prescribe to the divinity of Christ I realize the important role which religion plays in effecting the morality of the citizenry of our Republic.

90%? where do you get that number from?

 

[Stace]

Yes, it is OK to say "under God" in the pledge. It is easily Constitutional!

If it's so easily Consititutional, then why don't you explain how? Should be simple enough, right?

 

[Mikkel]

This poll question was worded poorly. I voted yes because I do think that you should be able to say 'under god' in the pledge if you want to. That's freedom of speech, baby. Conversely, I definitely don't think anyone should be forced to say 'under god' if they don't want to, either.

Personally, I don't care that much. As long as federal funding isn't going towards pledge maintenence or some beurocratic BS like that, it isn't a big deal to me, so long as the spirit remains the same.

 

[conserv.pat15]

If it's so easily Consititutional, then why don't you explain how? Should be simple enough, right?

Yes, it is quite simple... the establishment clause says that Congress can not make a law respecting(many people misinterpret the word "respecting" in this clause) an establishment of religion. Saying "under God" does not establish a religion. Can you explain why you think "under God" is unconstitutional?

 

[Stace]

Yes, it is quite simple... the establishment clause says that Congress can not make a law respecting(many people misinterpret the word "respecting" in this clause) an establishment of religion. Saying "under God" does not establish a religion. Can you explain why you think "under God" is unconstitutional?

To put it quite simply, because not everyone believes in this God the pledge speaks of.

 

[Trajan Octavian Titus]

Jefferson and Madison would both be considered part of the godless-liberal-atheist lobby today, as they fought (unsuccessfully) against even having a taxpayer-funded congressional chaplain. The separation of church and state issues of those days were relatively small compared to the crap that religious zealots are trying to force on us today. Can you imagine the reaction from Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity if a politician today proposed getting rid of the congressional chaplain because it's unconstitutional?

Jefferson and Madison were not the only founding fathers as I recall and Jefferson still knew full well the importance that religion played for the morality of the citizenry that's why he volunteered as a minister at his church which he attended regurally.

 

[conserv.pat15]

To put it quite simply, because not everyone believes in this God the pledge speaks of.

That does not make "under God" unconstitutional.

 

[Stace]

That does not make "under God" unconstitutional.

Sure it does. It's respecting only a small group of religious individuals....

 

[conserv.pat15]

Sure it does. It's respecting only a small group of religious individuals....

You're misinterpreting the establishment clause and the word "respecting" in that clause.

 

[Stace]

You're misinterpreting the establishment clause and the word "respecting" in that clause.

How so? These little one liners of yours are getting old and adding nothing to the debate.

 

[Vandeervecken]

Yes, it is quite simple... the establishment clause says that Congress can not make a law respecting(many people misinterpret the word "respecting" in this clause) an establishment of religion. Saying "under God" does not establish a religion. Can you explain why you think "under God" is unconstitutional?

It clearly respects establishment of monotheism as the state approved system. In fact this was the entire reason it was added in the 1950's. To have Americans acknowledge the God of the Ahl al-Kitaab on a daily basis.