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Should the Pledge of Allegiance Contain the words "under God"

In 1892 Francis Bellamy was a chairman of a committee of state superintendents of education in the National Education Association. As its chairman, he prepared the program for the public schools' quadricentennial celebration for Columbus Day in 1892. He structured this public school program around a flag raising ceremony and a flag salute - his 'Pledge of Allegiance.'

His original Pledge read as follows:

'I pledge allegiance to my Flag and (to*) the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.'

He considered placing the word, 'equality,' in his Pledge, but knew that the state superintendents of education on his committee were against equality for women and African Americans. [ * 'to' added in October, 1892. ]

In 1923 and 1924 the National Flag Conference, under the 'leadership of the American Legion and the Daughters of the American Revolution, changed the Pledge's words, 'my Flag,' to 'the Flag of the United States of America.' Bellamy disliked this change, but his protest was ignored.

In 1954, Congress after a campaign by the Knights of Columbus, added the words, 'under God,' to the Pledge. The Pledge was now both a patriotic oath and a public prayer.

Bellamy's granddaughter said he also would have resented this second change.

In truth, the words "UNDER GOD" were added to the pledge as a result of the Red Scare (a widespread hysterical fear of communism that consumed the United States in the 1920s and then again in the 1950s) and were intended to separate us from the religious-less communists.

The words "IN GOD WE TRUST" were also added to our money in response to the Red Scare in 1955.

Both of these proclimations of God by the government went unnoticed by the masses at the time because of the tremendous amounts of fear and hatred at the time.

So, what do you think? Should these words be allowed to stand even thought they were never intended to be there? Should we allow church and state to be binded together so blatantly in our everyday words and transactions?


  • Absolutely Not

    This country was created as a place for religious freedom. The united states is a place where people are allowed to beleive whatever they would like without facing prosecution.

    By adding the words "under God" into a proclimation of national pride we are directly violating the purpose of our country.

    While I take into account the fact that it does not state "which God" the statement itself desingnates a specific BELIEF (in god), and therefore encroaches on people's right to beleive whatever they want.

    25%  Voted for by sweetypie101, Weydon, Felicitas, raven shadow 13, Antique Heart.
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  • A Basic Belief

    I say let it stand! The USA, like any other country was founded on certain basic beliefs and God was one of them. In reference to our founding fathers, over 200 years ago they shook off the chains of religious oppression from Great Britain. Like it or not, the basic belief in a God is one of the basic beliefs and reasons this country was founded on. No, I do not wish to cause anyone distress but I am not ready to give up my belief which was one of the main reason the USA was formed.

    25%  Voted for by Energizer Bunny, Gate Keeper, Makessenseright, IridescentRose, The Blind Bandit.
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  • people are rediculous....

    if its that big of a deal to anyone, then just dont say it. novel concept i know but bare with me. its been in the pledge for years and people are just now making issues about it because they can. it was founded by christians then let it be. you know the old "finders keepers"... taking it out would e like someone having some issue with George Washington and saying that his name had to be erased from history because of their issue with him.

    15%  Voted for by Neros Decay, The Blind Bandit, aria94.
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  • What the?

    what is wrong with the words "Under god"?i'm a wiccan,but i don't go around saying "I'm affended because i don't belive in god."NO!did people back in the 19 hundreds or ever since the pleage contained under god in it,people were offended?Most likely not.Now,i belive if you are happy with what you belive in,dont go bragging it to everyone and say"I don't belive in god!Take out Under god becaues i don't belive in him"AHHHHHHHHHH!

    Voted for by The Blind Bandit.
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  • wow.

    no that does not mean World of Warcraft. making the words under god be taken out of the pledge would be directly persecuting christians or godly people in general. just because it says under god doesn't mean that you HAVE to beleive in god, it is not directly demanding anything from us...perhaps if it said, one nation, under one specific God which would be the christian God nd no other god and anyother beliefs will be ignored completely...yes then we would have a problem. Saying that we should take under god out of the pledge because it is not fair to all people is like saying we should take with liberty and justice for all out of the pledge because we kick illegal immigrants out of the country

    Voted for by Trees leave.
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  • Pledge

    I personally don't agree with the pledge at all, if America goes a direction I don't like I'm moving out. I don't know if young children should be force to pledge their allegiance to God, this country, or it's flag. I don't say the pledge anymore, because the words mean so much, but I cannot agree with them. It would be an insult to America if I spoke them without meaning what I said.

    Voted for by Makessenseright.
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  • Yes.

    Life to me would seem to be betrer that way.

    Voted for by Ms GG.
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  • Remove it

    Removing "In God We Trust" and "under God" would make the nation a better place because it would conform our civil law to the natural law of separation of church and state as well as conform it to the revealed word of God which, in Matthew 22:21, declares "Render unto Caesar the things which belong to Caesar, and unto God the things which belong to God." Most of the men who established our system of government believed that Christ, in Matthew 22:21, ordained that the governments God and of Caesar were not only distinct from each other, but that the distinction should be perpetual.

    The prevailing view of the American people during the Founding Era and the Early Years of the Republic was that the ordinances of Caesar, or of the civil government, had to do with men as citizens of the temporal world. Things of a civil nature, relating to the natural rights of men, were to be settled by human legislation. However, the things belonging to God, such as matters of faith, of conscience, of religion, were not things over which the kings of the earth had any supervision or power, and things in which God's subjects were not at liberty under any circumstances, to submit to the dictation or legislation of any other than God Himself.

    Voted for by FredFlash.
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  • Separation

    We need a President like ole Andy Jackson who, even as a cholera epidemic descended upon New York City and the Counterfeit Christians pressured him, refused to issue an executive religious recommendation to the American people.

    Voted for by FredFlash.
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  • Leave it be

    "If God did not exist, we would need to invent him" Voltair, he said that, he hasn't been alive for 500 years, i believe in his philosophy and the bible. Besides, in the pledge it never says which God now does it... If you find offense in the words under God, I'm offended by you, no offense... (srry got a little passionate)

    Voted for by ostrasized.
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