The first amendment in the Constitution of the United States of America states that everyone has the right to practice any religion, or none at all. Another aspect that comes with freedom of religion is that the US government will not establish a religion, therefore there will be a separation of church and state. In 1954, Dwight Eisenhower proposed to Congress that the words, “under God,” be added into the Pledge of Allegiance (undergod.procon.org). After sixty-three years, controversy has broken out claiming that those words elude to an established religion. The words, ‘under God’ should remain in the Pledge of Allegiance because it expresses the views of our nation’s past and present leaders, it does not force those who recite it to believe
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As written by the former Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist, “Reciting the Pledge, or listening to others recite it, is a patriotic exercise, not a religious one…” (undergod.procon.org). Citizens pledging their loyalty to their country are not pledging their lives to a religion. As an elementary student, I recited the Pledge every day and I never felt compelled to dedicate my life to Christianity. I respectfully dedicated my loyalty to my country. As someone who has members of my family currently serving in the armed forces, I also view the Pledge of Allegiance as a sign of respect and patriotism. The least I can do out of respect for men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice, is to pledge myself to the country they fought for. If someone does not agree with the United States being ‘under God’, there is no harm in remaining silent. The citizens who choose to pledge are not choosing to pledge to God, but instead, “to the republic for which it (the flag) stands”. Saying the name of a Creator does not make one a believer. In order to conform to a religion, a person needs to commit to it, not just recite the Creator’s name. It is a reflection of America’s heritage, not a religious proclamation. No church or belief is being indicated other than the belief that our founding fathers’ shared. To take that away would destroy our history, considering the colonists came to America to be religiously free in the first
As written by the former Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist, “Reciting the Pledge, or listening to others recite it, is a patriotic exercise, not a religious one…” (undergod.procon.org). Citizens pledging their loyalty to their country are not pledging their lives to a religion. As an elementary student, I recited the Pledge every day and I never felt compelled to dedicate my life to Christianity. I respectfully dedicated my loyalty to my country. As someone who has members of my family currently serving in the armed forces, I also view the Pledge of Allegiance as a sign of respect and patriotism. The least I can do out of respect for men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice, is to pledge myself to the country they fought for. If someone does not agree with the United States being ‘under God’, there is no harm in remaining silent. The citizens who choose to pledge are not choosing to pledge to God, but instead, “to the republic for which it (the flag) stands”. Saying the name of a Creator does not make one a believer. In order to conform to a religion, a person needs to commit to it, not just recite the Creator’s name. It is a reflection of America’s heritage, not a religious proclamation. No church or belief is being indicated other than the belief that our founding fathers’ shared. To take that away would destroy our history, considering the colonists came to America to be religiously free in the first