In “Why the Pledge of Allegiance Should Be Revised”, Gwen Wilde argues that the pledge of allegiance is being more religious than patriotic. She claims that saying the words, “under God” is inappropriate, because it’s stating that everyone believes in the same god and it is ironically dividing our “indivisible” nation along religious lines. However, I disagree with her claim, because the phrase “under God is just a Phrase. Of course the pledge has been changed over time, but it was for good reasons. People can interpret the phrase however they want, but the nation is still indivisible. It actually brings the nation together more than separated, and it is a phrase that comforts the nation in times of hardship.
To begin, Wilde in the beginning …show more content…
When Eisenhower approved the phrase he said,” In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America’s heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country’s most powerful resource in peace and war”(64). She says in her essay that she did not understand what Eisenhower met by his statement. If she doesn’t comprehend what he was saying then why she referencing it. She doesn’t even talk about the historical point he was making because back in the 1950s America was fighting a cold war with the Soviet Union because of communism. The Phrase “under God” is used to promote peace because of this conflict. She goes on to say,” Of course, many Americans have been and are deeply religious-no one doubts it-but the phrase certainly goes far beyond saying that many Americans have been devout”(64). She goes from talking about Eisenhower’s quote to talking about Americans being devout. She clearly does not follow her reasoning for referencing President Eisenhower’s quote, because she jumps from that to a different topic in the …show more content…
Wilde says, “If one remains silent while others are speaking the words “under God,” one is open to the charge that one is unpatriotic, is unwilling to recite the Pledge of Allegiance”(65). The statement she makes here is not that convincing, because she does not give any evidence of a time were this was a problem. The pledge is a symbol of patriotism but just because someone does not recite it does not make them unpatriotic even if they do not say the phrase “under God”. She goes further on to say that, “I understand that the First Amendment to the Constitution says that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”. I am not arguing that the words “under God” in the pledge add up to the “establishment of religion”, but they certainly do assert a religious doctrine” (65). How does the phrase assert a religious doctrine? Wilde again does not know what she is talking about, because she is giving her opinion on what the phrase is used for and does not use any historical facts that backups her claim. If she have done a little more research, Wilde would have understood that the phrase is used for patriotic purpose that religious
To begin, Wilde in the beginning …show more content…
When Eisenhower approved the phrase he said,” In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America’s heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country’s most powerful resource in peace and war”(64). She says in her essay that she did not understand what Eisenhower met by his statement. If she doesn’t comprehend what he was saying then why she referencing it. She doesn’t even talk about the historical point he was making because back in the 1950s America was fighting a cold war with the Soviet Union because of communism. The Phrase “under God” is used to promote peace because of this conflict. She goes on to say,” Of course, many Americans have been and are deeply religious-no one doubts it-but the phrase certainly goes far beyond saying that many Americans have been devout”(64). She goes from talking about Eisenhower’s quote to talking about Americans being devout. She clearly does not follow her reasoning for referencing President Eisenhower’s quote, because she jumps from that to a different topic in the …show more content…
Wilde says, “If one remains silent while others are speaking the words “under God,” one is open to the charge that one is unpatriotic, is unwilling to recite the Pledge of Allegiance”(65). The statement she makes here is not that convincing, because she does not give any evidence of a time were this was a problem. The pledge is a symbol of patriotism but just because someone does not recite it does not make them unpatriotic even if they do not say the phrase “under God”. She goes further on to say that, “I understand that the First Amendment to the Constitution says that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”. I am not arguing that the words “under God” in the pledge add up to the “establishment of religion”, but they certainly do assert a religious doctrine” (65). How does the phrase assert a religious doctrine? Wilde again does not know what she is talking about, because she is giving her opinion on what the phrase is used for and does not use any historical facts that backups her claim. If she have done a little more research, Wilde would have understood that the phrase is used for patriotic purpose that religious