It’s Just A Word or Two
Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com
I saw in the news this morning an article about a town in Vermont where they are debating whether or not the Pledge of Allegiance should be said in schools. Apparently this was previously discussed there and it was decided that, so as not to offend anyone, the Pledge wouldn’t be mandatory for students. Apparently some of the students didn’t want to say the Pledge for religious reasons.
Now the only two words in the entire Pledge of Allegiance that have anything to do with religion are “under God”. Recognizing that, I have to believe that the students who object to saying the Pledge for religious reasons simply object to saying “under God”. If that’s the case then it seems to me that a couple of solutions offer themselves:
1) We could allow the students to say the Pledge of Allegiance and let them omit “under God”.
2) We could allow the students to say the Pledge of Allegiance substituting the name of their deity for “God”, i.e. “under Allah”, “under Yaweh”, etc.
3) We could say the Pledge of Allegiance as it was before Congress inserted the words “under God” by simply removing them and making it completely non-religious.
With at least those three options available I find it curious and bothersome that school systems, without considering other options, would rather simply NOT have the students say the Pledge of Allegiance. I mean, we are talking about public schools supported by American tax dollars, right?
I’m thinking that your average elementary school student doesn’t just wake up one day and decide that (s)he won’t say the Pledge of Allegiance anymore. I’m thinking that such a thought has to be planted by a parent, older sibling or other relative. I’m also thinking that if a family is placing such thoughts in their child’s head then they obviously don’t support America much, if at all, and perhaps they shouldn’t be Americans?
Maybe I’m a bit narrow-minded (and there’s no doubt I can be) but this is the United States of America. It is the land of the free and the home of the brave. It’s the “melting pot” of cultures… but it’s America. If you can’t say a simple pledge of allegiance to your country of residence - whether it’s by birth or by choice - then what the heck are you still here for? The beautiful part about it is that you’re free to leave!
Yes, you’re free to stay. You’re free to take advantage of every opportunity offered by our system. You’re free to stay and enjoy the educational benefits. As parents you’re free to tell your children NOT to say the Pledge of Allegiance because of two words you disagree with. If those two words were removed or replaced would you still tell your children not to say it?
I pledge allegiance to the flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic for which it stands
one nation, under (pick your deity), indivisible
with liberty and justice for all.
This is simply another example of the newly introduced “right to not be offended” being granted to any minority group willing to open their mouths and complain. The fact that Americans are even willing to listen to people cry over something as simple as “under god” or “merry christmas”, let alone change behavior to make those complaining more comfortable is ridiculous. The more we allow this kind of BS to become common place in our country the farther our great nation will fall.
This is absolutely stupid. Whatever your religious beliefs, you believe in a higher being. Within your religion that higher being maybe called, God, Allah, etc, etc, but they all represent the same being.
I’m not very religious, but I do believe in a higher being, which I do call God. I personally do not have an issue with saying “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance, nor do I have a problem with my daughter saying it.
I am a bit confused though, and maybe someone can enlighten me. I wasn’t aware that Congress had inserted “under God”. Not sure when this happened, but here is my confusion. I thought there was suppose to be a separation between Church and State. By inserting “under God”, this is joining the two instead of separating them. Maybe I’m wrong.
I have never posted a comment on any site before but feel I must throw my two cents in on this one. Respectfully, I must say I feel Frank’s suggestions are just more dancing around the issue. Like it or not this country since it’s founding has been solidly grounded in Judeo-Christian beliefs. That is who we are. This country was blessed by God. Yes, we respect the decision of people to worship as they wish. But, that does not mean we need to change who we are or what this country is to placate ridiculous sensibilities. If a person doesn’t want to say the word God when reciting the Pledge then they don’t have to say it. However, removing God from the Pledge or promoting the use of “under Allah”, or “under Yaweh”, etc. is in my opinion nothing but more politically correct pandering. It is that exact thing that has brought us to the brink of the very deep dark hole we are standing in front of. As a final comment, I must say that I am embarrassed by my home State of Vermont. Not only for this insane debate but for the liberal Godless path the state has followed for the last several years. Thank you.
Why do we worry so much about being politically correct? This has never been a problem years ago. We have become tolerant to people who have been intolerant to us. If we allow this BS to overcome our values, then a time will come when WE Americans will be booted out of our own country. This is our country. Let’s keep it that way.
With respect, I think to diminish the importance of having the words “under God” in the pledge misses the point of the Establishment clause’s intent to separate the state from a particular religion. The intent of the pledge is patriotic, not religious and the very fact that this discussion takes place is a demonstration that “under God” does not enforce the “indivisibility” of our nation and does indeed separate us into religious and non-religious units. It was fine from the 1890s to 1954 without the religious reference. Also, don’t discount the pier pressure placed on young students to recite the words when everyone else in the school does. This, to me, is pressuring children to accept a religious doctrine in school, which is unconstitutional. Please remember that America was founded on Jedeo Christian beliefs for the very purpose of escaping religious persecution.
Neil, I find it hard to believe that students would even notice if a fellow student was omitting the word under god from the pledge, or that if they did notice would care enough to say something. And so what if an atheist child does utter the words under god, does that mean he automatically beleives? If atheist parents worry so much about a simple voluntary utterance changing the belief system of their children, doesn’t that worry speak more to them and their beliefs than it does to any supposed pressure coming from the school or other students. The bottom line is that if you are truly secure in your faith (whatever that is) the display of faith of others will not offend you nor will it shake your beliefs. If that is not the case, justify it however you want, but the truth is that you probably do not truly believe whatever it is you claim.
I remember reciting the Pledge of Allegiance throughout my school years. We still recite it at LEO/Security functions. It is expected and would probably result in some harsh words (at least) if we didn’t. To this day I feel something indescribable every time I recite the pledge. “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation under God, indivisible, With Liberty and Justice for all.”
I was wondering if indeed the same pressure applied to Dutch Harbor is being applied to our young students.