Is "under God" in the American Pledge of Allegiance appropriate?

Topic:
U.S. Political Debates

53 Contributors
in this discussion.

Yes
49% of users

  • I believe that having "under God" in the American Pledge of Allegiance is absolutely appropriate because it is a part of our American heritage.

    Having "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance is absolutely appropriate because is a part of the history of our country and how it was founded. Our forefathers would not have thought for one minute about founding this country without God's involvement. If you study the history of the US States our country was founded upon a belief that it was God that established our nation and gave us the freedom that we enjoy. And despite what is happening in modern society I do not believe that our forefathers could have envisioned our nation as anything but one nation "Under God"!

    Yes TasticBran

  • Under God is appropriate

    Our Constitution is based on Regligion and God has to be in our lives. If we force no God in our lives there are no morals, nothing to keep killers from killing. Nothing to stand on or believe in. There are no Gods before me and they never will be. Only one God and in that God we have to trust. He gives us the strength to solve problems and to live. Without God we are nothing.

    Yes Anonymous

  • The US will soon be Unrecognizable!

    Quit trying to change history

    Yes Anonymous

  • This Nation was founded on God and the Bible

    The 1st amendment "Separation of Church and State" was written because our for fathers wanted a country that did not dictate our religious beliefs and could not tell us how to worship. It didn't mean that religious words or activities couldn't be held on or by the state. The first amendment has been taken way out of context. Our founding fathers were either Godly men or at least respected the Bible enough to use it to frame the Constitution that we have today!!

    Yes Anonymous

  • Our country was built in the name of god.

    Our country was founded based upon the principles of religion. Religious freedom is part of our country, but even atheists should realize that they are in the minority, and should respect our country's foundation.

    Yes Anonymous

  • absolutely

    if you dont like the pledge of allegiance and it affects you that much, leave the counry. because this shouldnt even be an issue. repsect the country that you live in or get out. this isnt an issue that changes life in one way or the other.

    Yes Anonymous

  • Yes

    I think that is is perfectly exceptble to have "under god" in the pledge allegiance.I can see how this would affend atheist but im am a christian.This is apart of our history long ago people but there faith in god and now today we have a beutiful country.this country was formed with high expections and relgious values.I know when i say under god i am proud

    Yes Anonymous

  • I believe it is okay

    i think it is okay to say this because it isnt neccesarily meant to be taken literally. i take it literal as a christian, but i see the metaphorical value in the phrase as well. its also based off of the fact that this country was formed with a lot of religious values in mind, and this statement pays tribute to those efforts made by our forefatthers. besides, only the minority are actually against it. the minority always looks and sound louder because theyre always bitching. theres a reason why the minority shouldnt have it their way over the majority, its because their are less of you. why hurt or offend the major public to please the few. its foolish and the reason why we are a censored, welfare loving country today.

    Yes Anonymous

  • "under God"

    Without God there would'nt be a debate on the American Pledge of Allegiance. Christian's all over the world believe without God's hand in this world we would not have evolved to the one nation that we are today.

    Yes Anonymous

  • Yes, "Under God" is appropiate,

    because our country as a Power of the World needs to be a Moderator, Roll Model for all the countries in the world but in order to make all these taks "WE" (USA) are "Under God" guidance because without GOD we are nobody.

    Yes Anonymous

  • I believe that having "under god" in the American Pledge of Allegience is appropriate

    Everyone has an opinion toward religion and people have the choice to just sit down and not say it. Why should evryone else not say it just cause of others beliefs.

    Yes Anonymous

  • DUHHHH

    OFCOARSE!!! I honestly cannot belcieve they could even imagine to take those words out of the pledge. ITs part of our nations pledge! That means we pledged those words to it. This nation was founded on christianity and thats what holds it strong. What words are printed on your money!!! IN GOD WE TRUST! If you "religion" doesnt agree with those words then simply ignor them beacus those words are what we are built on. THey sustain this nation and i will stand by it all my life.Yes this nation is also allowed religios freedom. . . wich is an important and just thing. But I can not stress enough christianity is what this nation was built on!

    Yes Anonymous

  • Our Country Was Founded Because Of Religion

    The Pilgrims Came To America Because They Wanted Freedom of Religion Mainly GOD Not Buddah Or Any Other Crap You Come To America You Better Love America Or Get Out.

    Yes Anonymous

  • Of course, is part of us.

    If you don't believe in God, is ok. But why force those who believe in HIM to take everything out of our lives? Remember: Your rights end where my begins.

    Yes Anonymous

  • I am for it.

    One Nation Under God has been around before any one on this site has been alive. It is part of history.

    Yes Anonymous

  • Wake up America!

    This is a Godly nation! We have freedom of religion but that doesn't mean our country needs to act as an athiestic nation. I believe that God has blessed our country and that this is the greatest nation on earth, but if we turn our backs on God we would have ourselves to blame if we fall! Our nation was founded on Godly and biblical foundations that progressive liberals should not forget.

    Yes Anonymous

  • I agree that "under God" in the pledge of Allegiance is appropriate because that is what our country was formed under.

    Our founding fathers formed our country based on the principles and teachings of the bible. Our country should continue to operate as closely as possible to the ways which were set forth from the beginning. Although we should be open to some changes in our country, our basic principles should still apply.

    Yes SauBauer

  • This is appropriate and it should not be reworded, if we don't put God first everything else will crumble.

    Taking under God out of the pledge wouldn't be right. This is how it was written and it should not be changed because it would change the meaning completely. This country was built under God and that is how it should stay. Without God there would be no country because we wouldn't exist.

    Yes B3rkIffy

  • This has always been a fundamentally Christian nation and the words should not offend anyone.

    The country was founded with the concept of separation of church and state and the Constitution has protections for freedom of religion. But that does not mean freedom FROM religion. America has been a mainly Christian country since the very beginning. Others that do not hold those beliefs should be tolerant of the majority that do. The words do not infringe on their rights and should not offend anyone who believes otherwise.

    Yes ddeathnote

  • Under God is appropriate because it salutes our American heritage.

    Heritage is important, rather you believe in what the heritage pertains to or not. The phrase, "Under God" has always been in the pledge and it should remain in the pledge because it salutes the person who wrote the pledge. It doesn't matter if you believe in something or not, it only matters if you believe in what you doing as a whole and as country, that's where our focus should be. We shouldn't focus on trivial issues.

    Yes R3ubHockey

  • Under God is completely appropriate and should not be removed.

    This country was founded on a belief in God. Our founding fathers believed God to be such an integral part of America that they saw fit to include God in our pledge and on our currency. Removing God from our Pledge of Allegiance would only undermine the principles that America was founded on.

    Yes R0m4nticCar

  • I believe that "under God" is appropriate and should be allowed to remain a part of the Pledge of Allegiance.

    I believe that "under God" is appropriate and should be allowed to remain a part of the Pledge of Allegiance. I agree with the Bush administration that these words are not meant to be a religious statement but a statement based on our history and to show how deeply felt the words are. I believe that reciting this clause shows that this is deeply felt and that we are looking for the wisdom of our god (which could be different for each person reciting this) to help give us good judgment.

    Yes SilverMathi

  • I believe that "under God" is appropriate in the Pledge of Allegiance because the USA was founded on Christian beliefs.

    I believe that the United States of America was founded on Christian beliefs and principals. History shows us that our founding fathers were devout to their faith and believed that God would guide the country through its difficult times. Now it seems we only turn to God in the midst of tragedy, as a source of blame for some, and a reason to rejoice for others.

    Yes C0rnGet

  • The phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance has historical significance and so should remain.

    Editing the American Pledge of Allegiance would be somewhat similar to going back and changing the words of famous person's speech. The Pledge of Allegiance can be seen as a piece of historical literature that was appropriate at the time and should remain in its original form in order that future generations may get a glimpse of how people felt about Pledging to the United States at the time it was written.

    Yes Wynn354

  • The "under God" phrase should be kept in the Pledge, as it is non-offensive.

    The phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance is appropriate in that it is part of a patriotic theory that was founded with the belief of a God at it's base. It does not allude to a specific religious belief, it excludes no one, and those that do not believe in a higher power should not be disturbed by it's reference unnecessarily.

    Yes ThegaXen

  • Under God is appropriate in the American Pledge of Allegiance!

    The United States of America was founded on Christian values which is where the phrase "under God" came from. However, all people should be allowed to practice their own religion. As for the words "under God" I do not care whether a person is Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim or some other religion. We all have a GOD! They may be different in many ways but they are still what we consider Gods. A being that is far superior to us and in some way will help us get through this thing we call life.

    Yes w00tboycomic
Voice Your Opinion
No
51% of users

  • Requiring those pledging allegiance to our country to also affirm a god is just wrong.

    The government's inscription of the phrase "In God we trust" on coins and currency, as well as its addition of the words "under God" to the pledge of allegiance in 1954 and adoption of the phrase "In God we trust" as a national motto in 1956, were mistakes, which should be corrected. Under our Constitution, the government has no business proclaiming that "we trust" "In God." Some of us do, and some of us don't; each of us enjoys the freedom to make that choice; the government does not and should not purport to speak for us in this regard. Nor does the government have any business calling on its citizens to voice affirmation of a god in any circumstances, let alone in the very pledge the government prescribes for affirming allegiance to the country. The unnecessary insertion of an affirmation of a god in the pledge puts atheists and other nonbelievers in a Catch 22: Either recite the pledge with rank hypocrisy or accept exclusion from one of the basic rituals of citizenship enjoyed by all other citizens. The government has no business forcing citizens to this choice on religious grounds, and it certainly has no business assembling citizens' children in public schools and prescribing their recitation of the pledge--affirmation of a god and all--as a daily routine. But that's just me talking. The courts, on the other hand, have sometimes found ways to excuse such things, for instance with the explanation that they are more about acknowledging tradition than promoting religion per se. Draining the government's nominally religious statements or actions of religious meaning (or at least purporting to do so) and discounting them as non-religious ritual--sometimes dubbed "ceremonial deism"--is one way to find them not to conflict with the First Amendment. Ordinary folks, though, commonly see things differently; when they read "[i]n God we trust," they think the Government is actually declaring that "we" as a people actually "trust" the actual "God" they believe in. If they understood it as merely a ritualistic phrase devoid of religious meaning, they would hardly get as exercised as they do about proposals to drop it. As you can imagine, those more interested in championing their religion than the constitutional principle of separation of church and state sometimes seek to exploit and expand such "exceptions" even if it requires they fake interest only in tradition.

    No Anonymous

  • Two flippin' words

    I'm a Christian and hate political correctness, but there are plenty of people out there who disagree and I just want them to shut up already.

    No Anonymous

  • I am Atheist for one.

    And for two church and state are supposed to be separate and that is a pledge of our allegiance to our country and our country has nothing to do with churchs.

    No Anonymous

  • I am a mage of buddhist ways

    if it was changed to differnt kinds of gods and goddesses or even one, nation, under differnt ideas maybe that would work better but just having the under god part feels wrong becuase your forcing down one view point

    No Anonymous

  • A Devote Christian, but...

    I am a leader at my own church and a very religious person. However, in keeping with the First Amendment, it is a violation. We are not supposed to promote religion with pledges and such. I say "under God" with full confidence, however were I an atheist, I would be offended. I'm all for telling the political correctness crackpots to shut up, but they are right in this stance.

    No Anonymous

  • Consideration

    Atheists have consideration for you, they don't follow you around telling you're a sinner, and that they hate you and that some imaginary friend of theirs is gonna burn them. Atheists deserve the right to be patriotic also! Forcing them to say this as they pledge allegiance to their country is not only inconsiderate but it is malicious and selfish. Just because you have beliefs doesn't mean you should force them onto other people. Our country was founded not on freedom of religion technically, but on the freedom to believe what you want to believe religiously, which includes believing it is not true, despite any twist you put on it. They were an add in even, not even part of the original pledge! Being a strong and proud atheist I believe this should be removed from the pledge of allegiance. I love my country! Not some imaginary god. My country is not 'under' anything!

    No Anonymous

  • Read history and the Constitution

    Through the active campaigning of a Catholic Church group and a sermon by a Presbyterian minister amid the McCarthy communist scare, the words "under God" were added in 1954 to the Pledge. The Pledge was originally written in 1892 by a fromer Baptist minister who was a Christian Socialist. And if someone could tell me which religion, Christian or otherwise, the Constitution tells me I should join, I will be glad to consider doing so.

    No Anonymous

  • "Under God" was not always in the Pledge of Allegiance

    Originally, the Pledge went: "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." The "under God" part was a later addition, added during the Cold War. Read up on it. Here's the Wikipedia article on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pledge_of_Allegiance

    No Anonymous

  • "Under God" Wasn't added until 1954

    It amazes me how many people that want to quote the great history of the United States don't know it. Adding god to anything govt related is unconstitutional and noninclusive. Isn't it funny how everyone thinks their god is the right one and everyone should follow it?

    No Anonymous

  • No, having "under god" goes against many founding fathers beliefs.

    If you look back to see what it is that many of this nations founding fathers believed in their belief is "Deism". While deism is/was a branch of Christianity the founding fathers did not wish to have religion even effect how our nations government acts or runs.

    No Anonymous

  • NO

    No because there are so many different religions in this country that it is wrong to put that in the pledge of allegiance. The christians should no longer dominate the country

    No Anonymous

  • SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE!

    America was founded for religious freedom. Christianity is not the only religion out there. I am not a religious person, and while I respect the people who do believe, I do not belive that everyone should be subjugated to speak the words "under God" thus affirming faith that mayt or not be there. I leave the words out, and seeing as they were added in 1954 because of a threat to "American Society" that is no longer imminent, they should be taken out.

    No Anonymous

  • No, it is completely unconstitutional.

    I'm aware we do not have to say it during school or even stand up for it, which I don't, but I believe the fact that it's even accepted into the pledge is outrageous. Not everybody in the U.S is christian/ believes in God. I don't. So if we have our religious freedom, why are the favoring one religion, or religion at all into the pledge of the United States? Not only that, but today I got in trouble at school because I didn't stand for the pledge, and was sent to the office for it. That is 100% unconsitutional and against my rights. I think it's a crock of shit.

    No Anonymous

  • No god!

    God, I think, does not exist. So why should I have to say it during homeroom at school. I never did... The US has free religion. If the pledge of allegiance had something to do with budah then people (Christians) would be upset. So what about god? I mean really!

    No Anonymous

  • No. Jesus commands it.

    The separation of church and state is the ONLY way to prevent the evils of theocracy. It's why Protestantism began. Jesus commanded it. Render unto Caesar that which is Caeser's, render unto God, that which is God's. The essence of government is coercion, a neccesary evil in some cases in the world. The use of coercion in religion is the road to the Spanish Inquisition. It's just evil. The two must be kept strictly apart.

    No Anonymous

  • "Under God" in the American Pledge of allegiance is unconsitutional

    It was NEVER part of America pledge of allegiance, it was added to it in 1954! It was never part of it, America is supposed to be secular nation but fundamentalist Christians begun to corrupt our forefathers and American society, so How muslims and Jews feel if America begun to allow bible study in public schools? absolutely no i'm certainly sure if "under God" will be removed in near future, wow most Americans is ignorant of true origin of our sacred original American Pledge of Allegiance.

    No Anonymous

  • No, America was not founded based on this.

    America is supposed to be land of the free, and the first amendment, clearly states that the government should not favor one relegion. even though, yes, Christianity is the most practiced Relegion, that does not mean thaat other relegions are not practiced as well. Now, truthfully, you are not REQUIRED to say the pledge of Allegiance in school, but it is still part of the pledge. Another thing is that, anyone who is saying that it is part of our heriage is wrong. America was founded because people came here to flee from Great Britian looking for RELEGIOUS FREEDOM!!!! The sad thing is, that as soon as the people got here they started to do the same thing to Native Americans as Great Britian ws doing to them.

    No Anonymous

  • Not all citizens of the USA believe in the same God.

    I do believe in God but some others, such as Buddhists and Muslims, do not believe in one single God. They believe in multiple rulers of the Universe. Some don't believe in a God at all. The government is disrespecting the 1st Amendment: Right to Freedoms of RELIGION, Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petition.

    No Anonymous

  • The Red Scare added this to the pledge!

    The phrase "under God" wasn't added to the pledge until 1954. Anyone who said it's part of our "founding" is delusional at best, and stupid at worst. Our country was not founded as a "Christian nation" and is not a Christian nation. The Treaty of Tripoli, ratified by the United States government on June 10, 1787, states in Article 11: ". As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion,—as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Mussulmen,—and as the said States never entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries." Whether Barlow's translation is incorrect or not, it was ratified and printed in three public newspapers and there was no public dissent. Keep living in the delusional microcosm of your world.

    No Anonymous

  • It is not an original part of the pledge.

    The pledge should be secular, just like the constitution is. The original author of the pledge, who was a preacher, intentionally left out any reference to God or church, and it was only added in the 50s as a result of the red scare and its association with atheism. The founding fathers strongly believed in the practical separation of church and state, and It has no purpose being in there at all.

    No Anonymous

  • It is rather unconstitutional.

    As in our constitution it is stated that state and church must be seperate. And while saying "under God" does not harm anybody it makes the government favor one religion over another. And that is the true american heritage. The Constitution and the beliefs of our Founding Fathers.

    No Anonymous

  • Absolutely not! Its completely inappropriate to impose beliefs onto people that done believe.

    While granted I do have faith, it is certainly inappropriate to say the only way to have allegiance to their country is by enforcing ones to hold loyalty in a being that one does not believe in. Do I think it hurts people to say it? No, but I am a believer. In retrospect if someone forced me to make statements that I did not believe in I would be irate.

    No Anonymous

  • "Under God" is completely inappropriate in a nation based on freedom of religion.

    When the "Pledge of Allegiance" was written I highly doubt they had Allah, Jehovah, Buddha, and countless other gods in mind. They especially didn't have atheists and agnostics in mind. No one religion's god should intermingle with our government because that would be hypocritical and a spit-in-the-face of the "Bill of Rights". The fact that at least three different religions claim to pray to the one true god does not negate the fact that, by law, this is a country of religious freedom. So, therefore, "under god" is insulting to every religion practiced in the United States and especially insulting to atheists and agnostics.

    No BrianDj

  • The phrase "under God" is not appropriate because America is supposed to be accepting to all individuals, that includes those that do not believe in God.

    The phrase "Under God" was not originally part of the Pledge of Allegiance. It was added 1954, after the Knights of Columbus campaigned for its inclusion. This made it not only a pledge to our country, but changed it to a prayer. Because our country respects the right of the individual to believe or to not believe in God, it is inappropriate to include that phrase and expect all Americans to recite it.

    No 5h4n3Got

  • I don't believe the American Pledge of Allegiance should be reworded to remove the phrase "under God" because the words to the Pledge are part of tradition.

    The American Pledge of Allegiance should not be reworded to remove the phrase "under God" because the way the Pledge is worded is part of tradition. While I agree that there should be separation of church and state, the phrase "under God" is symbolic and whether you believe in a God or not, the Pledge was created with that phrase. If you remove that phrase, it is no longer the Pledge of Allegiance. For those who would like to see the Pledge altered, I would be curious to know what phrase should be substituted for "under God."

    No SandDari

  • No, 'under God' is not appropriate to have the Pledge of Allegiance because of the separation of church and state.

    The phrasing "under God" should be taken out of the Pledge of Allegiance because of the separation of church and state. We are supposed to be a country of respecting everyone's religion or lack thereof and putting the world God in our Pledge of Allegiance shows a lack of respect.

    No SlayClim

  • I believe that the American Pledge of Allegiance is not be reworded.

    I believe that the American Pledge of Allegiance should not be reworded. Our forefathers are the ones who pledge this nation "under God," therefore it should remain that way. The Pledge of Allegiance is a part of our history. Do we change history to make more suitable to some people? Why would we change it? Would we change the Constitution because it doesn't seem appropriate to non religious people?

    No RaouICyber
Voice Your Opinion

Related Debates

Debate Topics

 
 
Is "under God" in the American Pledge of Allegiance appropriate?
Top of Page
© 2010 Juggle, LLC
All Rights Reserved
Encyclopedia & Reference Resource