Ian Gibson Mod 3 9-27-06 The Pledge of Allegiance: A Democratic Disgrace I am proud to be an American, and there is no doubt in my mind that the country we live in is the greatest on the Earth. The freedoms and liberties we posses can only be dreamed of in third-world nations, ruled by oppressive regimes and religious zealots. Our democracy is a beacon of hope for those in less fortunate situations. We truly are a city upon a hill as the first settlers of this great land declared. And yet I am disgusted with the flagrant oppression of rights occurring today. Free and independent citizens of this democratic nation are being stripped of their civil rights on a daily basis – rights that were stated and guaranteed to us by the documents that we hold oh so dear, rights that we consider the foundation of the United States of America, rights that are necessary to a functioning, thriving democracy – yet a strong majority of us are still being denied those rights. We must stand together, united in the quest to end the religious oppression practiced every morning in every school in every county in every state of this great nation. There can be no doubt that the phrase “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance is a blatant violation of the United States Constitution and must be abolished to protect the rights of the oppressed. Supporters of “under God” point to Christianity as a foundation upon which our nation was built. President George W. Bush even went so far as to say, “Our rights were derived from God.” Representative Todd Akin from Missouri stated, “We [the republican party] believe that there is a God who gives basic rights to all people and it is the job of the government to protect those rights.” Other advocates point to “under God” as a historic phrase maintained over the centuries and demand that it be kept alive as a testament to our past. “We should not and can not rewrite history to ignore our spiritual heritage,” declared representative Zach Wamp of Tennessee. Conspicuously absent from their arguments, however, are any mention of John Locke, Julius Ceasar, Jean-Jacques Rousseau or other political revolutionaries who were the true inspiration for our modern ideals of liberty, democracy, and freedom. Also lacking mention is the fact that many of the founding fathers shied away from Christianity. Deism, a belief in a distant creator with no interactions in everyday life, was the chosen religion of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and many others. It is clear that the rights guaranteed to all men in the Declaration of Independence and later enforced by the United States Constitution were derived from political history and philosophy, not religion. One must merely read the first amendment to realize how much distance the founding fathers wanted between the government and religion. The amendment reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Thomas Jefferson later clarified, stating that the intent was “a wall of separation between church and state.” Upon examination of the Pledge of Allegiance it becomes clear that the phrase “under God” is a form of state sponsored religion. The Ninth Court of of Appeals in San Francisco ruled in 2002 on the issue. “One nation under God... is an impermissible government endorsement of religion,” the court stated in it's landmark decision. The judicial action undeniably established the unconstitutionality of “under God.” Claims to the antiquity of the pledge and its importance in history are also inaccurate. “Under God” is a relatively new addition to the Pledge of Allegiance. The phrase was added by congress in 1954 after intense campaigning by The Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternity, who thought the pledge was incomplete without a reference to their deity. A special presidential sermon later delivered by Presbyterian minister George Docherty also stressed the importance of including the Christian God in government matters. President Eisenhower soon pressured members of congress to introduce and pass a bill amending the pledge to include the religious phrase. It is easy to see that “under God” remains today only for a religious purpose, not a historical one. Advocates for keeping “under God” also argue that the phrase is not offensive to any American no matter their religious beliefs. They try to explain how a blatant reference to monotheism encompasses those who believe in many gods or no god at all. The idea that the phrase “under God” refers to any deity besides the common Judeo-Christian creator is absolutely ridiculous. One must look no further than the actual spelling of the word “god” as it appears in the Pledge of Allegiance - Judaism and Christianity are the only major religions on this Earth that refer to their supreme being as “God” with a capital “G”. When the phrase was originally added, the country was experiencing a rise in McCarthyism or extreme patriotism. President Eisenhower even mentions the importance of “reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America,” and exclaims the importance of opposing the Communist-Atheist threat. It is clear that “under God” was added to the pledge of allegiance as an act of unifying the nation under the beliefs of only Judaism and Christianity, clearly denying the existence of any other religions in America and directly attacking Atheism. In fact, the Pledge of Allegiance is simply telling 15.6 million American Atheists that their religious beliefs are wrong. The Pledge of Allegiance has stood as a daily ritual for 114 years. It's hallowed words remind us of the true democracy we have in America, and yet it is also host to an unconstitutional abomination. “Under God” must be struck from the Pledge of Allegiance in order to maintain a truly free and celebrated society. In the words of Samuel Adams, “The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil constitution are worth defending at all hazards: And it is our duty to defend them against all attacks.” BIBLIOGRAPHY "American Piety in the 21st Century." Baylor University. Sep 2006. Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion. 1 Oct 2006 . “Bill Limits Pledge Rulings to State Courts.”(National Desk)(Brief Article). The New York Times (July 20, 2066): pA17(L). From Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. “House votes to protect “under God” in pledge; Priority of social conservatives; It's uncertain if it will pass Senate.”(News). The Seattle Times (Seattle, WA) (July 20,2006): pA4. From Student Resource Center - Gold. “One nation under God?.” Adam Wolfson. Commentary 114.3 (Oct 2002): p44(6). From Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. "Pledge of Allegiance." Wikipedia. 2006. Wikimedia. 1 Oct 2006 . "Samuel Adams." Wikiquote. 2006. Wikimedia. 1 Oct 2006 . "United States Constitution." Wikipedia. 2006. 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