The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional because it includes the phrase "under God." Based on most opinion polls, it is evident that Americans are sharply divided on the issue.
State-church separationists should be cautious about celebrating the 2-1 decision of the judicial panel because of the likelihood of reversal on appeal to the full court. The Supreme Court has been increasingly supportive of populist religion, so it is unlikely the Pledge will be changed anytime soon.
Few would deny that religious belief is a personal matter, yet many support government acts which exclusively uphold monotheistic religious traditions. For these proponents of government-endorsed monotheism, the defense of "God" has only served to further divide Americans along religious lines.
The Supreme Court has declared that government use of the word "God" is de minimus. That is, the word has lost definitive meaning and does not imply or support belief in Christianity.
If "God" does not mean the Christian god, then what does it mean? Perhaps the word "God" reflects "Nature's God," the term Thomas Jefferson, a deist, used in the Declaration of Independence. If so, however, then the meaning refutes claims that America is a Christian nation?
Ironically, the more government becomes involved with religion, the more people reject religious belief in favor of secular alternatives. This fact is evident throughout Europe where state-established religions have resulted in the near abandonment of religious belief.
In another apparent paradox, the inclusion of "under God" in the Pledge prohibits the compulsory recitation on First Amendment grounds. West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette, 319 U.S. 624 (1943)
Setting aside the issue of religion, the Pledge should be abandoned altogether because vows to authority are antithetical to freedom and liberty.
The word allegiance has numerous meanings: among them loyalty and obedience. For emperors, ecclesiastics, kings and dictators, these acts of allegiance are required for survival.
The United States, however, is a constitutional democratic republic, based first and foremost on the principles of individual liberty and the greatest good for the greatest number. Our flag is a symbol of liberty; it is not a symbol of loyalty or obedience.
Under the Constitution, all citizens have the right to speak, write, publish, or assemble in open opposition to the government. Our nation thrives on civic debate and disagreement.
The United States is not "one Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." The United States is one nation under federal law and few would argue that we have achieved the goal of liberty and justice for all.
Liberty and justice are predicated upon a government which respects the rights of all citizens equally, without regard to race, ethnicity, age, sex, sexual orientation, and religion. Until all Americans enjoy equal protection of the laws, the Pledge will remain a tool of conservative rhetoric absent merit or justification.
With or without "God,"
the Pledge of Allegiance should be abandoned in the interest of fairness and
respect for the Constitution.
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