What does "under god"mean in context, anyway? That we are divinely mandated? Clearly we aren't. Is god sitting on us? It could explain smog in some locations, especially if God is pleased with our invention of seven-layer dip (who wouldn't be?) but I find it a little unlikely that it is quite so literal.

It's a piece of propaganda that was inserted into another piece of propaganda, and as such is a display if insecurity both in terms of national strength and religious identity.

Personally? I never say the pledge, and there is no law stating I must. I do not care if it is three nations, somewhat fractious, under Bob Hope, really. But I can understand those who would want to remove it again than those who demand it stays.

it is very strange to see the largest and most repressive-minded group in the entire nation, the one most flooded with bigots, rapists, and murderers, claiming that it is being "oppressed" in any form or shape, as the Christians do.

Originally posted by Myrtales Instinct
I like it and I think it should stay.

And I'm glad the majority rules.

majority doesn't rule on matters of constitutional law.
the constitution is clear on this issue, there is to be no government endorsement of religion.
the concept of a deity, no matter how abstract and removed from specific religion, is still a religious concept that has no place in anything governmental.

Originally posted by HeadFirstForHalos[/i

How would you feel if we put a giant monument with the Four Noble Truths from Buddhism in a court house?

Not so good I'm guessing.

Actually, I'd like to see that, and I'm not a Buddhist. I think there's great wisdom in the sacred writings of all the world religions.

However, like the majority in this thread, I also support the separation of church and state. This is good for the church as well as the state. It keeps the government out of religion.

I was raised a Christian, but it didn't bother me when the Lord's Prayer and the
"under God" were taken out of the schools. Nobody was stopping me from saying them at home if I wanted to. And I agree they are imposing religious beliefs on those who do not share them.

[edit on 12-11-2007 by Sestias]

[edit on 12-11-2007 by Sestias]

Just as an aside, you may not be a nation under God, rather over God, Giaia, our mother earth. If you're thinking Universal God then our planet likely to be hanging round somewhere in it, rather than under it.

I think that the term'under God' should be taken out of the Pledge of Allegiance. Up until the mid 1950's it wasn't in the pledge anyway. Eisenhower, in his first term, signed an Executive Order in 1953 that added the two words 'under God' to the pledge. I think that having added those two words have had the unintended effect of making those people of other faiths feel that the system was trying to force them to accept another way of practicing their faith in a higher power. And a belief in God, or even no faith or belief in a God should be an individual thing. This was one of the tenents that the founding fathers of our country had when they formed this country: to not only preventing the government from setting up a "state" religion, but to keep the citizens from forcing religious beliefs on others through the government as well.