[ back ]
God Belongs in Church, Not in Pledge
(by Gemma Philcox Barre - December 24, 2008)
Editor:
The Pledge of Allegiance is a pledge to the United States of America, not to God - any god. The founding fathers knew what they were doing when they left God out of the pledge. They wanted this to be a country where ALL people were welcomed, regardless of their religious beliefs (or lack thereof). Let's take God out of the Pledge and put him back in the churches where he belongs. I am old enough to have learned the Pledge without 'God' in it, the way the founding fathers wrote it, and I continue to say it without God. I am not an atheist, just an American who believes, as the writers of that pledge believed, that ALL people have a right to be Americans.
I do believe that all children who live in the United States should be taught the pledge and recite it. They must learn that, if they want to continue to live in this country, they should pledge their allegiance to it. However, they have the right to learn it as it was originally written, so that they, too, know that this country welcomes them, no matter what religion they or their parents follow.
P.S. - Saying the word "God," or professing to believe in God, does not make you a better person, morally speaking. Morals come from the heart.
Gemma Philcox
Barre
[ back ]
