EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK
Ungodly Pledge?
A sculpture of Moses holding the Ten
or God's sake, does the phrase
Commandments adorns the U. S. Supreme
"one nation, under God" really
Court Building. Notably, the Court has
make the Pledge of Allegiance
ruled they cannot be posted in public
1 ?ledge Allegiance
untenable?
schools.
To the Flag
At issue is if the phrase violates one of
Do you know what the Supreme Court
Of the United States of America
And to the Republic
America's central tenets — separation of
marshal utters to declare the court is in ses-
For Which ft Stands
church and state. The U.S. Supreme Court
sion? "God save the United States and this
Ons Nation
Under God,
will rule this year on the constitutionality of
honorable court."
indivisible.
the Pledge when it is recited in public
With Liberty
Following 9-11, most Americans didn't
And Justice
schools. I'm not a constitutional expert; the
think twice about singing "God Bless
For An
high court may well rule
America," written by Irving Berlin. The
the phrase is in conflict.
song is uplifting for Jews, Christians,
The case just seems much
Muslims and others who call America home
ado about little.
— yes, even atheists.
God has been a part of
Each of these varied references to God is
our government in a non-
part of America's historical record. There has
threatening way since the start. In 1789,
never been a Jewish groundswell to remove any of them
President Washington set the stage in his first
despite the Christian influences in most cases.
inaugural address when he referred to "that
In February, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth
Circuit in San Francisco ruled the Pledge amounts to a gov-
ROBERT A. Almighty Being."
President Lincoln declared in the
ernment endorsement of religion. The ruling affects only the
SKLAR
Gettysburg Address "that this nation under
nine states in the circuit, home to 9.6-million school kids.
Editor
God shall have a new birth of freedom."
Writing for the majority Circuit Judge Alfred T. Goodwin
New presidents pledge to serve America,
wrote that leading school kids in the Pledge, which says the
"so help me God."
U.S. is "one nation, under God," is as wrong as urging them
The Pledge validates the role of God in American history
to say we're a nation under Jesus, under Vishu, under Zeus or
and in forming our federal government. Tinkering with it
under no god "because none of these professions can be neu-
because of a generic reference to God seems political correct-
tral with respect to religion."
ness run amok.
President Bush blasted the ruling. Showing no partisanship,
Would-be revisionists overlook that public schools have
Senate leader Tom Daschle, a Democrat, branded it "just
authority to require teachers to lead only willing students in
nuts." I agree, notwithstanding my regard for the American
reciting the Pledge; no student is forced to take part.
Civil Liberties Union, which supports the ruling.
Our nation was built with a faith in God ... period. As a
In a thoughtful dissent, Circuit Judge Ferdinand R
nation, we don't condemn atheism or promote religion. We
Fernandez warned that under his colleagues' theory of the
don't have a national god. But at our core, we're not godless.
Constitution, "we will soon find ourselves prohibited from
The Pledge aptly captures the spirit of our nation's founders.
using our album of patriotic songs in many public settings."
The Declaration of Independence affirms "all men are creat-
In 1954, President Eisenhower signed into law legislation
ed equal [and] are endowed by their Creator with certain
adding "under God" to the Pledge to distinguish it from "god-
unalienable rights." I read that to mean that each of us decrees
less communists." That was the time to test legality of the
our Creator, not the government.
change, not 50 years later.
The Bill of Rights affirms, "Congress shall make no law
The Sacramento atheist who brought suit in March 2000
respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
didn't want his second-grade daughter exposed to the "reli-
exercise thereof." Belief in God is common in America, and
gious idea" of the Pledge. Michael A. Newdow convinced the
it's generally part of being religious. But it doesn't mean you
appellate court the Pledge "turns atheists into second-class citi-
necessarily identify with an organized religion.
zens by a government that continuously sends messages that
President Bush has stretched the church/state limit with
real Americans believe in God."
some of his faith-based social service programs. Jewish presi-
The interplay between religion and public school is thorny.
dential candidate Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., has invoked
The Washington-based Pew Forum on Religion & Public
God on the campaign trail to a generally positive reception.
Life puts the latest controversy in perspective: "This area of
Major symbols of the freedoms we hold dear cite God. I'm
constitutional law is a delicate one in which there is a need to
talking about more than money, which boasts "In God We
distinguish between government-sponsored religious expres-
Trust," our nation's motto. Both chambers of the Congress
sion that is prohibited and individual religious expression that
contain that inscription, too.
is protected."
One of the most visible sites in Washington, D.C., is the
The Pledge of Allegiance isn't the only God-based issue con-
Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. Wall frescoes in the Rotunda
fronting public schools. They're pondering student-initiated
portray Pilgrims praying, George Washington in prayer at
prayer at school events, the teaching of evolution over cre-
Valley Forge and Pocahontas' baptism.
ationism, and the after-hours use of school space by religious
The reverse of the Great Seal of the United States, located
groups.
in the Department of State building, is a pyramid with an eye
Reciting the Pledge doesn't commit you to a belief in God.
and the Latin phrase Annuit coeptis ("God has favored our
The Pledge simply acknowledges God's lasting imprint on
undertakings").
America and its historic documents, monuments and build-
One memorial stone along the stairs of the Washington
ings. Time and money continue to be invested in Newdow's
Monument quotes scripture (Exodus 28:36): "Holy to the
suit, legitimate as it may be constitutionally. I just think
Lord."
America has more urgent issues.
F,
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