Pledge Allegiance to What (final paper)

Final Research Paper
English 1010
Hailey Stokes, professor
8/5/2010
Andrew Reed Brough


Pledge Allegiance to What?


“Supporting the legality of marijuana or abortion does not mean you smoke dope and kill babies; similarly, allowing people to pledge to the U.S. flag without pledging to a specific Creator does not mean you disregard that Creator.” says James McOmber, a Salt Lake City student and active church-goer. He was referring to removing the mention of God from the Pledge of Allegiance.
In a community where believing in God is commonplace, this is a hot topic among parents, clergy, and students alike. The religious enthusiasts want to keep God in our schools and homes, while the people who aren't so religious seem to be growing more and more disgusted by the practice. Along with those non-religious folks are an ever increasing group of people with mixed beliefs who just don't agree with the belief that “...One Nation, Under God...” (Pledge of Allegiance) needs to be recited in our schools in order to keep their children close to their God. Let's not forget, however, the non-religious people who think that it should stay due to a misunderstanding of terminology and Pledge history.
Many people will argue that keeping the Pledge Of Allegiance in our schools and keeping the
“...One Nation, Under God...” line in it is a way of being true to our roots as Americans. Our forefathers came to this land in search of religious freedom. They fought for our right to worship God, when, where, and how we choose. There are, however, some problems with these arguments. One such issue is that if we are free to worship when, where, and how we choose, shouldn't that mean that we're also free to not worship? Furthermore, according to The Pledge of Allegiance and the Meanings and Limits of Civil Religion By: Grace Kao, the pledge didn't include the words “Under God” until 1954. So technically, the arguments mentioned earlier in this paragraph aren't even legitimate arguments.
The fifties seemed to be a time when our nation was struggling to instill standards and beliefs in it's children, and now looking at the sixties, we see it was for good reason, yet not very effective. Even still, “Under God” seemed to be the stability our nation needed at the time. It was translated as a statement of our nation being watched over. I remember when I was in elementary school I was frequently told that the fathers of our nation put those words in the Pledge of Allegiance as a way to pay respect to God often. What we weren't told, maybe because we were too young to understand, is that “Under God” was a term frequently used in the eighteen hundreds to mean “second only to God”. It was a way to give God credit while still claiming that the subject at hand was important. Various dictionaries also state, "under God: as a secondary cause or mediate object of gratitude." It wasn't necessarily a statement that meant to what the Pledge is commonly understood to mean. Given this information, I personally changed my opinion on this subject. I initially thought that since this nation was founded on religious freedom and beliefs, that we should stay faithful by allowing ourselves and our future generations to be true to what our forefathers have said. While I am religious, my primary intent on this subject is to stay faithful to my country. We, as citizens, are nothing without our government, and vice versa (that can be argued, of course, but this seems to make the most sense to me).
Mike Glick, a University of Utah student, active LDS church-goer, and extremely patriotic U.S. citizen, says, “I do believe that this country was built around God and a creator and the words should stay. Whether people say them or not is up to them. Removing the pledge or changing it does offend me. To me it is unpatriotic.... If you are that distraught by the country you live in and what it was built and formed off of, move. Go to another country. Because I will fight till the day I die to keep this country and what it stands for.” Obviously Mike has very strong opinions on this matter, as do a lot of other people in our nation. But he does make a good point that it is up to each individual as to whether or not they want to recite the Pledge. I remember as a child learning that I wasn't required to stand with my fellow students and say the words, but rather I had a choice. I was asked to have respect for the practice and at least stand while the other children recited it, but I didn't have to join in. I found great joy in looking like a rebel to my fellow students, but over time my joyful attitude changed from rebellious to thankful. I am now thankful to my teachers for teaching me that I had that choice. I don't necessarily think that the Pledge is a bad thing or that reciting it, with the God terminology intact, is a horrible or ignorant practice, I just feel that each person has a right to choose what they'll do. All that being said, another person I interviewed, Laura Gilchrist, stated “...[The Pledge] isn't necessary, it doesn't have the roots a bunch of supporters claim it does and it wastes time better spent on learning math or something.” This may be a slightly different view from the one stated just previous to it, but it still gives a great point. We could very well be wasting time that could be spent helping strengthen our kids' brains. Our nation will only be as strong and intelligent as our future leaders will be, which won't be much if we don't educate them now. But is teaching our kids patriotism and tradition really wasting our time, or is it helping our nation become stronger by uniting our generations?
We are a nation of many faces. America has been called “The Melting Pot” or “The Mixing Bowl” for a reason. There are so many different people in our country. We have every race, color, creed, religion, and lifestyle. We have Americans who were born and raised here that share the beliefs and ideals of religious and political groups that are based in other countries, and conversely we have foreign born people who immigrated to this country because they share the belief that this country's founders had. As a missionary and service worker for my church in Georgia I met and learned from many different people. I sat for an hour in the house of a Muslim from the middle east eating his food and learning about his religion. When he was finished, he politely sat and listened to me teach of my religion. Our normal missionary teaching habits include an invitation to join our congregation, but that day was different. That day we ate, spoke, shook hands, and left with a smile. There was no awkward tension due to strange requests to come experience something either of us weren't ready for. As Americans, whether we're lifelong citizens or new to the country, we have learned that The Pledge of Allegiance is a part of our customary beliefs. For most people it's not an awkward thing. The majority of Americans can recite it word for word, even though the majority of us haven't said it since high school. But if we were to ask my Muslim friend to join us in the Pledge of Allegiance, he probably would decline. Not because of ignorance to our culture and customs, but because he is more true to his country, customs, and culture. He's respectful to our religions and public customs and, I'm sure, demands the same respect from us. Even as children we learn to treat our peers the way we would want them to treat us, and our Muslim friend is a great example of this logic. Why we can't all be this way is a sad problem, but also very unfortunately understandable.
The “problem” that we find now lies in the ability that all human beings have to make choices, have opinions, and stand by their opinions. This is a blessing from whichever Creator one decides to believe in, but also a curse to our existence. We have a biological right and privilege to make our own lives. The problem with this is that it is virtually impossible for large amounts of human beings to form a perfect union or undivided group. We will forever disagree with our peers. And this is what we see happening daily in the world as we know it. People are forming ideals and opinions about countless subjects, standards, and beliefs, and will not easily back down from their decisions. What's right and wrong has become controversial in the world and “politically correct” is now what we base our public image on. We hold our private beliefs sacred and secret, yet, in public, we conform to the least offensive practices we can. We don't mention a person's race, religion, or health problems, for fear of causing offense which can often lead to legal action. It's almost sad that we are basing our actions off of the fear of offending others. We can't just be honest to ourselves and others and expect the same. Along with not wanting to offend others with our private beliefs, we are constantly changing our preferences to fit in with our friends and what is perceived as “cool” or acceptable. A large amount of supporters of virtually any issue could very well be supporting the issue blindly. It's extremely hard in these modern times to get a true and real count of how many people actually support an issue, due to so many blind followers.
Another solution to the issue of separating God and country would be to completely remove The Pledge of Allegiance from our customs and practices. This, in my opinion, will backfire horribly. Yes, it solves the problem of whether or not our children have God in their daily routine, but as it's been said previously, our future lies in the rising generations. Without unity, they will fail to lead our country in future events. I firmly believe that our current leadership is doing (arguably) as good of a job as they've been doing because of the unified, conservative time frame they were raised in.
I feel that if we are basing our decision to keep the Pledge of Allegiance in schools or to keep “Under God” in the Pledge off of our fear of offending others that we are turning ourselves into cowardly, sad people. I think that no matter what our decision, it needs to be a decision based on changing for the unity and bettering of our nation, and not one based on not offending others. I would be more than happy to revert back to the original pledge of allegiance as a way to come closer to our roots. To me, it seems to be the same as modern golfers wearing authentic vintage clothing that dates to the original days and uniforms of the sport. The same thing happens in baseball, and now even basketball teams are reverting to their vintage logos and jersey colors. This is all a way to pay homage to those who came before. Changing the words, now and in the past, of something that holds so much importance to our nation may arguably be more of a hindrance to our nation and it's future generations than our leaders may have expected. We obviously do not know what would be different today if the words “Under God” had not been added in 1954, but who's to say that the decision was a good one?
As citizens and visitors of these United States of America, we must decide for ourselves what we feel is offensive, beneficial, and redundant for our future leaders. Whether we remove the mention of God from our nation's Pledge or not, it is up to us to decide how much we support or reject. My argument is that, while I don't agree that we have anything to worry about by keeping God in the Pledge, our decision should be based on what will prepare us for a better future rather than what will or won't offend our more sensitive fellow human beings.

final draft eportfolio link

http://writersblock1010.wordpress.com/2010/08/06/pledge-allegiance-to-what/

draft (final)

Pledge Allegiance to What?

“Supporting the legality of marijuana or abortion does not mean you smoke dope and kill babies; similarly, allowing people to pledge to the U.S. flag without pledging to a specific Creator does not mean you disregard that Creator.” says James McOmber, a Salt Lake City student and active church-goer. He was referring to removing the God terminology from the Pledge of Allegiance.

In a community where God is a common belief, this is a pretty hot topic among parents, clergy, and students alike. The religious enthusiasts want to keep God in our schools and homes, while the people who aren't so religious seem to be growing more and more disgusted by the practice. Along with those non religious folks are an ever increasing group of mixed belief people who just don't agree with the belief that “...One Nation, Under God...” (Pledge of Allegiance) needs to be recited in our schools in order to keep their children close to their God. But let's not forget the non religious folks who think that it should stay due to a misunderstanding of terminology and Pledge history that will be discussed later.

Many people will argue that keeping the Pledge Of Allegiance in our schools and keeping the
“...One Nation, Under God...” line in it is a way of being true to our roots as Americans. Our forefathers came to this land in search of religious freedom. They fought for our right to worship God, when, where, and how we choose. There are, however, some problems with these arguments. One such issue is that if we are free to worship when, where, and how we choose, shouldn't that mean that we're free, also, to not worship? Also, according to The Pledge of Allegiance and the Meanings and Limits of Civil Religion By: Grace Kao, the pledge didn't include the words “Under God” until 1954. So

technically, those aren't even legitimate arguments.

The fifties seemed to be a time when our nation was struggling to instill standards and beliefs in it's children, and now in hindsight, looking at the sixties, we see it was for good reason while not very effective. Even still, “Under God” seemed to be the stability our communities needed at the time. It was translated as a statement of our nation being watched over. I remember when I was in elementary school I was frequently told that the fathers of our nation put those words in the Pledge of Allegiance as a way to pay respect to God often. What we weren't told, maybe because we were too young to understand, is that “Under God” was a term frequently used in the eighteen hundreds to mean “second only to God”. It was a way to give God credit while still claiming that the subject at hand was pretty important. Various dictionaries also state, "under God: as a secondary cause or mediate object of gratitude." It wasn't necessarily a statement in context to what the Pledge alludes it to mean. Given this information, I personally changed my opinion on this subject. I initially thought that since this nation was founded on religious freedom and beliefs, that we should stay faithful by allowing ourselves and our future generations to be true to what our forefathers have said. While I am religious, my primary intent on this subject is to stay faithful to my country. We, as citizens, are nothing without our government, and vice versa (that can be argued, of course, but this seems to make the most sense to me).

Mike Glick, a University of Utah student, says, “I do believe that this country was built around God and a creator and the words should stay. Whether people say them or not is up to them.
Removing the pledge or changing it does offend me. To me it is unpatriotic.... If you are that distraught by the country you live in and what it was built and formed off of, move. Go to another country. Because I will fight till the day I die to keep this country and what it stands for.” Obviously he has very strong opinions on this matter, as does a lot of other people in our nation. But he does make a good point that it is up to each individual as to whether or not they want to recite the Pledge. I remember as a child learning that I wasn't required to stand with my fellow student and say the words, but rather I had a choice. I was asked to have respect for the practice and at least stand while the other children recited it, but I didn't have to join in. I found great joy in looking like a rebel to my fellow students, but over time my joyful attitude changed from rebellious to thankful. I am now thankful to my teachers for teaching me that I had that choice. I don't necessarily think that the Pledge is a bad thing or that reciting it, with the God terminology intact, is a horrible or ignorant practice, I just feel that each person has a right to choose what they'll do. All that being said, another person I interviewed, Laura Gilchrist, stated “...[The Pledge] isn't necessary, it doesn't have the roots a bunch of supporters claim it does and it wastes time better spent on learning math or something.” This may be a slightly different view from the one stated just previous to it, but it still gives a great point. We are wasting our time that could be spent helping strengthen our kids' brains. Our nation will only be as strong and intelligent as our future leaders will be, which won't be much if we don't educate them now.

We are a nation of many faces. America has been called “The Melting Pot” or “The Mixing Bowl” for a reason. There are so many different people in our country. We have every race, color, creed, religion, and lifestyle. We have Americans who were born and raised here that share the beliefs and ideals of religious and political groups that are based in other countries, and conversely we have foreign born people who immigrated to this country because they share the belief that this country's founders had. As a missionary and service worker for my church in Georgia I met and learned from many different people. I sat for an hour in the house of a Muslim from the middle east eating his food and learning about his religion. When he was finished, he politely sat and listened to me teach of my religion. Our normal missionary teaching habits include an invitation to join our congregation, but that day was different. That day we ate, spoke, shook hands, and left with a smile. There was no awkward tension due to strange requests to come experience something either of us weren't ready for. This story seems to be a bit unrelated to the subject at hand, but in truth it relates quite well. As Americans, born and raised, we have learned that The Pledge of Allegiance is a part of our customary beliefs. For most people it's not an awkward thing. The majority of Americans can recite it word for word, even though the majority of us haven't said it since high school. But if we were to ask my Muslim friend to join us in the Pledge of Allegiance, he probably would decline. Not because he's ignorant to our culture and customs, but because he's more true to his country, customs, and culture. He's respectful to our religions and public customs and demands the same from us.

The “problem” that we find now lies in the ability that all human beings have to make choices, have opinions, and stand by their opinions. This is a blessing from whichever Creator one decides to believe in. We have a biological right and privilege to make our own lives. The problem with this is that it's virtually impossible for large amounts of human beings to form a perfect union or undivided group. We will forever disagree with our peers. And this is what we see happening daily in the world as we know it. People are forming ideals and opinions about countless subjects, standards, and beliefs, and will not back down from their decisions. What's right and wrong has become a hot topic in the world and “politically correct” is now what we base our public image on. We hold our private beliefs sacred and secret, yet, in public, we conform to the least offensive practices we can. We don't mention a person's race, religion, or health problems, for fear of causing offense which can often lead to legal action. It's almost sad that we are basing our actions off of the fear of offending others. We can't just be honest to ourselves and others and expect the same.

I feel that if we are basing our decision to keep the Pledge of Allegiance in schools or to keep “Under God” in the Pledge off of our fear of offending others that we are turning ourselves into cowardly, sad people. I think that no matter what our decision, it needs to be a decision based on changing for the unity and bettering of our nation, and not one based on not offending others. I would be more than happy to revert back to the original pledge of allegiance as a way to come closer to our roots. To me, it seems to be the same as modern golfers wearing authentic vintage clothing that dates to the original days and uniforms of the sport. The same thing happens in baseball, and now even basketball teams are reverting to their vintage logos and jersey colors. This is all a way to pay homage to those who came before.

draft and final.

i will be needing extra time for both of these assignments and will have written proof of my excuse in class on friday 7/30/2010.
here's a preview.
longboarding to school today i had an accident including a sprained wrist

freewriting for final

after researching this subject i've decided to change my opinion about whether or not the pledge should be removed from schools or the "one nation under God" should be removed. I think now i don't feel so strongly that it absolutely should be removed. now i'm more of the opinion that i don't necessarily care. from my research i've found that "one nation under God" was added years and years after the original Pledge was written. That fact alone gives me reason to think that i don't really care either way. my initial thoughts were that the forefathers wrote it that way for a reason, but now that i don't think they did, it doesn't matter to me as much. i say, say the pledge if you want, let others have their opinions, etc.
i'm all for equal rights and not offending people. my initial belief in God makes it so that i will continue to support the pledge of allegiance, but not necessarily enforce that other people do the same.

annotated bibliography entry (final)

Facts and Fictions About the History of Separation of Church and State.
By: Witte Jr., John. Journal of Church & State, Winter2006, Vol. 48 Issue 1, p14-45, 31p; (AN 20335496)

Discusses the history of the separation of church and state. Argues that the separation of church and state was an invention some 19th century anti-clerical and anti-religious elitist groups.

student choice #1 interview notes (final)

Interview Notes

1) do you believe that we should either stop reciting the pledge of allegiance in schools or alter the wording to exclude God? (please clarify which option you prefer)
2) why?
3)does either side of this issue offend you? why?

Apollo Morpheas Leonidas

‎1 & 2) I believe we should stop reciting the pledge of allegiance in schools simply because: a- when I was a kid I and all my classmates hated doing it and saw no purpose in it and b- because as an adult, I still see no purpose in it, other than as a sort of brainwashing of patriotism. It's pretty disturbing to me...
If we're not going to take the ... See Morewhole thing out of school, I'm definitely a proponent of removing the god terminology. I understand that when it was written, it was a different time, and the Founders held a different set of beliefs than we do now about religion and its purposes perhaps...but I know when I was a little kid reciting the Pledge, I had no concept at the time of what God was, and it was actually the first time that a God-morality was instilled in me and I do not like that that happened in school -- a public, non-religious institution.

3) I'm not necessarily offended though I am highly perturbed that it is norm to include any references to any gods in school in America. As a country founded on the notion of freedom from persecution based in religion, it disturbs me that religion has become so normalized in schools that it is considered liberal -- even crazy -- to suggest that religious subjects not be incorporated in the public school system.

Michael Glick

‎1. i think it should be a choice weather a kid says the pledge in school or not... i do not think it should be forced not to or to either way, The option should be their daily to say it however after all is this country not about freedom and freedom of speach? if we dont allow it to be said or force it to be said either way it is taking away what ... See Morethe intent of the pledge and of the constitution. and i feel is a cause of concern.
i do believe that this country was built around god and a creator and the words should stay. weather pepole say them or not is up to them.

removing the pledge or changing it does offend me. to me it is unpatriotic... it is taking away what my uncle and hero along with several friends who have been to war and died in war representing our flag and the pledge to it. if you are that distraught by waht the country you live in and what it was built and formed off of. move. go to another country. cos i will fight tell the day i die to keep this country and what it stands for.

Serena Foster

‎1) I've yet to take a real stance on this, but since you are asking....here goes. I believe we should stop reciting the pledge in school. I think it's an unfair integration of religion/government influence, and it could be construed as prejudice based off of the various religions across the world, many of which are are not god-centered. As America ... See Moreis known as the melting pot for a good reason, it should not cater to any known religion on principal of its foundation. It was built and structured in a time that was preparing us for more religious and individual freedoms than our founding fathers ever thought possible. Basically they laid the groundwork for the types of freedoms we enjoy today, without knowing what they would be. While it was completely fitting at the birth of this country, we have evolved as a people and as a government. In combination I believe basically the same things regarding treatment of religion & government. A really basic way of looking at government and religion is this: We upgrade phones every 6 months to keep up with the most up to date functionability as possible, so shouldn't we be evolving as a government system as well? I'm not saying everything, but some things are not as relevant and others have never even been addressed. It's time this changed.
2) See above.
3) I am not so easily offended, and this doesn't offend me. Nor does the fact that I know many people feel very differently than I do. Things are set up the way they are because that's how it had to happen, that's how the foundation for the future had to be laid.
"mutantur omnia nos et mutamur in illis."
(All things change, and we change with them.)

Chelyse Henderson

‎1&2) I believe we should keep the Pledge of Allegiance the way it is, for a few reasons. The document is a part of our national history and reminds us of that history. This nation was founded because people were unable to worship the God they believed in. That they founded this nation under God, illustrates that there was a new liberty founded, a ... See Morenew and real justice for them and for us... for all who live here. It is because of that phrase that we remember why they fought with all their strength for their freedom, and that it wasn't just because they had new land far from England. America's fight and victory for freedom influenced the gain of rights and freedoms in other lands and for millions of people. The fight for rights and freedom increases as people across the globe have seen that freedom is a prize, a prize worth fighting for, and worth dying for. Some may now find the mention of God offensive. It is my belief that in addition to it being a part of the history of the founding of this great nation, the mention of God should not be found offensive to those who do not neccessarily believe in God because the pledge is not a pledge of alleigance to God, to any God, but to the flag of the United States of America, and allegiance to the Republic for which it stands. As a person who does believe in the same God the founding fathers believed in, I personally appreciate the reminder of the divinity of this nations' creation, the courage and valor of the men who gave their lives and sacrificed more than we will ever fully know, to bring about a nation in which we may all have the freedom to worship any God we want, or none at all. This was not possible in any other land previously and seems to be easily forgotten. Many people were murdered for no other reasons than their personal beliefs before America allowed the freedom to worship how, where, or what we choose. I believe that the Pledge of Alllegiance should continue to be recited in schools because it is likely to be the only place many children would ever hear it with the ever-increasing indifference to the foundation of and history of this, the greatest nation the world has ever known.
3) I am offended by those who devalue this nation by disregarding the purpose for its creation, and the ideals under which it was formed. To teach the youth of this nation that we as a nation hold no responsibility to it, no respect for those who sacrificed all they had and all they are simply because they have long since died, is a direct and blatant insult to them and their sacrifices. They formed this nation under God, and it is the belief of many in this land that God protects and prospers us as a nation. To remove God from the Pledge of Allegiance is spitting in the faces of those who have gone before, and those who currently believe in God. I am offended by those who wish to spit in my face and more importantly, the face of those who gave them what they currently enjoy.

Laura Gilchrist

So ya'll know, the "under God" wasn't added until the 1954 during the commie red scare. The pledge itself was written in 1892, long after the founding fathers died so they would certainly have had no opinion on the matter.

Considering these facts... well, even not considering these facts (2) I think it's a big bunch of baloney to force kids to ... See Morerecite this kind of propaganda without thinking about it. I don't think it qualifies as brainwashing per se but it certainly encourages obedience without thought (great for the military, not so much for citizenry who are supposed to dissent as they feel necessary).

(1) Real point here--it isn't necessary, it doesn't have the roots a bunch of supporters claim it does and it wastes time better spent on learning math or something.

(3)I'm not offended by the inclusion of god in it's own right so much as I'm annoyed at the implications that the government supports/believes in monotheism--simply not acceptable.

James McOmber

I usually avoid debates since multiple people end up parroting the same thing and it usually turns ad hominem on the internet. Since this isn't a debate, I figure 'what the hey'.

If I recall correctly, the pledge was written around 1892 and "...under God..." was added in the 1950s. It has been postulated by Geoffrey Nunberg (the big kahuna of the... See More American Heritage Dictionary) that the phrase "under God" was quoted from something Washington wrote and meant something different back then - something like "God willing" or perhaps "under God in importance".

Those things, coupled with the whole sep. of church/state thing (which is kinda more important), lead me to feeling that "under God" is not a necessary inclusion. It's my feeling that its possible removal should not be taken as another step toward a God-hating America - just a more inclusive America. Supporting the legality of marijuana or abortion does not mean you smoke dope and kill babies; similarly, allowing people to pledge to the U.S. flag without pledging to a specific Creator does not mean you disregard that Creator.

works cited (haha): http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/001090.html