Pledge of Allegiance

we have to stand during the salute.

interesting... how do they enfore that?

No need to remove it. It's a big part of history. Those who have different beliefs are not be forced to say it. If you do not agree with it, then just don't say it. Everyone has a right to believe in what they please to believe in. I don't see how it offends people, though.

No I thought they only added the under god part in 1942, making it not an important part of our history and tradition or whatever. And there are such things as peer pressure, in small towns like mine you are looked down upon if you dont stand up and say the pledge. I just dont understand why the under god part matters and why we must say it. Seperation of church and state.

If the "under God" part of the pledge offends you then just omit that part. But at least stand and show your respect to the United States while it is being said. Just saying the pledge, doesn't obligate you to any certain religion.

The truth is, our country is very much oriented around religion. For example: We have renamed the "Christmas Break" to Winter Break as not to offend anyone, yet it still takes place at Christmas time. Look at "Spring Break" it always comes at Easter time. If we made every religion's holiday a national holiday, we would only have 15 days of school per month.

Our country has been based around religion since its beginning. I personally, am not religious at all and frankly think religion is stupid, yet I say under God every time I say the Pledge. Why? Because I value the pledge for its historical significance and its meaning.

Also, there have been many officials of different religions take office, and when they are sworn in, they place their hand on the Bible. Lets just leave the pledge the way it is, as nobody is obligated to say it.

thank you for that bit of enlightenment ((no pun intended..))

It is tradition and the "under God" part of the Pledge of Alliegiance should remain there. I tihnk what SparrowBee said about omitting the part is the best thing to do for those who don't believe in God.

Now no offense, but I personally hate it when someone remains seated for the pledge of allegiance. Every time I saw someone do it, that person was always an American. It was always someone who had no appreciation for their country or what they have. They would say that they didn't like this country. On the other hand, the kids whose families had emigrated here were always eager to stand for the pledge. They were eager to learn English and become American citizens. They had come from places where their freedom was severly restricted and they came here appreciating the freedoms of this country.

I say it belongs in the pledge. I very rarely go to church myself, and am not very religious, but I stand and recite the pledge out of respect and pride in my country. Those that sit during the pledge are, in my experience, usually the sort of people with no respect for anyone or anything. Even if you aren't a citizen, you should at least stand and show your respect. My school, for example, is horrible about this. We can't even get the student body to shut up for the national anthem, and half of the students are either talking about absolutely nothing, or they're mocking whoever happens to be singing.

The problem is not that people are offened by the pleadge... its just that its lost its meaning over the years. More students will say they are forced to say the pledge and almost all of them dont even know what it signifies or means.

dbgt23 wrote:The problem is not that people are offened by the pleadge... its just that its lost its meaning over the years. More students will say they are forced to say the pledge and almost all of them dont even know what it signifies or means.

That's a seperate problem entirely. Even if you don't understand it (which is really sad, and should be taught in elementary school), you should at least stand and show your respect for our nation.

*looks at whoever said they don't want to say the pledge b/c they're not American* I don't care if you say it or not, or whether you're a citizen or not, but the least you can do is stand and show respect for the country you're in. (It's an entirely different issue if they force you to say it.) If I was in Canada (just an example), I would stand for their National Anthem or anything like that out of respect for the nation, and because as long as I'm in a foreign country, I'm a representative of my country.

To Alexia: Seperation of Church and State? Umm...there's no such thing in the U.S....just so you know. Thomas Jefferson strongly believed that there should be a seperation, but the other framers of the Constitution believed that religion put boundaries in place that were helpful to government. Heck, George Washington himself added "So help me God," to the Presidential Oath of Office. So, that argument is out.