God: The Pledge of Allegiance

Reader's comments

The Supreme Court decided to strike down a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision that the word "God" in the Pledge of Allegiance violates separation of church and state one year after the original ruling affected nine Western (USA) states including California.

Even with renewed chrisitan spirit in the pledge, it is not known what steps would be taken to either alter the Pledge of Allegiance, (written by a christian minister,) or ban its use all together from public schools.

Can you name the correct year when the word "God" first appeared in the Pledge of Allegiance? 1698 1776 1863 1942 1954 1971

The Pledge of Allegiance, 1892:


"I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands- one nation indivisible-with liberty and justice for all."

The original sentence --dedicated to the flag of the United States of America-- was written by magazine assitant editor and minister Francis Bellamy. It was created for children to recite on Columbus Day that year, and printed first in The Youth's Companion magazine of Boston. This original pledge was recited by 12 million children, and the "Pledge of Allegiance," grew into a requirement for children at the start of their school day.

The Pledge of Allegiance, 1923
Changed for clarity:

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States and the Republic for which it stands- one nation indivisible-with liberty and justice for all."
During the next two decades several variations emerged, and Congress stepped in to align only "one."

Congress recognized the Pledge of Allegiance as the nation's public doctrine, and in 1942 adopted to add the words "of America." In 1943 the Supreme Court ruled that school children would not be forced to recite the pledge, and 26 states "encourage" schools to recite.

The Pledge of Allegiance, 1954


"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and the Republic for which it stands- one nation under God, indivisible-with liberty and justice for all."

President Dwight D. Eisenhower's administration amended the Pledge of Allegiance with the words "under God," which reaffirmed religious faith in "America's" heritage and future. Eisenhower said, adding God to the pledge -- we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most powerful resource in peace and war.

Including God in the pledge was not questioned in 1954, at the height of the Cold War. The Knights of Columbus, religious leaders, and others wanted to distinguish the United States from what they regarded as godless communism.

If you are not yet 50-years old, and lived in the United States all of your life, you've likely only known the Pledge of Allegiance to include the word "God."

• What should have the Supreme Court ruled on the use of "God" in the Pledge of Allegiance?
• Bellamy, a Baptist minister who is legendary for writing moving sermons, could have included the word God in his original sentence. Why did he chose to leave God out?
• Does one "God" reflect the views of all citizens?
• Does the use of the word "God" affirm the bond between states and one creator?
• Does the word "God" add to patriotism in an allegiance to the United States of America?

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Reader's Comments:

Leanna Williams
Houston, TX
"The Pledge was changed out of fear of the Atheist Communists. Clearly, it is inappropriate (and quite self-righteous) to link God to our form of government. The founding fathers made no mention of God in the Constitution because of the need to keep such personal beliefs separate. They had it right THEN."

Carol Anderson
Nashville, TN
"I'm over 50 and was proud to see God in our daily pledge. God is our creator and belongs in our Constitution, case closed."

Paul Finnegan
Cork, Ireland
"I did not know 'God' was added to America's Pledge of Allegiance in '54. Seems to blur the lines between religion and government by using the inference."

Anita Blackstone
Los Angeles
"The so called 'christian right' get what they want now. They want God in the government so they can use his name to carry out their own agenda. Screw the rest of us who don't believe their way."

Lon Diffenderfer
Thompsontown, PA
"I am a Christian, and unlike many Christians, I do not agree with having the word 'God' in our pledge of allegiance.
I believe that a pledge to anything other than God and my spouse is idolatry which is specifically forbidden in the commandments given to Moses by God. Therefore, by that definition, it would be a sin for me to pledge my allegiance to a flag."

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