Removing "Under God" from the pledge

[Tiptoer]

I, honestly, would like to see the Under God part removed, for obvious reasons, but, I don't really care because I don't have to say it if I don't want to. I'm even started to not say anything during the pledge. And, if for some reason a teacher calls my parents about this, and they ask me why I don't say it, I think it would be the perfect oppurtunity to come out as an atheist.  

[Satan is my Bitch]

I haven't said the ledge even before I was atheist. I think you should pledge your alligance to the good of all human race not just an individual country.  

[Phaeton]

"To love one country is to hate another." -(I forgot)  

[iviary]

I just skip over the American pledge and say the Texas one that follows it.

Honor the Texas Flag;
I pledge allegiance to thee,
Texas, one and indivisible.

What's that? Texans are crazy? Hellz yes we are!
Out of curiosity, does anyone else recite a state pledge in school or elsewhere?

When I was in Ireland and London 5 years ago, if someone asked where I was from, I naturally responded with, "Texas" rather than "America" without even thinking about it. It actually seemed to gather more respect than the other option, except in the instances when folks knew that George Dubya hails from Texas (especially since he was visiting London at the time). The same goes for my trips up to Canada. As long as they don't know the origin of that dreaded president from the US of A, Texas sounds better.

As far as the actual topic goes, regarding whether the "Under God" should be removed.. Well, it seems to me that there are bigger issues to fight for. As long as I am not legally required to say it, I don't have any major issues with it. I just don't say it. I live in the Bible Belt. It's not going to win me any respect to bash their small (though national) tribute to something they believe in. I would be better off trying to win acceptance for groups outside of the mainstream (in particular, atheists), and totally avoiding the subject of their faith.

That's not to say that if I were to form an "alternative beliefs club" or "atheist/agnostic club", or something of the sort, I wouldn't receive letters of outrage, and other forms of protest, from a multitude of sources. It's possible I wouldn't even be allowed to create the organization. That is a greater injustice, and more of something that I am willing to fight for.  

[iMito]

I'm not going to write an extended post right now on the subject, but, personally, I have better things to protest. However, I do skip it each time I say the pledge as a form of small protest.  

[decaZetta]

iviary

I just skip over the American pledge and say the Texas one that follows it.

Honor the Texas Flag;
I pledge allegiance to thee,
Texas, one and indivisible.

What's that? Texans are crazy? Hellz yes we are!
Out of curiosity, does anyone else recite a state pledge in school or elsewhere?

So that's what the Texas Pledge is, I haven't heard the Texas pledge in a long time because my schools PA system is beyond awful. I, too, would like to know if any other state recites a pledge.

The words "under god" don't bother me that much, but thats because I don't like the Pledge in general. How does reciting a loyalty oath every morning make a person any more loyal to a country than they already were? I'm just glad my school doesn't force us to say the pledge, however we still have to stand durring the American Pledge, remain standing durring the moment of silence(if we talk durring this time we are scolded, some teachers have even been known to write a person up), and then stay standing durring the Texas Pledge, after which we are allowed to sit down. Though its hard to tell when exactly we are allowed to sit because my school decided to spend a good chunk of money on a new football stadium instead of fixing the PA system for the umpteenth time.  

[iviary]

decaZetta

iviary

I just skip over the American pledge and say the Texas one that follows it.

Honor the Texas Flag;
I pledge allegiance to thee,
Texas, one and indivisible.

What's that? Texans are crazy? Hellz yes we are!
Out of curiosity, does anyone else recite a state pledge in school or elsewhere?

So that's what the Texas Pledge is, I haven't heard the Texas pledge in a long time because my schools PA system is beyond awful. I, too, would like to know if any other state recites a pledge.

The words "under god" don't bother me that much, but thats because I don't like the Pledge in general. How does reciting a loyalty oath every morning make a person any more loyal to a country than they already were? I'm just glad my school doesn't force us to say the pledge, however we still have to stand durring the American Pledge, remain standing durring the moment of silence(if we talk durring this time we are scolded, some teachers have even been known to write a person up), and then stay standing durring the Texas Pledge, after which we are allowed to sit down. Though its hard to tell when exactly we are allowed to sit because my school decided to spend a good chunk of money on a new football stadium instead of fixing the PA system for the umpteenth time.

Yeah. I have announcements during Art and Calculus. Our announcements are done over the TV, but the TV is broken in Calculus, and our art teacher has hers permanently muted because the announcements are obnoxious. So actually, it's rare that I have to recite either pledge, or even participate in the moment of silence.  

[ThePriest77]

Funny You let me join this guild but since you did...
What do you accomplish by removing it?
Just don't say the pledge!!
Quit acting childish!!  

[iMito]

ThePriest77

Funny You let me join this guild but since you did...
What do you accomplish by removing it?
Just don't say the pledge!!
Quit acting childish!!

First off, you were let into the guild because atheists tend to be very accepting and open minded. [Where have I heard that before? rofl ]

Second, we won't stop saying the pledge. The fact is, this is our country too and we're very patriotic to it. We want to remove it so that maybe the country will accept us as much as we accept it. Discrimination and stubborness is more "childish", in my own opinion.

A reminder, you were let into the guild on friendly terms. We don't mind having Christians in the guild and you can voice your own opinion at your will. However, may I remind you that this is an atheist guild and we ask that you don't call us names as we refrain from doing likewise towards mormons, or any other denomination of Christians.
Refering to: Quit acting childish.  

[caustic 0_0]

ThePriest77

Funny You let me join this guild but since you did...
What do you accomplish by removing it?
Just don't say the pledge!!
Quit acting childish!!

Saying that is also saying the Constitution is childish.

Anyways, I don't remember seeing your join request. Either you lied, I accidentally accepted, or someone else accepted.

To guild members- x.x User is banned from the guild. If you see his other posts it's more obvious why.  

[Kairakoi]

I think almost my entire school has given up on saying the pledge, though they still make us stand and listen to it over the pa. But the thing about removing 'under god' from it would bring up whole new issues and would be too big of a deal for such a small thing. Soon people would be going to court to change our currency to take out 'in god we trust,' if they haven't started already.

Honestly guys, can you imagine a major recall of currency over four measly words. It's never going to happen. They say we have religious freedom, but as long as there is a christan in the white house we will have none.  

[caustic 0_0]

Kairakoi

I think almost my entire school has given up on saying the pledge, though they still make us stand and listen to it over the pa. But the thing about removing 'under god' from it would bring up whole new issues and would be too big of a deal for such a small thing. Soon people would be going to court to change our currency to take out 'in god we trust,' if they haven't started already.

Honestly guys, can you imagine a major recall of currency over four measly words. It's never going to happen. They say we have religious freedom, but as long as there is a christan in the white house we will have none.

Practically, they wouldn't recall currency. When new currency is made it would lack the reference to god.
And yes, this is already something that's been brought up too. It hasn't been successful, obviously xP

http://www.religioustolerance.org/nat_mott.htm--> currency legal info and some history
http://www.religioustolerance.org/nat_pled.htm--> pledge history and legal info  

[iMito]

[.caustic.]

And yes, this is already something that's been brought up too. It hasn't been successful, obviously xP

And it's very likely that it will be successful, eventually. It's clear that the Christian group is losing ground in the world, as they sink from 84% of the population to 78% in the last few years. So, I think it's just a matter of time before action is taken.  

[Amphex]

Tiptoer

I, honestly, would like to see the Under God part removed, for obvious reasons, but, I don't really care because I don't have to say it if I don't want to. I'm even started to not say anything during the pledge. And, if for some reason a teacher calls my parents about this, and they ask me why I don't say it, I think it would be the perfect oppurtunity to come out as an atheist.

We don't have to say the pledge at all at my school. We only need to stand and be respectful, and I can do that. I'd rather they just remove the pledge altogether. Its annoying, considering it was created during the Red Scare, because it seems communists would burst into flames if forced to say the pledge. rolleyes  

[Southwest]

subtleessence134

However, the pledge itself annoys me... Requiring children to pledge their loyalty to their nation is something done in underdeveloped dictatorships, not the economic and self-proclaimed moral superpower that is The United States ofAmerica. At least, that's how i see it.

This is a view I strongly agree with.

Earlier this year, there were a couple dozen German exchange students that came to my high school. They answered questions in my social studies class, and one thing that came up was the difference in nations, specifically in patriotism. They said that Germans don't fly German flags on their houses or cars or storefronts much, and I think also alluded to a pledge of allegiance, or lack thereof-- they said that it was too reminiscient of Nazi Germany.

I shouldn't have to pledge my allegiance to the country I reside in, especially if it's the country that proclaims itself the "Land of Liberty". Pledging my allegiance to a land of freedom is a complete paradox.

That said, I wholeheartedly support the removal of "Under God" from the pledge. While I stand silently when the pledge is said, I do find it troublesome, to say the least, that a country of religious freedom (and freedom from religion) would blatantly support religion over irreligion.

But what bugs me even more is an issue that I don't know if many people realize. The official motto of the United States is "In God We Trust"-- official! For the longest time, I was certain that was just a ridiculous added "bonus" to our currency, but no! E Pluribus Unum is dead and gone, and has been since 1956.

While the Pledge of Allegiance issue bugs me, this nigh infuriates me. Governmental support of religion? What? No, of course there's none of that around here.

So I scratch out "In God We Trust" on every bill I get, and replace it with the much more elegant E Pluribus Unum.

(And no, I didn't just confess to a crime-- it is not illegal to write on US bills.)

I agree with a sentiment expressed a while ago, however-- that it's more important right now to change the thoughts and biases behind the words than it is to change the words themselves.