Okay. I’m confused. Why is there all of a sudden a “new” controversy over the phrase under God being in the Pledge? Wasn’t this a news story about a year or two ago? Then, it just disappeared. Now, it’s resurfaced again for no apparent reason. Anyone know? Well, I just think the whole thing’s stupid. I can see both sides of the issue. First of all, from the standpoint of someone against taking it out, who cares? Does it matter if we say “under God”? Most of the people saying it don’t believe it, really. A lot people don’t believe any part of the pledge, let alone the “under God” part. In elementary school, we’re forced to say a lot of things we don’t believe. What’s the big hub-bub about “under God”? Is it really worth all the trouble? On the other hand, I don’t see any reason to oppose taking it out. Is it worth the trouble opposing it? What does the phrase “under God” being in the Pledge really do for us Christians? It doesn’t make the people who say it become Christians, appreciate Jesus more, or become more open to accepting Christ into their lives. If anything, it makes them more bitter and less receptive to the Gospel.
I am a devout Christian, and I’ll say it: I believe in the separation of church and state. Yes, I know the phrase “the separation of church and state” isn’t in the Constitution. I still believe in the idea. Let’s take the “In God We Trust” away from the coin. Let’s take out from the courts “Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?” If I’m ever on a witness stand, I’ll grab the Bible out of the bailiff’s hand, flip open to Matthew 5:33-37, and highlight the part that says, “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” Why do they have you swear on a document that condemns swearing? And this is the type of swearing Jesus was talking about—he wasn’t talking about cussing. Bottom line: God should not be in the governmental system (godly individuals might be, but God shouldn’t be there institutionally… only nominally), but if he stays in, it’s not worth raising a big fuss over. Geez.