Myth:
The Pledge of Allegiance contains the words “under God,” proving that we are a Christian Nation.
Response:
As it currently stands, the American Pledge of Allegiance reads:
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I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic for which it stands:
one Nation under God, indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all.
Because of the words “under God,” many regard the Pledge of Allegiance not simply as an expression of patriotism, but also as an expression of religious piety. Furthermore, it has been used by many as evidence that this is a religious nation; not simply in the sense that most people are religious, but rather that the government itself is founded upon religious (typically Christian) principles.
This argument is deeply flawed. The first reason is that the Pledge of Allegiance does not date to the founding of America. Because it was not created until near the end of the 19th century, it cannot be read as saying anything about the nature of the United States as it was founded in the late 18th century.
Secondly, the words “under God” are an even more recent addition. When the Pledge of Allegiance was originally written by Francis Bellamy on October 11, 1892, he did not use those words in any way, shape or form. Here is the original Pledge of Allegiance:
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I pledge allegiance to my Flag,
and to the Republic for which it stands:
one Nation indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all.
This appeared in the Boston magazine “The Youth’s Companion,” where Bellamy worked as circulation manager. Bellamy was asked to write a pledge for use by children on the following day, October 12, which was Columbus Day. This inaugurated the long-standing tradition of children reciting the Pledge at the beginning of every school day.
Since then, the Pledge has undergone a number of alterations. On June 14, 1923, at a National Flag Conference in Washington, the words “my flag” were replaced with “the flag of the United States.” One year later, the words were changed again to read “the flag of the United States of America.”
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