LETTER: ‘Under God’ unconstituional

To the Editor:

I’m writing in response to an editorial in last week’s paper. Its defense of the pledge’s constitutionality concerns me, because both history and jurisprudence lay out a strong case against the pledge and, more specifically, the phrase “under God.”

In 1954, with the blessing of President Eisenhower and Congress, “under God” was added to the Pledge to distinguish the US from the “godless communists.” The addition was rather ironic seeing as that Francis Bellamy, who penned the pledge in 1892, was an ardent socialist, but I digress. More importantly, the addition was unconstitutional.

The framers wisely forbade Congress from making any laws “respecting an establishment of religion.” They built a metaphorical “wall of separation between Church and State” that should never be breached. This wasn’t just for the benefit of democratic governance, but serves to guard religion from the corrosive nature of politics. Today that wall’s integrity is being threatened. Our public schools coerce millions of students every day to swear loyalty to a God in whom they may not believe. These schools are not funded by God-fearing citizens alone, but by Americans of countless persuasions. As stipulated in Lemon v. Kurtzman, government actions must have a legitimate secular purpose and may not primarily advance religion. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals recently found that the pledge fails to meet these criteria and it thus violates the Establishment Clause.

For our government to endorse any religious belief is not only unconstitutional, but counter to our national heritage. Our country has been a refuge from religious tyranny for centuries; it is morally obligated to protect religious liberty and respect diversity. We can observe religion in our speech, our actions, and, for those of faith, our hearts. Must we give it government sanction in the Pledge? True faith and conviction do not require a vote of confidence from the government. I am not proposing that religion be expelled from our public schools – we must maintain our individual religious liberties. I ask only that we heed James Madison’s words: “Religion and government will both exist in greater purity the less they are mixed together.”

Jon Adams