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Originally posted by Sacamuelas What is purpose/value of reciting the pledge? If you are like me, it is a patriotic oath that expresses support for our country. If you agree, then why would anyone here have a problem with our public schools using the original version of the pledge? Is there someone here that thinks it is not as patriotic as the currently used version?
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Exactly. This is the point most folks miss... indeed, it showcases the value of being able to frame the issue. The whole controversey has been framed as 'our values are under attack!' And once that's established, then comes all the hoop-jumping arguments (it's a 'generic' term, it doesn't institute one specific religion, blah), and ad hominem attacks (how can you be against the Pledge?, you're an evil atheist, blah). But it's a straw man. No one's attacking the Pledge of Allegiance as a patriotic exercise. That's what it is/should be. Not a religious one. Yeah, 'God' can be construed as a broad term. But under most usage? It's not. Under most usage, it has a very specific, very narrowly-defined religious meaning. That's why it doesn't belong in the Pledge. Just like the Ninth Circuit (and I'm very aware of its many controversial decisions) said, would you be comfortable if your child recited 'one Nation, under Allah?' or 'one Nation, under the Goddess?', or 'one Nation, under Zeus?'
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Americans thought the Pledge was just fine as a patriotic ritual without religious references from 1892-1954. After all, America survived the Great Depression and won two world wars with a secular Pledge, and neither religious devotion nor patriotism suffered.
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This, right here, is the crux of it. If you're talking about religion, talk about religion. If you're talking about patriotism (the point of the Pledge), then leave it with patriotism. The original Pledge got us through a lot of trying times. If it was good enough then, it's certainly good enough now.
--Dan, assistant Devil's advocate