Last week the House passed a bill protecting the wording of the Pledge of Allegiance from the federal appellate and U.S. Supreme courts. The bill specifically states:
and the Supreme Court shall have no appellate jurisdiction, to hear or decide any question pertaining to the interpretation of, or the validity under the Constitution of, the Pledge of Allegiance
First: since when does the legislative branch step in and limit the powers of the judiciary? If this bill passed into law, it would be a terrible precedent. It would encourage the House to “protect” any issue the courts might declare unconstitutional. This seems terribly short-sighted. Those 260 representatives who voted for it may care a lot about God (or may want to look like they care about God) but the Constitution seems to rank pretty low on their list of priorities.
While we’re on the subject of the Constitution, remember the Bill of Rights? Supporters of the “under God” clause seem to overlook this one little phrase, affectionately refered to as the establishment clause:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion
The framers of the Constitution thought it important enough to include this in the first sentence of the first amendment of the Bill of Rights. It’s ironic to me that the a pledge that highlights “liberty…for all” violates one of those chief freedoms. It’s not surprising to me, however, that the reference to God was inserted in the tail end of the McCarthy era–certainly a period not known for its respect of individual freedoms. Its inclusion during this period of blacklists and Senate investigations against suspected communists reminds me of the ancient Christian creeds that were established not to create community or to affirm belief, but to ferret out the heretics. The Pledge is America’s Judeo-Christian creedal statement.
Tell me, what does belief in God have to do with being American? Thomas Paine was an atheist, and the distant deistic God of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and George Washington didn’t give a damn about nations and constitutions and pledges. I’m an atheist, and I obey the laws, pay my taxes, engage in public debate, and vote. I could say the same for most other American humanists, atheists, agnostics, non-theistic Buddhists and New Agers, and polytheistic Hindus, Pagans and Mormons. Very few non-Hindus would feel comfortable pledging allegiance to “one country, under Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.” Why should they pay fealty to the one God, the jealous God, of Jews and Protestants and Catholics? The unified God of American civil religion is not the God that most believers have in mind: there is no way to reconcile the Elohim of Mormonism, the trinitarian God of Christianity, Islam’s Allah, Judaism’s Yahweh, Zorastrianism’s Ahura Mazda and others like Krishna, Gaia, etc. Why keep up the fiction?
I know you’ve probably heard this all before, but I had to say my piece. One question for those who support the pledge as it stands–how do you defend it constitutionally, especially considering that most conservatives lean towards stricter interpretations of the Constitution?
6 responses so far ↓
1 Stephen M (Ethesis) // Jul 25, 2006 at 3:34 pm
First: since when does the legislative branch step in and limit the powers of the judiciary?
All the time, the constitution actually sets up that sort of thing.
Is it wise? Not very.
2 Rich // Jul 25, 2006 at 9:35 pm
It’s all about the usurping of AmeriKKKa by the neocon cretin poseurs that talk the talk of religion but walk the walk of Gadianton and Kishkumen.
Fie on all Bushites and their fellow ape-men!
:o)
3 PodMonkeys // Jul 26, 2006 at 3:57 am
Theres a bumper sticker I like: “Freedom of religion means ALL religions”
If I remember correctly the whole checks and balances was to allow each branch to have a little control over what the other branches did, but this one definately seems backwards in today’s world. It probably doesn’t help our image as imperialistic Crusaders bent on taking over the Holy Land.
I personally leave out “one god”, although the thought has crossed my mind to say “many gods” or “all gods”. Maybe some of us should start saying “one goddess”?
4 Miko // Jul 26, 2006 at 6:32 am
Reminds me of a bumpersticker that says, “Take my rights, I wasn’t using them anyway”. This is becoming a scary, scary place (when I was a kid, I thought we pledged to one nation, under God because we were at a Catholic school…).
Podmonkeys: I like the way you think! “One nation, under whatever deity I deem appropriate” :-p
5 pilgrimgirl // Jul 26, 2006 at 8:55 am
The pledge really started to bother me about 4 years ago. I’m not only annoyed by the “under God” bit, but also about pledging my allegiance to a flag (or the country that it stands for) rather than pledging allegiance to humanity and promoting the well-being of all people, regardless of their nationality.
I often find myself at events where the pledge is recited (kids’ school events, city council meetings, church programs, etc). I generally stand, but I don’t put my hand on my heart and I don’t say the words. I put my hands behind my back and look anyone who’s facing me in the eyes. I think my silence is a bit unnerving. But no one has ever asked me about it.
A part of me feels that my refusal to say the pledge is probably meaningless–no one really cares if I recite the words or not. But it makes me feel as if I am acting with integrity when I abstain. It allows me to affirm my own values, to stand by my determination to serve humanity and not country.
6 John // Jul 26, 2006 at 10:36 pm
How’s this:
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under (select one or more or none of the following):
a) one disembodied God, who pervades all of space
b) one bearded, white haired Caucasian God
c) one elephant-headed God
d) Xenu
e) a trinitarian, three-in-one God
f) one of many, many gods
g) Sam Adams, the best tasting beer in America,
h) the Goddess
i) several of many, many gods
j) a god or possibly not a god but it doesn’t really matter
k)
l) one blue-skinned, cow-herd loving God
m) Xenu
n) the demiurge
o) the divine seed in all of humanity
p) none of the above
q) all of the above
r) one of the above, at random
s) your mom
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Leave a Comment