Religion and the Pledge

Most Americans recognize that our nation is founded on a religious

spirit. Most believe our country continues to be sustained by its

relationship with God. These perspectives offer our great country

three outstanding gifts: humility, protection and challenge.

It is as important today as in ancient Israel that our leaders

remain humble servants and do not arrogate to themselves powers that

trespass the privileges of office. The recognition that there exists

a King of Kings over and above them, to whom they are accountable,

reminds them that no one is above the law. Yes, of course, it is true

that our secular Constitution provides for such checks and balances.

But, ultimately, it is through one’s allegiance to God and the

eternal commandments delineating right and wrong that this

understanding takes deepest root and is most convincing.

We believe our nation exists in covenant with God. We practice his

teachings of justice and righteousness, compassion and generosity.

He, in turn, provides the wherewithal to sustain our country and help

it to prosper. How we need this feeling of Divine concern and loving

protection in these times, when the storm clouds ride low in the

skies. To be able to turn to a Heavenly Parent, seek His providential

care and be assured of His watchfulness is a blessing to the heart,

mind and spirit.

As Americans, we are never satisfied. We never rest content with

our accomplishments and never take our riches for granted. Just as

God comes to comfort the disturbed, so He comes to disturb the

comfortable. God challenges us to reach new levels of brotherhood,

responsibility and sacrifice. We can never rest, but must always lift

our eyes to the mountains, advance toward new frontiers and

participate in the building of a noble society, that “shining city on

the hill” that is our promised land. Ours is a restless spirit,

spurred by God, one that propels us to daring, imaginative and

resourceful exploits.

When I recite the Pledge of Allegiance, I am grateful for the

opportunity to proclaim that our nation is “under God.” We are told

that this expression was added to the Pledge 50 years ago to

distinguish America from atheistic Communism and that, with the

winning of the Cold War and the demise of the old Soviet Union, the

need for this affirmation is passe. The need, though, to remain

humble in the face of temptation, to feel protected when threats are

all around us, to rise to every challenge no matter how daunting,

will never be dated or unnecessary. God bless America!

RABBI MARK MILLER

Temple Bat Yam

Newport Beach

On this Independence Day weekend, we all should seek ways to

enrich and deepen our freedom, as well as celebrate our liberty and

many, many blessings as citizens of the United States of America. But

in their Flag Day 2004 ruling, our Supreme Court seems to have hidden

behind legalese to make an easy and expeditious decision, rather than

contribute substantially to concerns about separation of government

and religion. As I wrote in this column on March 13, the use of

“‘under God’ in our Pledge of Allegiance gives only a tiny glimpse of

who God is. At best, it is only the beginning to understanding who

God is.” This weekend, as always, I pray that we will understand that

ours is “one nation under God” and not the only nation under God.

Symbols clearly cut to the core of our beings just as well as

words. Public schools should teach the power of symbols, since

secular ones assault us daily in advertisements and commercials.

Nationalistic symbols are extremely powerful, and we should grow

consistently in understanding such symbols as our flag and pledges.

Americans have deep but varied responses to our flag and the Pledge

of Allegiance. Do we know that the Pledge can be traced back to an

1892 Boston-based youth magazine and has been re-worded several times

and that “under God” was added by President Eisenhower in 1954 on

Flag Day (June 14)?

Religious symbols are most powerful and can be used for what is

wonderfully good or what is horribly bad. How much do Americans

understand about the Crescent Moon and Star, the Star of David and

the many forms of the cross Christians cherish as our symbol? The

clearest example I know is the Fylfot Cross. It is a pagan symbol

used by early Christians in the catacombs; some authorities say that

during the second and third centuries it was the only form of cross

used by Christians. I recently worshiped in a sanctuary that had

Fylfot and other symbols of the cross in tiles embedded in its floor;

I had trouble praying there because Christians now know the Fylfot

Cross best as the “swastika” and repudiate its 20th century and

contemporary meanings. When I asked leaders of that church, which was

built in the 1920s, why they did not remove the offending tiles, they

said that after lengthy debate, the congregation had decided to leave

them be as reminders of the power of evil. Still, I would be deeply

offended by anyone wearing a Fylfot Cross and claiming it to

represent the crucified and risen Christ.

THE VERY REV. CANON

PETER HAYNES

St. Michael & All Angels

Episcopal Parish Church

Corona del Mar

For children to recite “under God” each day in public schools,

under the leadership of their teacher and surrounded by their peers,

is a state-sponsored form of religious indoctrination, which should

not be permitted. The Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal,

rather than ruling on the issue itself, although its effect is to

retain the phrase.

I believe that including this phrase in the Pledge of Allegiance

is an unconstitutional endorsement of religious belief, that is, the

belief in monotheism. Although the belief in one God is shared by

Christians, Jews and Muslims, it is easy to see how inappropriate it

is if we imagine students being required to say “one nation under

Jesus,” “under Vishnu” or “under Zeus” (examples the circuit court

used). That a majority of Americans believe in God and do not believe

in Zeus does not change the fact that it is religious indoctrination

in a public school. The very purpose of civil liberties is often to

protect the rights of those who hold minority or unpopular views. In

the 50s, when this clause was added, the majority of Americans were

affiliated with a church or synagogue. Sixty-two percent of Americans

identified themselves as Protestants, 26% as Catholics and 3% as

Jews. The merging of religion and politics is expressed in a sermon

attended by President Eisenhower and members of Congress. The Rev.

George Docherty claimed that unless “under God” was added to the

Pledge of Allegiance, “it could be the pledge of any republic. In

fact, I could hear little Muscovites repeat a similar pledge to their

hammer-and-sickle flags in Moscow with equal solemnity ... “ (from

“The Culture of the Cold War” by Stephen Whitfield).

I would welcome the study of all religious traditions at every

level of education, but not indoctrination unless parents choose it

by sending their children to religious schools or by providing

religious training outside the public schools, which I highly

recommend. Government should stick to governing and running social

programs to assist the public and leave religious instruction to

families, in partnership with their churches, temples and synagogues.

REV. DR. DEBORAH BARRETT

Zen Center of Orange County

Costa Mesa

The sixth American President said, “The highest glory of the

American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond

the principles of civil government with the principles of

Christianity. From the day of the Declaration ... they were bound by

the laws of God, which they all, and by the laws of the Gospel, which

they nearly all, acknowledge as the rules of their conduct.”

I could list many more quotes, but President John Quincy Adams

acknowledged the nation founded during his lifetime used Biblical

principles in the laying of our Constitution. Granted, not all of the

founding Fathers were Christ-followers, but even the faith of the

deists was rooted in the ethics and values of the Bible. The

statement “one nation under God” is as much a statement of our

historical foundations as it is a statement of belief. The framers of

the Constitution wisely did not specify the Judeo-Christian God,

though that was in their mind, which allows for the religious

diversity in our culture.

Americans are a religious people. Statistically, the numbers bear

out that even though we do not believe the same God, we believe in

some god or gods. There are a few, and might I say a decreasing few,

that fit into Mr. Newdow’s camp of agnosticism (I know he claims to

be an atheist, but that position is rationally untenable. No one can

“KNOW” there is no God, which is the definition of atheism).

Everyone has faith; it is just a matter of the object. Whether it

is in God, country, science, or self, your “god” will determine your

morals. It has been said, “Show me the god they worship and I will

tell you the life they live.” Most agnostics/atheists believe in

Scientific Humanism, the religion where God is replaced by science.

People like Mr. Newdow would like to see his brand of faith as the

only expression of faith in the American public arena, including our

schools. Slowly, they are winning. Recently, Los Angeles removed the

cross, symbolizing the lighted monument behind the Hollywood bowl,

from their logo. Fortunately, the actual monument has not been

removed, but that may be a matter of time.

Bottom line, my fear is that as we remove the ethics of our

historical foundation, which are unarguably Judeo-Christian, they are

being replaced by the ethics of self and science. I believe this is

fundamentally what is wrong in our schools today. The violence and

drugs and rampant sexuality are the result of decisions, based on

personal bias or scientific rationale, which do not take into

consideration that we have been “endowed by our Creator.” Religion is

the moral backbone of America. Our students should have access to

understanding the moral foundations this nation was founded on. Our

first president would agree. I close with the closing paragraph of a

letter George Washington wrote to the governors of the 13 states on

his retirement.

“I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have you, and the

State over which you preside, in his holy protection, that he would

incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of

subordination and obedience to Government, to entertain a brotherly

affection and love for one another, for their fellow Citizens of the

United States at large, and particularly for their brethren who have

served in the Field, and finally, that he would most graciously be

pleased to dispose us all, to do Justice, to love mercy, and to

demean ourselves with that Charity, humility and pacific temper of

mind, which were the Characteristics of the Divine Author of our

blessed Religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in

these things, we can never hope to be a happy Nation.”

SENIOR ASSOCIATE PASTOR

RIC OLSEN

Harbor Trinity

Costa Mesa