Does it matter whether 'under God' remains in pledge? whether 'under God' remains in pledge? firstamendmentcenter.org: analysis
URL: http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/analysis.aspx?id=12856
firstamendmentcenter.org: analysis: "Does it matter whether 'under God' remains in pledge?

By The Associated Press
03.12.04
Does it matter whether the Pledge of Allegiance proclaims that the indivisible American republic is 'under God'?
In a political sense, the answer is certainly yes. The attorneys general of all 50 states, the Bush administration and many members of Congress joined briefs backing the current wording, an issue to be argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on March 24 in Elk Grove Unified School Dist. v. Newdow.
But the religious answer to the 'under God' question is more complicated, as indicated by the unusual lineup of groups taking stands and what they're saying.
Pledge proponents think general acknowledgment of religion is good for society, and dropping God would rewrite history or threaten religion's legitimate status. Opponents, some of them religious believers, argue the phrase violates church-state separation as well as the religious rights of some Americans � or that it's just a meaningless phrase and possibly demeaning to persons of faith.
Formal support for deletion of 'under God' comes largely from atheists, secularists, Unitarians and Buddhists. Grass-roots sentiment has silenced most Protestant and Jewish organizations that normally champion church-state separation.
In the biggest surprise, the American Jewish Congress, one of the most militant separationist groups, joined conservative religious organizations in asking the Court to retain the God reference.
Marc Stern calls this the 'most uncomfortable' decision the American Jewish Congress has faced during his 27 years as a lawyer there, but political realities left no choice.
Victory for 'under God' is inevitable, Stern figured, so his group should offer a path to approval on narrow grounds. "

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