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Words Under God Research Paper

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Today, there are many on-going debates discussing whether the words “under God” should remain in the pledge of allegiance. People who do not believe in the existence of a God argue that the words infringe the first amendment, and are attacking their beliefs; while on the other hand, people who agree with the inclusion of the words argue that the words “under God” are just a form of pledge not an actual religious belief. Essentially, the words “under God” should be removed from the pledge of allegiance because the original pledge did not contain the words, they violate the first amendment, they are not an example of separation of church and state, and they create a misjudgment of one’s patriotism, and put children in harm’s way. The first amendment states that, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” (first 2008). In addition, the first amendment “forbids an establishment of religion by government” and by having the words under God be used while reciting the pledge establishes a religion based on the existence of a God (Hatcher 2008). The usage of the words under God in the pledge is a clear violation of the first amendment and separation of church and state. Furthermore, schools …show more content…
However, when the words under God were added to the pledge in 1954, they were a clear “governmental endorsement of religion” and thus do go against the right of separation of church and state (Hatcher 2008). In addition, others also contend that the words under God do not specifically identify the existence of a God; although, Justice David Scouter did agree that the “pledge appeared to be an affirmation of God” (Neikirk 2004). Lastly, eliminating the words under God from the pledge keeps the idea of separation of church and state intact and does not violate

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