A social media post has stirred up a significant online discussion about America and religion by asking people if they’d be opposed to removing “One Nation under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance. The post has garnered over 15,000 likes and more than 9,000 comments.
The Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance, an oath recited by millions of Americans throughout their lives, has remained largely unchanged for a very long time. However, the line referring to God has led people to raise concerns about the pledge’s compatibility with the principle of separation of church and state and its resonance in a diverse society. This latest discussion on social media reflects an evolving conversation about the intersection of patriotism, religion, and American identity.
People Largely Wanted It Gone
Surprisingly, opinions were not divided. One person said: “I think it’s possible to argue both cases. For the removal, if you want to talk about the secular state this perspective argues that the Pledge of Allegiance should reflect the principle of separation of church and state. By including “One Nation under God,” they believe the pledge infringes on the secular nature of government and public institutions. And some people argue that the phrase excludes individuals who do not identify with theism or monotheistic beliefs.”
Atheist Communist Countries
The commenter continued: “But, in terms of opposing the removal, you can argue on the grounds of historical context as it was added in the 1950s to distinguish the United States from atheist communist countries during the Cold War. Some individuals would also consider the phrase a reflection of the nation’s cultural and moral values.”
The Pledge Is Culty
Some people declined to answer the question and, instead, criticized the pledge as a whole. One person said: “I’m a teacher and my state requires schools to ‘provide children the opportunity to say the pledge’ every morning. So basically they have to play it over the PA. It felt pretty culty to make small children pledge their allegiance to the flag every morning, especially when they don’t really understand what they’re saying.”
A Language Immersion School
The teacher continued: “And in my particular school we had a lot of kids who weren’t actually American because it was a language immersion school, so then I’m making little kids who aren’t even Americans do this daily chanting thing. I always told the kids that anyone was welcome to say it or not.”
We Should Do Away With It Entirely
Others echoed the aforementioned commenter. One person said: “It blatantly violates the Establishment Clause. Just because people in favor of the addition say it doesn’t specify the Christian God, even though everyone knows that’s what it means, doesn’t make it any more acceptable. But removing one part of the pledge is the wrong question. The entire pledge is weird and flirts with indoctrinating cult-like [behavior] and we should do away with it entirely.”
Blind Patriotism Is Absurd
Discussions about cult-like indoctrination dominated the popular responses. “[The pledge is] just pure indoctrination. Blind patriotism is such an absurd thing to me. I often question what makes people such avid fanatics of the US, especially when it becomes their entire personality and aesthetic,” one person wrote.
Patriotism vs. Nationalism
Some commenters felt that the pledge crosses the line between patriotism and nationalism. One person said: “I’ll go further in that there shouldn’t be a Pledge of Allegiance to begin with unless it’s attached to the oath of enlistment or oath of office. We should not be indoctrinating our kids with nationalism at all, especially Christian nationalism.
Non-Americans Gave Their Opinions Too
Non-Americans made their position clear in an incredibly blunt manner. “The fact you have a pledge at all is weird. Sincerely, the rest of the world,” one person wrote. “Well, reading these comments gave me hope. Looks like Americans are finally breaking free from their indoctrination. The US is a dystopian cult,” another said.
Stop Forcing Religion
Some people were quite harsh with their words. “Remove it. Stop forcing your religion on the rest of us. And take it off our money too while you’re at it,” one person said. “Yes, remove it. Obviously. Get rid of the entire thing while you’re at it,” another echoed.
The Pledge Is Cringe
Some people said the entire pledge should be forgotten because Americans don’t believe in it. “Remove the whole Pledge of Allegiance. It’s so cringe and we as a nation clearly don’t believe in it considering the amount of hate thrown back and forth between liberals and conservatives. Indivisible indeed,” one person wrote.
The Pledge and Brainwashing
Others discussed the pledge’s history. “The Pledge of Allegiance was created to sell flags to classrooms. The ‘under God’ wasn’t added until later. The entire tradition needs to be abolished. It encroaches on religious liberties and makes people susceptible to brainwashing,” one person said.
Coercing Children to Recite Religious Statements
Others felt the pledge coerces children. One person said: “Not everyone believes in a God. Some people believe in multiple deities. Such a statement should not presume that everyone is monotheistic. Because the pledge is most commonly recited in schools where a child, though legally not required to recite the pledge, may experience ostracization for not saying it, I see this language as coercing children to recite religious statements.”
Fostering Unity and Common Purpose
The commenter continued: “For what it’s worth, I’m opposed to asking children to say the pledge more broadly. Children are asked to make a pledge of allegiance before they understand what that means and often recite it rotely rather than sitting with the meaning of the language. There are better ways to foster unity and common purpose.”
Religion Has No Place in Schools
Some commenters said religion has no place in schools whatsoever. “Religion should be entirely removed from schools in this country and shouldn’t be a part of our pledges. Others are free to worship any God they want or not worship any at all. It’s a personal journey and if you’re confident in your religion or spirituality, or lack thereof, it is your duty to make that relationship and growth happen with your children,” one individual wrote.
The Pledge of Indoctrination
Others decided to give the pledge a name that, in their eyes, was more fitting. “Why not remove the entire Pledge of Indoctrination? Kids should be free to decide their own allegiances and not be coerced into pledging,” one individual wrote.
Anti-Communist Propaganda
Others said the reference to God should be removed because the intentions behind it were never pure. One person said: “It should absolutely be removed. It was only added in 1954 by a push from Christian fundamentalist groups as anti-Communist propaganda.”
An Increasingly Youthful and Left-Wing Community
No amount of endless scrolling through the 9,000 comments is enough to find someone in support of the phrase. They undoubtedly exist but, in an increasingly youthful and left-wing online community, there’s no wonder people want the reference to God gone. Regardless, the heavily one-sided debate is very telling in regard to the thoughts and opinions of American millennials and members of Gen Z.
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