How Did Catholics Get ‘Under God’ into the Pledge of Allegiance?
The words were only added to the Pledge in 1954 by President Eisenhower.
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A few decades ago, as student council president, my daughter recited the pledge of allegiance with the original wording, without the "under God" while holding a microphone during an event at her middle school. A bunch of right wing parents in the audience called for her impeachment. Haha!
Not sure if the lesson was taught about WHEN the "under God" part was added in, but hopefully it sparked some conversations within families or in some of the history classes.
Ironically, religion plays a key role in the military. The brainwashing and need to ensnare the young to die for the cause that often only benefits the wealthy and powerful. Eisenhower would have understood that. Thus the pledge in the US, and singing the national anthem in Canada to start the school day. Do any European countries make their young follow such rituals in schools ? The Nazis did.
When I was at school, we had to resite the Lord's Prayer each morning in school assembly, and one of my headmasters (principles) had a portrait of the queen on the wall of the school hall behind him as used to salute it each day, but even the other teachers thought he was a bit of a nutter.
At primary school, our four houses were named after old British royal dukedoms, but looking back we were never actually had to study the history of them.
@LenHazell53 I had forgotten about reciting the lord's prayer every day, so we weren't exempt either. That's almost worse
@LenHazell53 Fortunately, I didn’t have to participate in any religious activities at school, as far as I can remember. Although Mum said that I was told about “Cheeses” at some point. It clearly didn’t make any impression to me.
The intermediate school “houses” were light houses. Which makes sense, there’s a few dotted around the nearby coast.
@LenHazell53 I asked my parents about their religious activities at school since they grew up in England. Mum recalled reciting the Lord’s Prayer and singing a hym every morning at Grammar school, starting at 8.45 before school started at 9am.
The books were full of little handwritten notations saying stuff like “turn to page x” with further nonsense material in the margins. She and other pupils would riffle through to see what had been written, just to satisfy their curiosity and while away their time.
When Eisenhower had the words "under god" added to the pledge it was to fight communism. What followed next is the part I hate to this day. "In god we trust" and it is everywhere. Maybe all of us do not trust in gods.
If some percentage of USA are non religious, ie 25-30%, where are our representatives in office?
I am about to my metaphors: It takes a ship of fools to trust in any genocidal maniac.
I was in 4th grade when that happened...we said the Pledge of Alligiance every day to start the day and it messed up the entire cadence.
I remember the feeling I got of unease from the adults around me....church and state separation was well understood by most adults back then, this was a major crack in the established way of doing things....I was too young to understand the Why or How of it, but could see it was deeply unpopular with many.