I lean
toward supporting the 9th U.S. Circuit Court's decision that "under God" in the
Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional. In the 1980s, several members of the
U.S. Supreme Court said that references such as "In God We Trust," which
appears on our money, do not violate the Establishment Clause of the First
Amendment because their religious significance had been lost through rote
repetition. As an Episcopal clergyman, I cringe to think that the religious
significance of "under God" would be lost in any circumstance and would rather
omit God than neutralize the sacred affirmation.
Furthermore,
what of citizens who are agnostics, atheists, Buddhists or those who are
prohibited for religious reasons from saying the word God? (Classical Buddhism
acknowledges no ultimate reality as "God.") Is it right for them, especially
children, to be subjected to the theistic declaration in a publicly sponsored
assembly?
Finally, is
it clear that the intent of the Founding Fathers was to imply that we are a
theistic, Christian, or any other religiously based nation? I'd welcome a
Supreme Court decision about these historical and constitutional
issues.
RICHARD T. NOLAN
West Palm Beach