An Agnostic/Athiest's Perspective
When I first heard of Judge Lawrence Karlton's ruling in San Francisco, I was elated. I was elated because for me, this seemed like a great victory in the fight against the religious overtones that have permeated American society in the last five years. However, my elation was turned to dissapointment when I heard that the Senate voted unanimously on a resolution to condemn the ruling.
I stopped and thought for a moment, trying to gain perspective on the issue. I mused: I can see both sides....from a historical standpoint, there are plenty of references to the Founder's belief in diety, and they then implanted them into the government that they created. They did so cleverly, with no declared religious preference, though most would argue that Christian sentiments lay at the heart of it all.
The other side though, and this is my agnostic/athiest side coming out, is that even though the Christian right is the majority now, we all live together here in the United States. If I don't want to recognize a diety, I should not have to. If I have children who are in school, I would not want them to have to recognize deity by reciting words that they won't even really understand until they graduate from High School and live in the real world. Freedom of Religion is also Freedom from Religion. I have the right to not only worship when, where, and how I please, but the right to not do so as well. Requiring me, or my children, to recite something that recognizes a deity that I hold no belief in is infringing upon my rights as an American citizen, and not only that, but it then renders the words written in the Pledge, "under God" pointless. The same holds true for public/school prayer as well.
Christians seem to think that they are persecuted because of their beliefs. They seem to forget that they are the majority now.
The words, 'under God', were added in 1954, after petitioning by the Knights of Columbus. The original pledge had absolutely no mention of God at all. The addition changed the pledge from an affirmation of loyalty to our country to a public prayer. Public prayer is, at least in my mind, unconstitutional, as the courts have also ruled it to be.
Unfortunately, I can't see any kind of resolution to this situation. As long as Christians continue to force their beliefs on everyone, and as long as they are in the majority, there's not much that we non-God-fearing people can do but try our best to just ignore them. We could always try removing the offensive words, but I don't see that happening.
I know the next time I recite the Pledge, I'll definately be creatively editing it.