"Under God" should be removed from the Pledge of allegiance.

The phrase "under God" should be removed from the pledge of Allegiance. Clarification: I am a Christian and have a strong believe in God. Because of this belief, I am a strong supporter of liberty, and the separation of church and state. Ergo despite and even perhaps because of my belief in God, I believe the phrase should be removed from the pledge. A: History of the pledge of allegiance "The Pledge of Allegiance was written in August 1892 by the socialist minister Francis Bellamy (1855-1931). It was originally published in The Youth's Companion on September 8, 1892. In its original form it read: "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." In 1923, the words, "the Flag of the United States of America" were added. At this time it read: "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." In 1954, in response to the Communist threat of the times, President Eisenhower encouraged Congress to add the words "under God," creating the 31-word pledge we say today. Bellamy's daughter objected to this alteration. Today it reads: "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."(1) The phrase "under God" was not originally in the pledge. There is no historical case to be made that would justify keeping the phrase. The justification of adding the phrase under God includes the "threat of communism." The cold war has been over for more than 20 years. The justification used for adding the phrase is no longer a current concern. B: Purpose of the Pledge It seems obvious from the text of the pledge that its purpose is to promote unity as Americans. Hence, phrases like "one nation," and "indivisible." The phrase "Under God" in the pledge is not helping this purpose. Rather, it alienates and separates atheist Americans from theists Americans, causing a division. This is evident from the following links. (2)(3) C:Patriotism The pledge of allegiance is a way to outwardly express your patriotism. The phrase "under God" does not promote patriotism. D: Who is saying it? As an adult I have not had many opportunities to recite the pledge. However, as a child, the public schools I attended said it every day. It seems odd that atheists parents who"s kids are sent to public schools are made to participate in a pledge that includes God.(4) E: Separation of Church and State Thomas Jefferson, who is accredited with writing the Declaration of Independence and was the 3rd President of the United States, wrote the following to the Danbury Baptist association in the state of Connecticut. "Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State."(5) Jefferson clearly believed that the constitution solidified a separation of church and state with the first amendment phrase "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." An overwhelming majority of Americans agree with this interpretation.(6) With such a separation supposedly to exist, it is amazing that the phrase "under God" ever made its way into the pledge, let alone remain there. Conclusion: The phrase "under God" was not originally included in the pledge. The reasons for adding the phrase are no longer relevant or sufficient reason keep it included. A main purpose of the pledge is to promote unity, the phrase "under God" has the opposite effect. Another purpose of the pledge is to promote patriotism, the phrase "under God" does not fit in that context. Children all across the U.S. are made to participate in this pledge, perhaps against their, or their parents preference. The phrase is a breach of our separation of church and state. Due to these reasons the phrase should be removed for the pledge of allegiance. (1) http://www.ushistory.org... (2) http://www.christianpost.com... (3) http://www.aleteia.org... (4) http://undergod.procon.org... (5) http://www.loc.gov... (6) https://www.au.org...