I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation, under… silence. That’s what you’ll hear if you listen in to my recital of the pledge of allegiance each morning at 7:30 a.m. After those around me say “under God,” I continue through the rest of the pledge. But in the moment of those two words – silence.

The words “under god” were added to the pledge of allegiance in 1954. That was a terrible mistake. Their inclusion goes against the very basic principles of the United States.

The Constitution of the United States, as amended by the Bill of Rights, guarantees all people the right to the freedom of religion. Throughout history, one way the government has upheld this freedom has been through its own secularism. By maintaining no national religion or religion in government, the U.S. ensures that no one feels that any religion is endorsed or disapproved of by the government. This is, of course, a good thing. If the President openly promoted, say, Catholicism as the religion of the United States, those who are not Catholic would potentially feel like outsiders in America.
The inclusion of “God” in the pledge causes that same kind of problem. Some Americans call the higher power they have faith in another name, while others believe in no god at all. The pledge is supposed to be a very American ritual, as most flag-focused actions are. So to inject religion into it pushes out those who follow no religion or those who do not believe in “God.”

It’s not just non-monotheistic people who should disavow the pledge’s added language, however. Even if you believe that America is “under God,” that does not justify the words inclusion in the pledge. Just as America is secular, its primary pledge should be, too. Any mention of any religion in any deeply American or governmental speech or text should be removed. A United States of America without religion intertwined with patriotism is a stronger, freer, better United States of America.

With the wrongness of the pledge’s (unoriginal) inclusion in mind, I urge you to join me in not saying “under God” when saying the pledge of allegiance. One person at a time, we can right the non-secular wrong that was imposed upon an otherwise great set of patriotic words.