Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2008 | 2:04 a.m.
Indivisible. This one important word adequately describes the intent of the writer of the Pledge of Allegiance.
The original version of the pledge makes no mention of a deity. It was left out on purpose. Sir Francis Bellamy penned the pledge in 1892 with the intent that it be used as a patriotic statement of unity for a free people, not a religious people.
In 1954, at the height of the communist witch hunts, the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic organization, petitioned Congress to have the words “under God” inserted into our pledge. They succeeded and effectively made the next word, “indivisible,” a lie, because nothing divides people more than religion.
This unfortunate truth has been highlighted by the recent experience of Devon Smith, the boy who was kicked out of class for exercising his constitutional right to not participate in a ritual that goes against his beliefs.
Having the phrase “under God” in the pledge is as offensive to the nonbelieving student as “under Jesus” would be to the Jewish student or “under Allah” would be to the Christian student. I applaud this boy for having the courage to exercise his rights. Not many adults would be so courageous.
More than 14 million nonbelieving Americans have understood the plight of children who have to make the choice between standing and pretending to respect a phrase that goes against their core beliefs, and objecting to it and being singled out and abused by the system.
What kind of choice is that in a country that is supposed to be based on the importance of individual freedom?
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