Contrasts: Linda and her opponent's thoughts on the Pledge of Allegiance

The following is Linda's summary of her thoughts on the constitutionality of "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. Linda agrees with a large majority of Congress that the Pledge of Allegiance is constitutional. It does not violate the first Amendment guarantee of religious freedom. Her opponent Mike Honda was one of three Congressmen who voted against a Congressioal resolution supporting the constitutionality of the Pledge.

How can anyone who has read the thoughts of our founding fathers think that they wanted religion or God out of government or politics?

Our forefathers did not want the state to establish one religion—Methodist, Quaker, Presbyterian—but they did want our country to be religious. As a whole, they strongly supported religion and promoted constant acknowledgement and gratitude to God for creating our nation and government. George Washington said that we should be “Disposed, at every suitable opportunity to acknowledge publicly our infinite obligations to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for rescuing our country from the brink of destruction; . . . ” (George Washington, 1783) The statement in the Pledge of Allegiance, “under God,” is the fulfillment of the wishes of our founding fathers and is not the “establishment of religion.”

Any student of history will find that our ancestors depended upon religion to guarantee our liberty. In fact, in 1840, Alexis de Tocqueville in his classic book, Democracy in America, concluded that it was our religion that allowed us to become the first successful democracy far in advance to European states: “Liberty… considers religion as the surest pledge of the duration of freedom.”

All Americans want to preserve their liberty! The large majority of Americans believe in God or a Supreme Being! The phrase, under God, in our Pledge of Allegiance, helps to preserve both of those traditions.

Honda Votes Against Pledge

Honda Votes Against Pledge Only Congressman Mike Honda along with two other representatives in Congress voted against House Resolution 459, which defended the Pledge of Allegiance and the phrase "One Nation, under God."

The Resolution stated clearly that the Pledge "is not a prayer or a religious practice," and, besides, no one has to recite it. It further states that it is a "verbal _expression of support for the United States of America."

In a television appearance, Honda said he believed the phrase "under God," promoted one religion over others. His interpretation was in disagreement with 420 of his colleagues in the House, 100 Senators, and past Supreme Court decisions.

The House Resolution, to further support the Pledge, referred to Supreme Court Justice Brennan's statement that " reciting the pledge may be no more of a religious exercise than the reading aloud of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address,…"

Those who know the history of the United states know that "under God" in the Pledge only confirms the belief of our Founding Fathers that the source of our Constitution and Bill of Rights is the "Supreme Ruler of the Universe." (-George Washington)

America was the first successful democracy because it did not look to human rulers for its rights but to a higher source. The Pledge of Allegiance with the phrase "under God" appropriately expresses historical beliefs in the source of the rights of Americans, and it reflects the belief of a majority of Americans in a supreme being.