Letter: Understanding the evolution of ‘under God’

Friday, Dec. 16, 2005 | 7:45 a.m.

In David Drake's Dec. 15 letter, he uses the phrases "One nation under God" and "In God we trust" as factual evidence that God and Christianity should be forced upon every American, notably innocent schoolchildren. Unfortunately, Mr. Drake is ignoring the real facts here.

First, the Pledge of Allegiance, as originally penned in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, never contained the phrase "under God." Mr. Bellamy wrote the Pledge of Allegiance as a statement of unity for all Americans regardless of their religious beliefs. It wasn't until 1954, at the height of the communist witch hunts, when the Knights of Columbus, a religious organization, petitioned Congress to include "under God" in our pledge.

When this phrase was added, the next word, "indivisible," instantly became a lie. Secondly, the motto "In God We Trust" was not our original motto. The original one, "E Pluribus Unum" or "Out of Many, One," was also meant as a statement of unity for our diverse population. It was changed, again, at the behest of religious groups.

Mr. Drake somehow sees the erosion of God from America, but the real facts show that it is the religionists who are slowly eroding the freedoms that we were all intended to have when our country was founded. Yes, Mr. Drake, freedom of religion is very important. But, remember, freedom of religion is not possible without freedom of religion as well.

Teresa Harris

Las Vegas