In 2002 the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals determined that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools was an unconstitutional endorsement of religion because of the phrase "under God." To express their dissatisfaction with the ruling, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution 99-0 in order to express support and asked Senate counsel to intervene. Also, on the day of the 9th Circuit's ruling, more than 100 U.S. Representatives (mostly Republican) gathered on the steps of the Capitol building to recite the Pledge of Allegiance--"under God" in tact.

Of course, as you probably know, the ruling was overturned, but the "under God" issue is not one that has faded away. Many people feel that it is indicative of a much larger "culture war" brewing between liberals and conservatives. Personally, I don't buy into the "culture war" but it does make for good television. The "under God" debate is, however, indicative of a very serious issue in America: politicians using God for their own purposes. The strategy of most conservative politicians is to appeal to the voter's sense of Christianity and then convince him or her (the voter) that he or she (the politician) is God's candidate. This happens on some level with the liberal politicians as well, but they aren't so concerned about owning the exclusive rights to God as are the conservatives.

Personally, it won't bother me if "under God" is removed from the Pledge of Allegiance. I believe the reason it was initially placed in the pledge was purely political. America wanted to further establish its position on the correct/better/preferred side of the U.S. versus U.S.S.R dichotomy; our godly capitalism versus their atheistic communism. It won't bother me if "under God" is removed because I'm sick of politicians using God to grow their political power, and that's why the phrase is in the Pledge at all. Christianity can thrive no matter the government. I'll write more than that before the month is over, but for now, I'll leave it at that.

Here's a good webpage on the "under God" debate: /www.undergodprocon.org