One Nation Under God? In God We Trust?

Do the Pledge of Allegiance and our nation's currency violate its sacred principle of the separation of church and state?

by Matt Suhosky

To answer this, let's first look at the history of the Pledge, and "In God We Trust" on our currency:

Students in public school reciting the "Bellamy Pledge"

https://priceonomics.com/the-marketing-of-the-pledge-of-allegiance/

    In 1892, Francis Bellamy, a Christian socialist minister and author, sensed a lack of patriotism in the America after the Civil War, and wrote a short statement to be said aloud honoring the flag of the United States. This Pledge was later published and disseminated in a magazine to boost national morale, and read:

"I pledge allegiance to my flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

    Bellamy's Pledge gained popularity quickly after its publishing, being read aloud in schools across the country, public gatherings, and eventually Congress, perhaps because of the themes of American unity, pride, and equality embodied in the Pledge. When read aloud, it was common for those reciting to salute the flag with their right arm held upright pointing the flag. However, seeming to resemble the new "Heil Hitler!" salute in 1930's Germany, Congress took action and adapted the Flag Code to have the Pledge recited with one's hand over their heart.

    Notice how the Pledge seems almost identical to the one we recite today. However, there are two differences between our current pledge and the Bellamy Pledge: the words "and to the United States of America" and "under God" were not used in Bellamy's original, but included in our current version.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the day the President suggested publicly the words "under God" be added to the Pledge

http://www.wallbuilders.com/libissuesarticles.asp?id=105586

    Following World War II, as the United States and the Soviet Union's one common enemy, Germany, was defeated, the origins of the Cold War began to foster. Many Americans held that one of the many evils of communism was that it was godless, and spat upon religion. These believers advocated towards a more Christian-based government, not only on moral and anti-Soviet grounds, but also to safeguard the United States from the threat of communism. President Dwight Eisenhower agreed, saying "Our form of government makes no sense unless it is founded in a deeply felt religious belief, and I don't care what it is."

    Upon this notion, many people and organizations began adding the phrase "under God" immediately after "one nation," found in the Bellamy Pledge. Many saw this addition not only as a response to the threat of the Soviet Union and communism, but also as a recognition to our country's historical roots in Christianity. 

    This spread throughout the country quickly, and eventually Congress adapted the Flag Code to permanently add "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance, signed into law by President Eisenhower on Flag Day in 1954. Upon his signing of the bill, President Eisenhower said "From this day forward, the millions of our school children will daily proclaim in every city and town, every village and rural school house, the dedication of our nation and our people to the Almighty."

The phrase "In God We Trust" appears on every Federal Reserve Note in the United States (paper currency)

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/01/15/atheists-challenge-in-god-trust-in-court-why-will-fail.html

    As "under God" is in our Pledge of Allegiance, and said aloud daily in public schools, the phrase "In God We Trust" appears on all United States currency, both coin and paper. As the history of the Pledge and the addition of "under God" has been examined, the history of "In God We Trust" should likewise be explored.

    Before the Civil War, the phrase "In God We Trust" was not displayed or printed on items produced by the United States government. However, during the "increased religious sentiment" during the Civil War, as the US Department of Treasury refers to the phenomenon, the phrase was added to all coins by the Secretary of Treasury in 1861. From then on, all coins in the United States displayed "In God We Trust."

    Several decades later, in 1956, during the increased popularity of the notion that Christianity and the United States government should enjoy a deeper relationship, Congress adopted "In God We Trust" as the United States' national motto. Furthermore, the phrase would appear on all Federal Reserve Notes, that is, paper currency of the United States, from 1957 on. 

http://crooksandliars.com/2015/09/city-allow-only-christian-prayer-screw

    The first clause of the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States reads:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;"

    The first part of the First Amendment is referred to as the Establishment Clause, which prohibits the government from passing a law establishing a religion. The Supreme Court of the United States, regarded as the defender of the Constitution and of individual rights and liberties, has heard more than a few cases regarding the Establishment Clause, and the extent as to which the government "establishes" religion. 

    Seeing this great debate over the parameters of the Establishment Clause, the question must be raised: Does the Pledge of Allegiance's inclusion of the phrase "under God" and the United States national motto and inclusion of the phrase "In God We Trust" violate this Clause? After all, the Pledge of Allegiance is read in schools funded by taxpayers' dollars, and paper currency is printed and distributed by the federal government.

The Second Vatican Council, where Gaudium et Spes was conceived.

http://saltandlighttv.org/blogfeed/getpost.php?id=64824&language=en

    Gaudium et Spes, on the relationship between the Church and the state, says:

"The Church, by reason of her role and competence, is not identified in any way with the political community nor bound to any political system. She is at once a sign and a safeguard of the transcendent character of the human person. "

    In this, the Church fathers say that the Church should not interfere with or restrain any government, not should the Church be interfered with or restrained by any government. The Church sees herself as a completely separate entity from governments. While those in government are encouraged should use their morals and belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ to guide their communities to the greater, common good, the Church as an organization should have an independent role from the formulation and dissemination of public policy.

http://peterdaou.com/tag/separation-of-church-and-state/

    Having seen America's longstanding principle of maintaining the separation of church and state, and the Church's take on the matter, the issue of the Pledge of Allegiance and "In God We Trust" violating the Establishment Clause can be addressed.

    Those who believe that the Pledge and the usage of "God" in our national motto and currency is a violation take issue with the government seemingly siding with one religion over another. The Pledge, since it is recited in public schools, which receive funding through taxpayers' dollars, see its usage of "under God" as a direct violation of the Establishment Clause. The Act of Congress creating "In God We Trust" as our national motto is seen as Congress suggesting that our government, and by extension our country, believes in and worships God. And the usage of the phrase on our currency is seen by critics as the government again recognizing a specific religion.

    Those who uphold the Pledge's use and the usage of "In God We Trust" in our currency and as our national motto do not see a rational connection between these acts and the Establishment Clause. Neither the inclusion of "under God" in the Pledge, not the phrase "In God We Trust" as our national motto and on our currency establishes a religion, which the First Amendment forbids. They see the usage of the word "God" as more so referring to our nation's religious founding. For Congress to violate the Establishment Clause, the legislature would have to literally establish a national religion, as the Amendment forbids.

    Seeing that no schoolchildren are coerced into saying the Pledge, or even standing for it, and that having a national motto and currency involving the word "God" do not cause serious harm or injuries, I find it difficult to believe either of these inclusions will be erased from our nation any time soon. Though both do have their critics, I imagine there is overwhelming support to keep these references to God in our Pledge, motto, and currency, since they have been such a longstanding tradition in our nation's history. 

     Sources:

• http://www.forwardprogressives.com/our-pledge-of-allegiance-and-the-myth-of-one-nation-under-god/
• http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/22/opinion/greene-pledge-of-allegiance-salute/
• http://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/god-in-the-white-house/
• https://www.treasury.gov/about/education/Pages/in-god-we-trust.aspx
• http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651207_gaudium-et-spes_en.html