Re: New Girl - english report
jenvan05 wrote:I need some factual type information on why 'Under God' SHOULD be left in our pledge.
I'm not sure I can help you with a "SHOULD" argument JenVan, but welcome to the system anyway
Some posters have suggested that the phrase "Under God" is neutral and does no harm, and therefor does not need to be removed.
Others have claimed that it does not need to be removed because the pledge itself is not a requirement imposed by government, and therefor does not represent an "Establishment" of religion.
Neither of these arguments say that it SHOULD be there, but rather that it does not need to be removed. I think this is basically the "don't waste my time worrying about two little words in a voluntary pledge" argument.
To argue that "Under God" SHOULD be in the pledge would seem to undermine the "Neutrality" argument, which is the most common.
All that having been said... To me, the first argument seems disingenuous. It's clear that "Under God" is not a neutral statement, otherwise it wouldn't have been put there in the first place.
The second argument ignores the reality of cultural pressures imposed on young minds in public institutions, and again tries to claim that the environment in which the pledge is presented is neutral, and that any child can "opt out". But Opting out of things is sometimes difficult for adults, much less children who are trying to fit in to the surroundings their parents send them to.