HELEN'S BACK-- AND ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT "THE GOD THING" IN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS

I enjoy kvetching to Howie about incidents in my daily life related to politics. Unlike many people I know, Howie loves politics and he enjoys spending a lot of time talking about it. He is a good, sympathetic listener and I rely on him at times to keep my sanity. Howie suggested that I write this up for the DWT blog.
Last night, I had dinner with a friend from California. She expressed dismay that in California schools, children are no longer allowed to say the Pledge of Allegiance and she did not see what all the fuss was about. You know, the fuss about the “God” thing. She said the phrase does not really matter to the children, that they are oblivious of it.
I did not realize that in California, the Pledge is now banned in schools. This is because in New York, it is alive and well. Every day in my school, the principal says the Pledge over the loudspeaker and all the students and staff rise to place there hands over their hearts and recite along with him. I am uncomfortable with this because of the “God” thing. You see, I am an atheist and I don’t think it is fair to me to be expected to pledge “under God” when it is against my personal beliefs. I do love my country and this puts me in a philosophical bind. Also, I highly respect my coworkers and I really don’t want to stand out and appear different. This puts me in a very awkward situation on a daily basis. Many of my coworkers are religious and attend church regularly. They have no problem with the “God” thing. They are wonderful, ethical and tolerant people and I have a distaste for making an issue about this in front of them. For a while, I would say the pledge and mumble or harrumph during the “under God.” Eventually, this began to seem silly to me. Lately, I have chosen not to say the pledge at all. When it comes over the loudspeaker, I stand up, put my hand over my heart and face the flag to show my respect, but I remain silent. I am very thankful that I live in a diverse and tolerant community and no one cares a wink about my silence. In some other parts of our country, however, I know I could be in a great deal of trouble for it. I am an adult and can make such independent decisions, but what about children faced with lots of peer pressure? Placing them in such a situation is unfair and intolerable.
My California friend also did not know that the “under God” was inserted into the Pledge in the 1950’s. She thought it had always been there and was surprised that it had actually been added. It used to be”…one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” When I told her the addition occurred during the McCarthy era to give those "atheist Commies" the finger, she was surprised.
Another issue that comes up occasionally in my school is the song, “God Bless America,” which is trotted out during patriotic ceremonies. Again, I have a BIG problem with the “God” thing. Since when did this song replace our national anthem? I believe that this song has come to the forefront in the past few years exactly because of the “God” in the title. The right wing fundamentalists must love this song; however, I am like a bull when it sees red when this song is sung. It infuriates me, even more than the Pledge. It insinuates that God is on our side and not theirs, i.e., the Muslims. Excuse me? Weren’t the Crusades over and done with 500 hundred years ago? If there were a God, would he or she chose sides in a war, particularly this awful unprovoked war and occupation? Is this a religious war? I certainly hope not, but the undercurrent of this song is very, very dangerous. And again, this song intrudes the “God” thing into the schools, which I believe is clearly against our forefathers’ intention of separating church and state. Children should not be pressured to sing this song. It is very inappropriate in the public school setting. I suppose you can guess what I do when everyone sings this song --- I remain silent.
It is ironic that we cannot have any religious ornaments for Christmas or Channukah in the school lobby but the Pledge and the song are okay.