Getting "Under God" Out of the Pledge

If you are an American atheist and it does not bother you that the words "under god" are in the pledge of allegiance or that "in god we trust" is on our currency, you might want to read this before continuing with this post. In a nutshell, the issue is that the addition of these phrases have never been about allowing god(s) in the public square. Rather, they have always been about excluding non-believers from civic life, punishing us for not going along with the majority. Assuming that this bothers you, it is reasonable to ask what you could possibly do to help.

Admittedly, removing god references from the pledge of allegiance and American currency are large goals that will require effort and persistence. The good news is that there are many relatively easy things each of us can do to help.

1. Write letters to the editor of your local newspaper to raise awareness in your community.
2. Write blog posts informing your readers about the Pledge Project and sharing ideas for what individuals can do to help.
3. Make a short video clip of yourself, friends, family members, etc. reciting the pledge without the "under god" part and submit it to YouTube. Here is an example.
   
4. Use social bookmarking sites to promote articles or posts on this topic.
5. Contribute to the discussion expected in the aftermath of the 9th Circuit Court's ruling. This ruling is expected sometime between now and July 7.
   

To learn more about the Pledge Project, visit Atheist Ethicist.

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Tags: atheist, pledge of allegiance, pledge, under god, in god we trust, currency, blog, Pledge Project, YouTube