tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post6729815697356819661..comments2023-10-24T04:29:23.693-06:00Comments on Atheist Ethicist: The Pledge Project: Prayers and PromisesAlonzo Fyfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-23696795639401204552008-06-06T08:02:00.000-06:002008-06-06T08:02:00.000-06:00I've often wondered about that as well, but origin...I've often wondered about that as well, but originally I didn't wonder about it in context to the "Under God" part of the Pledge: I questioned it with regard to expatriates from other countries. Intra-company transferees, for example, will often send their children to public school. These children are also saying the pledge, even though they're not citizens and have no necessary intention of becoming citizens (actually, for temporary visas such as work visas, you're generally required to assert that you do NOT intend to reside permanently in the US, making a coerced pledge somewhat paradoxical).<BR/><BR/>When I've brought this up in general conversation with Americans, it's been completely ignored. Teachers have said, "Well, it's just polite."<BR/><BR/>Things like this cause me some despair over making change. To be honest, your post yesterday did as well: atheists are indeed the out-group, suffer from many of the disadvantages of that position, and it would be rather easy to hypocritically join the in-group. And though your presentation of it portrays it as a psychological problem, there are strong practical components to it. Schools have the future of our children in their hands. Sure, the pledge is essentially a mild form of abuse of a non-believing child, but there are worse transgressions a teacher or school could engage in.CrypticLifehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05313033952671292402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-7593301296156475702008-06-06T04:54:00.000-06:002008-06-06T04:54:00.000-06:00(Disclosure: I'm not a US citizen) One thing that ...(Disclosure: I'm not a US citizen) One thing that has often struck me about the PoA is that there often seems (from my outsider perspective) to be compulsion is its recitation, rather than an exercise in free choice.<BR/><BR/>Being compelled to issue such a promise, to me, seems to be antithetical to the PoA's own appeals to liberty and justice.<BR/><BR/>On the topic of the flag itself, it boggles me as to why those who insist on the inclusion of the offending phrase in the pledge don't do what the Saudi's did and have the damn thing imprinted on the national flag. With a (claimed) 80%+ supporting christian population, almost everyone should be behind that, no? And a nice little cross on the flag seems an obvious and impious omission on their part.nullifidianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17525511015814128503noreply@blogger.com