Pledge of Allegiance

The Pledge of Allegiance was written in 1892 to sell flags for the fourth of July. Today it is idolized and in some schools students are forced to stand with their hands over their hearts and recite it. Originally children stood with their right hands raised forward and up, but that was discontinued once Americans saw that Nazis did the same thing to their prized idol, Hitler.
Possibly because of that, in 1954 the words “Under God” were added to the pledge. Even before that, the pledge had come under fire in court. In 1940s Jehovah’s Witnesses challenged the pledge because it is one of their core beliefs that swearing loyalty to any power than God was wrong. This makes sense for any Christian and it is stated in the Commandments that there shall be no idol other than God, and to worship and pledge loyalty to any other is a sin.
Other people may have a problem with “pledging their loyalty” to the flag. To pledge ones loyalty to their King and country was a common thing, it was discontent of that fact that drove certain people to colonize America to begin with. As Americans we fought for freedom, casting off the bonds that came with pledging to obey in a monarchy. Many countries still are forced to pledge loyalty to their Dictator. In a Democracy it is the people who rule.
Many court proceedings have been fought over the pledge, most of which fought because of the phrase “Under God”, many of which ruled in favor of the parent wishing for their child not to be forced to say the pledge. Many have cited that it goes against the first amendment of the Constitution. Of course, this amendment states that there will be no established religion or prohibition of worship of any religion. In fact, many states have ruled that it is illegal to force children to say the pledge. Also, in 1943 the Supreme Court ruled that schools cannot punish students for refusing to recite the pledge.
American’s are known for their love of their country. Nothing can change that. However, they are also known for their love of freedom. It is what this country was built on. The pledge talks about “liberty and justice for all” but where is the freedom? Is it really all that liberating to be forced to pledge to a flag every day? The greatest way that we can stand up for our country is to use our rights. Our greatest right, or maybe I should say privilege, is that of freedom.