I personally think that "under God" never should have been added. The original author was a Christian preacher and he did not want it on there. I think he understood that government and religion should be separate and that in keeping them separate it in no way lessons your own beliefs or moral code. But we cannot change the past, only learn from it.
There is a little bit of a difference between the pledge and money. With a pledge you are reciting an oath, making a commitment. The current oath pledges "under God" which people may not wish to do. Since this nation gives all its people the right to worship and belive however they choose it should not make people pledge to being under any god/ds/dess. Money is not an oath. How often does anyone really look at money or the 'In God We Trust". You are not commiting to anything except a financial transaction. I read, and I do not remember from who but it could have been a court, that it is ok to be on our money because it is part of the US heritage.
I am not really sure about the current situation. Like I said, I do not think it should be in it, but removing it will cause a lot of tension. I think that people need to realize that it is not an attack on any religion, the government is not trying to destroy any religion, and it really should in no way effect your own religious beliefs in any way. If your whole religious system is destroyed because of this, then maybe you needed a new religion anyway. The government can bare no religious symbols, but the people in it can still be religious and act according to their religious and moral codes. The government distancing itself from religious promotion is not hurting religion but giving the people more freedom to worship as they choose and feel more comfortable in doing so.
I think it should stay.
Remember God is universal in that pledge. Therefor it symbalizes our right of following a religion that we choose.
What about the religion of atheism, theres reason for an atheist to take offence.
Fo US citizens, apparently the Supreme Court is about to say wether or not "under God" has to be removed from the pledge... What do you think?
The Constitution guarantees there will be no government "establishment of religion," wording that has come to mean a general ban on overt government sponsorship of religion in public schools and elsewhere.
Also, god was not part of the original pledge written in 1892 and adopted by Congress 50 years later as a wartime patriotic tribute. Congress inserted the "under God" phrase in 1954, when the world had moved from hot war to cold and U.S. religious leaders sermonized against "godless communists."
The Supreme Court already has said that schoolchildren cannot be required to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. The court also has repeatedly barred school-sponsored prayer from classrooms, playing fields and school ceremonies.
And what about the "In God We Trust" that shows up everywhere, even on $ bills...?