“Please stand, face the flag, place your right hand over your heart.  Ready? Begin.” Since kindergarten, schools train American children to stand every morning and monotonously pledge their dedication and patriotism for the country they know as home.  These words have been drilled in to their brains only to be said without conviction.  Consequently, this ubiquitous phrase now lacks meaning and is robotically recited.  Students should not be required to stand and deliver a pledge that contains a phrase that is no longer relevant.  Furthermore, that very pledge might violate a student’s religious beliefs, or lack thereof.  Moreover, schools within a country with a distinct separation of church and state should not impose religion onto education.

Originally, the phrase “under God” was added to the pledge in 1954, partially due to the occurrence of the Cold War, during which one of America’s biggest fears was the spread of Communism.  In Soviet Russia, Communists advocated atheism, or having no belief in a deity.  Due to the fear that Americans would succumb to the mind-set of Communism, President Eisenhower signed a bill officially adding the phrase “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance.  However, since the spread of Communism is no longer a prevalent fear or issue in the United States, “under God” is unnecessary in the pledge, and only a reminder of past concerns, not patriotism.

“The definition of liberty is ‘the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority,’ ” said senior Christian Ianiello.  “So, requiring students to stand and say the Pledge of Allegiance contradicts the very pledge ‘of liberty and justice for all.’ ”

Although much of America is composed of people who do follow religions with a single divinity, there are many others who do not.  These people may be atheist or follow a religion with multiple gods or goddesses.  By forcing this phrase into the pledge and making students around the country recite these words, Americans are discriminating against those who may believe in a different supreme being or may not believe in any religion.

“Even though the pledge is a sign of respect for our country, I do not like that the pledge says ‘under God,’” said senior Julia Green.  “I believe church and state should be completely separated, especially when being stated in a public school environment.”

Likewise, no student in any educational institution in America should be pressured or required to recite words with a direct tie to religion.  This violates the separation of church and state, forcing all students in American schools to recognize a belief in a religion with which they may not agree.

Many stories of children being yelled at and chastised by instructors for refusing to stand or recite the pledge have been reported to school boards and the media.  One of these incidents  occurred in early 2013, in Rockville, Maryland, where the principal of Damascus High School took disciplinary action against a tenth-grade girl for sitting down during the pledge.  Telling children to believe everything they hear and to not stand up for their own beliefs is a narrow-minded approach to teaching and such methods should not be promoted.  Children should be encouraged to voice their beliefs, even if that means simply remaining quiet while others who feel the need to recite the pledge do so.

Some believe that not reciting the pledge would be unpatriotic.  However, if one is truly passionate and enthralled with the spirit of America, he or she should not have to prove anything to anyone.  This nation stands for freedom and citizens should appreciate America through individualism.  Declining to stand up and recite a pledge that has been said over and over since students have been five years of age does not hurt anyone, even the most patriotic people.  American culture is built on the fundamentals of freedom of ideas and expression.  Do Americans still believe in this, or are they just scared of change and its consequences?  Because America is a progressive country, its people must be willing to make changes to accommodate all beliefs, rather than following those that are the most common.  The pledge should not be mandatory to prove the freedom of which America is so proud.