Reply #12: Years ago, I felt the way Obama did about the pledge

[OnionPatch]

It didn't bother me to say "Under God" but one day I told an acquaintance I felt this way when the subject was brought up. He said, "I am an atheist. And it DOES bother me to say it." I thought about it long and hard and realized that just because it didn't bother me, didn't mean it didn't bother some very much. And the Pledge of Allegiance to our country was supposed to be for *everyone*. It wasn't about religion. It was about our country, which had freedom of religion, I thought. It was about ALL of us, atheists included. All Americans. I asked myself if the absence of "under God" in the pledge would somehow diminish my faith and had to laugh at the absurdity of that idea. From that moment I realized it was wrong to have it in the pledge. (But neither do I think it is the most pressing matter on our national agenda.)

Maybe someone needs to tell Obama, that the pledge of allegiance is for all Americans, not just the religious and it DOES bother them to have to recite someone else's religious beliefs when they pledge allegiance to *their* country.

I read the whole speech and he does make some good points, but the pledge part bothered me.