America is predominantly a monotheistic nation and that is exactly what Francis Bellamy had in mind when creating the Pledge of Allegiance. Congressional meetings open with the pledge, as do many other government meetings, sports games, and most notably, schools. Even though God was incorporated into the Pledge with Christian connotations in the 1950s under the guidance of the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic organization, in this day and age, the mention of religion in the Pledge of Allegiance should be banned because of separation of church and state, as well as the wide variety of religious beliefs in America.

When Thomas Jefferson coined the term “separation of church and state,” he paved way for how the U.S. government is organized today. The idea of separation of church and state means that no religious background will ever be required as a qualification to any office or public position. Under the U.S. modern interpretation, this means that government institutions are secular. In government-run public schools, the mention of God should be removed from the Pledge of Allegiance. If it is not, the government is openly endorsing a certain religion to millions of people. Although, according to ABC News, the U.S. is 83% Christian, the government should still stand up for the beliefs of its forefathers, and make sure to keep the country unbiased in religion.

Religious references should not be in the Pledge of Allegiance is because of the wide variety of religions in the U.S. Presently, there are more than 10 million people who participate in another religion other than Christianity, such as Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, or atheism. One of America’s basic ideals is to not to discriminate against groups of individuals, and when the Pledge of Allegiance has Christian notions, the U.S. is directly contradicting a main ideal that it stands for.

One might argue that because the U.S. is mostly Christian, there are justifiable motives for the implementation of God in the Pledge of Allegiance. This might make sense for a nation that is not secular, but as a nation that endorses the freedom of religion, the U.S. should stay true to its word. Another reason why one might argue that God should not be in the Pledge of Allegiance is because of America’s history. Early American immigrants were Puritans who were escaping the prosecution of the Church of England, showing that the nation was founded to flee from the government endorsing an specific religion. Just because America’s founding fathers were Christian does not mean that the religion should be incorporated into government institutions.

God should not be in the Pledge of Allegiance because of separation of church and state and the wide variety of religions in the U.S. The Pledge of Allegiance is recited every day in every school across the U.S. It builds patriotism, unity, and camaraderie within every American child. However, religion should be left out of public schools because education’s teaching of religion should be purely academic not devotional. America needs to stand up to its values and promote freedom.