I’m reading an article on CNN about a US District Court judge in San Francisco who has declared the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools unconstitutional.

At issue is the Pledge’s reference to God. The argument is that the Pledge coerces children to affirm the existence of God.

I don’t think it does.

Whether YOU believe in God or not you cannot deny that the United States of America (and the rest of the Americas for that matter) is a Christian nation. This is to say, that most of the people practicing a religion choose Jesus Christ as their savior and follow some Christian belief structure. The same was true of the founders of United States of America. And when they constructed and adapted the Constitution they did so with their faith as a building block.

So, the phrase ‘under God’ could be taken to acknowledge that the nation was built and is maintained under the guidance of the teachings, as perceived by many, of a God. I think it falls short of requiring that the individual reciting the Pledge (or their parents) affirm the existence of or believe in any God.

This is a prime example of political correctness run amok. This is a tradition in which very few can find offense. Yet it may be banned to appease the miniscule number of parents who disagree with its use because of their own interpretation. This is undemocratic. It is alarming when a Constitution, a cornerstone of democracy, is used to circumvent democracy.

I am Canadian so, of course, I have never recited the Pledge. But this still bothers me as I see this same kind of nonsense going on here.