Christian Living

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A Massachusetts family is suing a school district in order to have the words “under God” removed from the Pledge of Allegiance (http://www.wggb.com/2012/02/14/mass-family-sues-over-under-god-in-pledge/). They believe that children should not be forced to take part in a pledge that includes the verbalization of a belief in a supernatural deity which they deny exists. This is not the first time the words “under God” have come under attack, and surely, it will not be the last.

There was a reason the phrase “under God” was added to the Pledge of Allegiance. There could be several different motivations for this addition. It could be because a majority of Americans actually believed that God had blessed us and we should worship Him in return. On the other hand, it could be that, by adding “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance, politicians hoped to gain favor with their Christian constituents. Either way, the fact of the matter is that there was a majority who believed this was the right thing to do. There was a majority of people who thought that adding these words to the Pledge was a good thing.

In the Pledge’s 88-year history, the words “under God” have been included for 58 of those years. Atheists, skeptics, and non-believers want us to believe that, as far as the Pledge goes, the original is better. They also seek to remove God from our hearts as well as from the Pledge. They seek to promote the belief that all of our successes have come by the sheer willpower of our own might.

Although Christians should not favor removing the words “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance, that should not be our major concern. It should concern believers more that God is absent from many people’s hearts and lives today.

If non-believers succeed in turning the hearts and minds of Americans away from God, the result will be tragic. The Bible is full of examples of individuals and nations who turned away from God. Their rebellion was not without consequences.

However, the Bible is also full of examples of those who trusted God with their lives. These believers put their faith and trust in God and His Word. These people’s lives were blessed with the forgiveness of their sins and a close relationship with the Creator of the universe.

The bottom line is that Christians should pledge their allegiance to God. The Bible tells us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, body, and strength (Deuteronomy 6:5; 11:1, 13; Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27). Our first allegiance belongs to God. Any other loyalties come after that.

The phrase “under God” is in the Pledge of Allegiance as a way of saying that we owe what we are as a nation to the grace of God. Removing those words would be an act of outright rebellion to the One to whom we owe everything.

Christians should make their voices heard on this subject, even as we seek to share the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ with a lost, hurting, and oftentimes hostile world.

Consider carefully these words of Jesus, “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32-33 ESV)

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