Dianna

http://www.historychannel.com

daily poll is "Are the words "under
God" in the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional? Yes Or No

Poll box is on left side of screen. There is a link to a forum.

Dianna

ksagnostic

I went and voted, and even visited the forum.

For a bunch of history buffs, so called, these people seem to be unacquainted with it.

capsaicin67

The "poll" isn't bad--- 81% AGAINST "under god"! I'll check out the discussion and see if there's any dirty work afoot, in which case I might join the fray for a bit......

StrictSeparationist

Persons who responded "no" to this poll were saying that they felt that the 1954 statute that amended the Pledge of Allegiance was not unconstitutional. So in fact, that 81% supports "Under God". I suspect that here, as in almost all other contexts in which this particular debate arises, people are guided in their views more on the basis of their own religious beliefs or generalized dislike of atheists than by any real understanding of the Constitution. I sincerely doubt that as many as 10% of the people who feel "Under God" is constitutional have any idea of what they're talking about.

That's not to say that there is no constitutionally plausible argument for keeping "Under God" in the Pledge; almost every single Justice of the Supreme Court who has ever expressed a view on the issue has dismissed the phrase as "ceremonial deism". Not just nuts like Scalia or Rehnquist, but also well-respected champions of strict church-state separation, like Brennan. I happen to disagree with them on this, since the statute clearly violates the "secular purpose" prong of the Lemon test, but I certainly don't think any less of them as legal thinkers. I have only scorn for those who who passionately defend "Under God" without bothering to try to understand the Establishment Clause conflict it creates.

capsaicin67

The battle has been joined, ksagnostic! I registered as Hx as capsaicin was apparently already taken. I threw in a cpl of hasty posts................

capsaicin67

Regarding the poll---oops, 'm I bad. Thanks, StrictSeparationist.

Incidentally, I agree with everything else you said except that I would say that I'm not sure that I don't think less of them as legal thinkers. I think I do think less of them for thinking, IMHO, poorly on that issue.

trunks2k

Meh. The poll results aren't surprising, especially considering the audience that the History Channel caters to. I swear all the shows on the history channel are about big machines and things that kill other people. They tend to cater to the war enthusiast, who in my experience, tend to be farther to the right. History channel has really gone down hill. It used to be much much better.

Toto

The poll is still open as of July 6

Jewel

Well said, StrictSeparationist. I wonder if that same 81% would feel that "Under No God" or "Under Allah" would also be constitutional? Somehow I think not.

Tony

… in France, where the religiously unaffiliated amount to 6 per cent of the whole; Switzerland (11 per cent); Italy (13 per cent); and the UNITED STATES (14 PER CENT). A 1999 poll found that only 65 per cent of Britons say they believe in God. (Levels of non-belief in formerly communist and officially atheist countries are still high. In eastern Germany, it's said to be 63 per cent).

Yeah! 19 per cent said “Yes”! The progress is moving on. More people lose religion. Or, at least, agree with state/church separation.

I’m Canadian and voted too. Sorry, couldn’t help it.