Is the supernatural reference still acceptable?

[vakkotaur]

I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America
and to the Republic for which it stands,
one nation over Satan, indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.

Here is one history of the Pledge, and here is another. Interestingly, the one addition to the Pledge that original author would have approved of is one about equality, not a supernatural being.

Comments

[willowisp.livejournal.com]

Hee. That's one of my recurring mini-rants which I try to keep from harping on too much since many of my friends have seen it far too many times. The fact that I'm from Rome NY (Mr. Bellamy's hometown) doesn't help, either.

[vakkotaur.livejournal.com]

I recall saying the Pledge in elementary school, but not with the "of the United States of America" part in it - even though it was supposedly added in the 1920s.

Something else I noticed is the change away from the original "my flag" part. I think something was lost right there. Sure, it is the U.S. flag, but the word "my" gives a sense of ownership (egad, a buzzword bingo word and I used it) that "the" does not.

Also, what got me a bit as I listened to some coverage of the Supreme Court was the question as to whether two words "made the Pledge a prayer" when that isn't the issue. The issue is the two words. It was like asking if a hair dryer dropped into a bathtub turned the tub into a chair. Dropping a hair dryer into a bathtub does not make the bathtub into an electric chair. The tub does not suddenly transform into a chair of any sort. But the results may well be the same as if it had. So that question struck me as evading the real issue, as did questioning whether the person bringing up the issue should be allowed to do so.