One Nation Under God

“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God indivisible, and with liberty and justice for all.”

-1954 United States of America Pledge of Allegiance

I grew up in an Air Force family.  My father was an officer who served in World War II and the Korean War.  I was ten when he retired, but his military service and the generation of both of my parents influenced our daily lives.  However, I was also a child of the sixties and seventies when there was "flower power," the Vietnam War, and Watergate.    The free spirit of the sixties, women entering the corporate professional workforce, and the disenchantment with government influenced my choices.  I didn't fully understand the reason for my parents' dedication to discipline, sacrifice, and respect, but I had learned to be organized and hardworking.

My mother was especially dedicated to rituals whether as a family, church, or service in the military.  At that time it did not set well with me because I am in many ways different than my mother.  This was partially due to the effect of the changes of women’s roles in society and my intuitive theoretical personality, which was so different from my mother’s sensory-based personality.   My parents never discussed the "why" but simply "did."  I wanted to know the "why."

As I have aged, I now understand the why.  The rituals, the discipline, and the sacrifice were necessary to bring together the United States to defeat a horrendous enemy.  For my parents it was essential to be "one nation under God, indivisible."  They believed they would prevail in righteousness and justice with sacrifice by all.   They had to be disciplined to succeed.   Rituals, including kneeling in prayer, saluting the flag, standing at attention at the playing of taps when the flag was lowered bound the nation together.   My parents could not explain the theological concepts of God to me that I write about, but through rituals they dedicated themselves to God and a higher purpose.

Today there is disagreement on whether God should be included in the pledge of allegiance.  But God is love, God is righteousness, God is justice and God grants free will.   Those are our fundamental American values.   We are one nation under God.