If it was good enough for (fill in the blank), then it’s good enough for me
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:45pm Pat Cunningham
The story, perhaps an apocryphal one, is told about a debate among true believers over an English translation of the King James Version of the Bible.
Said one of the participants: “If it was good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for me.”
This tale comes to mind in light of Sarah Palin’s answer to a certain question on an Eagle Forum Candidate Questionnaire a few years ago:
Q: Are you offended by the phrase “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance? Why or why not?
PALIN: Not on your life. If it was good enough for the Founding Fathers, its good enough for me…
Of course, there’s a two-fold problem with Palin’s answer: 1) The Pledge was first published more than a century after the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution, and 2) The words “under God” weren’t added to the Pledge until 1954, just 10 years before Palin was born.
There are several interesting ironies about the Pledge, not the least of which is that it was written by a Socialist, Francis Bellamy. It was first published in 1892 in the children’s magazine The Youth’s Companion (pictured above).
Bellamy’s original text read: “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
The text was amended a few times over the years by one group or another and was officially recognized by Congress in 1942.
Various legal challenges to mandatory recitation of the Pledge in public-school classrooms date back to the 1940s, some of them having nothing to do with the words “under God.”
Entry Filed under: The Youth's Companion, Francis Bellamy, Pledge of Allegiance, Sarah Palin
7 Comments Add your own
1. hokumboy | September 2nd, 2008 at 12:56 pm
I remember the nuns that taught me were a bit upset over the adding of “under God” to the pledge. Catholics, always being among the outsiders of what was considered mainstream American religion, felt that by adding the phrase to the pledge there was the feeling that an endorsement of a particular religious slant that didn’t include Catholicism.
2. Milton Waddams | September 2nd, 2008 at 2:05 pm
I remember reading somewhere that the original reason for the Pledge was to sell more flags…
3. hokumboy | September 2nd, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Interestly enough, the author, Francis Bellamy, was a Baptist minister, and considered himself a “Christian Socialist”.
4. Menlo Bob | September 2nd, 2008 at 4:13 pm
‘One nation, Under God…’, you’re talking about Obamessiah, right?
5. hokumboy | September 2nd, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Bob,
Take a break.
Will ya?
6. Menlo Bob | September 2nd, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Drinking the Obama holy water eh?
7. hokumboy | September 2nd, 2008 at 6:44 pm
Bob,
I thought we were about to have a discussion on the Pledge of Allegiance, not an Obama slamfest.
But, if you’d rather…
I’ll go back to my woodworking and check in when you’re finished.
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