Pledge of Allegiance
Patriot games: CRT, Christian nationalism and a battle for the real truth of America
By Danté Stewart — July 2, 2021
(RNS) — It is what whiteness has worshipped in its own identity that has many believing critical analysis of race, racism and power is a threat to their faith and their country rather than a pathway to liberation and love.
Why it matters that 7 states still have bans on atheists holding office
By Kristina M. Lee — June 6, 2021
(The Conversation) — Anti-atheism is ingrained in American politics. A refusal to remove outdated language from state Constitutions perpetuates this prejudice.
Atheist seeks removal of ‘God’ from US currency — again
By Kimberly Winston — January 19, 2016
(RNS) Michael Newdow has unsuccessfully challenged the Pledge of Allegiance, the president's oath of office and "In God We Trust." He's at it again, this time taking a page from the Hobby Lobby case.
2014: The top stories in atheism
By Chris Stedman — December 22, 2014
From the popularity of 'Cosmos' on Fox-TV to the Roku launch of 'Atheist TV', from open atheist James Woods's inspiring congressional campaign to Richard Dawkins's less-than-inspiring tweets, atheists made headlines all year.
Religion survey babble confuses 103% of readers. Here’s why
By Cathy Lynn Grossman — November 18, 2014
(RNS) It used to be that figuring out what Americans think about pretty much anything was relatively simple. No more. Here's why.
Atheists want you to sit down for the Pledge of Allegiance
By Kimberly Winston — September 9, 2014
(RNS) A new campaign from the American Humanist Association wants people to sit down and shut up when the Pledge of Allegiance is recited.
Why I stopped saying America’s Pledge of Allegiance
By Brian Pellot — September 9, 2014
Atheists launched a “Don’t Say the Pledge” campaign on Monday to protest the phrase “under God.” I stopped saying the Pledge in my tweens for more reasons than one.
Atheists challenging ‘under God’ need to win hearts, not just minds
By Chris Stedman — September 8, 2014
If we want to help people truly understand why language like "under God" marginalizes atheists, we need to work with religious people and focus on building relationships with believers.
Atheists lose fight over ‘under God’ at Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
By Kimberly Winston — May 9, 2014
(RNS) The loss is also a setback for a new legal strategy that argued that "under God" violated the state constitution’s guarantee against discrimination rather than the U.S. Constitution’s promise of separation of church and state.
COMMENTARY: Can there be a rational compromise on the Pledge of Allegiance?
By John Ragosta — April 23, 2014
(RNS) Why not have two “proper” forms of the pledge, one saying “under God” and one saying “under law,” and permit students to choose which they prefer?
New Jersey lawsuit seeks to ban Pledge of Allegiance
By Kimberly Winston — April 21, 2014
(RNS) The suit against the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in New Jersey schools continues a new legal strategy.
Mass. Supreme Court weighs challenge to Pledge of Allegiance
By G. Jeffrey MacDonald — September 4, 2013
(RNS) Challengers are taking a new tack by arguing the Pledge of Allegiance violates terms of the Massachusetts’ equal rights amendment, which provides that “all people are born free and equal,” and that equality cannot be abridged by “sex, race, color, creed or national origin.”
Mass. Supreme Court to hear challenge to Pledge of Allegiance
By Kimberly Winston — August 30, 2013
(RNS) An atheist couple challenging the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance hopes that the same Massachusetts court that legalized gay marriage can set another precedent against the phrase "under God."
American Atheists wrestles with its cherished ‘grumpy’ image
By Kimberly Winston — March 29, 2013
AUSTIN, Texas (RNS) The annual Easter weekend convention of American Atheists is a delicate balancing act between the group’s image as the angry bulldog of secular organizations and its need to attract younger and less strident nonbelievers.
Mass. Supreme Court to hear case against ‘under God’ in Pledge of Allegiance
By Kimberly Winston — October 30, 2012
(RNS) Massachusetts' Supreme Judicial Court has agreed to hear the appeal of a non-religious family that's challenging the mandatory daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in their children’s classrooms. By Kimberly Winston.
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