You may or may not know that there is a graphic circulating around Facebook claiming that Pepsi "removed under God from the pledge of allegiance" from their cans in order to "not offend anyone." This is derived from a chain e-mail hoax in 2002 with a similar refrain regarding Coca-Cola and Dr. Pepper and their supposed patriotic can series. This is false. But it does beg some exploration into this type of debate.
In 2001, Dr. Pepper came out with a redesigned patriotic can with "One Nation...Indivisible" printed along the top, in response to the 9/11 attacks. It immediately caused an uproar among the Christian community. What they failed to realize was that it was a mere three word invocation of the pledge, not a predetermined sleight at Christians. However, I fell victim to this hoax and bandied it about my Facebook page. I was readily schooled by my father and one of his friends on the subject.
Also, as you know, the phrase "under God" was inserted into the pledge in 1954, as a response to the growing fears of Communism in the country at that time. One of the main goals of Communism was/is to marginalize religion. So the American government responded by adding "under God" to the pledge of allegiance. However, that was nothing more than targeted propaganda meant to deter Communists.
I'm sure you've seen it in the news that the Air Force is making "God" an optional phrase in their military oath. As to avoid offending those who do not believe in God. That is another thread though.
However, I am a devout Christian; and if I may be so bold, the insertion of "under God" in our pledge all of those 59 years before, was an empty acknowledgement of God as a way to strike back at the Communists. Right now, Communism is an afterthought (or so some believe), so instead we need to acknowledge God in our hearts, not in a pledge.
In 2001, Dr. Pepper came out with a redesigned patriotic can with "One Nation...Indivisible" printed along the top, in response to the 9/11 attacks. It immediately caused an uproar among the Christian community. What they failed to realize was that it was a mere three word invocation of the pledge, not a predetermined sleight at Christians. However, I fell victim to this hoax and bandied it about my Facebook page. I was readily schooled by my father and one of his friends on the subject.
Also, as you know, the phrase "under God" was inserted into the pledge in 1954, as a response to the growing fears of Communism in the country at that time. One of the main goals of Communism was/is to marginalize religion. So the American government responded by adding "under God" to the pledge of allegiance. However, that was nothing more than targeted propaganda meant to deter Communists.
I'm sure you've seen it in the news that the Air Force is making "God" an optional phrase in their military oath. As to avoid offending those who do not believe in God. That is another thread though.
However, I am a devout Christian; and if I may be so bold, the insertion of "under God" in our pledge all of those 59 years before, was an empty acknowledgement of God as a way to strike back at the Communists. Right now, Communism is an afterthought (or so some believe), so instead we need to acknowledge God in our hearts, not in a pledge.
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