No I don't think the pledge is harmful, but having been crafted by the Knights of Columbus during Ike's time, it has a Christian flavor and overtones, and even though I consider Ike to be one of the good guys, it clearly violates the spirit of the First Amendment, that the federal government must remain neutral in religious matters. Those not of the Christian faith might be offended by being forced to recite it, just as a Christian would be offended by being forced to recite some pledge to other religions.
If the government had remained neutral there would be no controversy.