In 1954, the Pledge of Allegiance was changed to include the phrase "under God." In the last few years, the controversy over this phrase has grown substantially to where it has become a problem. Many Americans do not see any harm in this phrase because they believe in God, but our forefathers wanted the separation of church and state for a reason. They wanted Americans to be free to practice their own religion, and not have government decisions influenced by religious beliefs. The phrase, "under God," as phrased in the Pledge of Allegiance goes directly against our forefathers' beliefs and the constitution. It should be removed from the pledge so the pledge would go back to the 1923 version, which was the same as the one today, but did not include the phrase "under God."
             The reason the "under God" phrase is such a problem today comes from the United States being so diverse. America is not only made up of Christians. Americans practice many different religions including Hinduism, Islam, and even Atheism. American Atheists Illinois State Director Sandra Van Maren states, "The phrase 'under god' was inserted into the Pledge during the cold war for the express purpose of forcing children to develop monotheistic religious beliefs. It also ostracizes American citizens who lack belief in deities" (Van Maren). The government is wrong to discriminate against any group. It doesn't matter if they believe in God or not. Every American has the right to practice whatever religion they choose under the constitution. The phrase, "under God," shows "God" with a capital "G," showing they mean God as displayed in the Christian religion. One possible solution to the problem would be
             changing the capital "G" in God to a lowercase "g". If the "G" in God were lowercase, it would include any god and would help accommodate oth...