This Day in Christian History - June 14

Today, I am kick-starting the first of my series: "This Day in Christian History." I thought this would be beneficial for multiple reasons:

Christian History isn't a topic much talked about these days, especially amongst intellectual circles.

Understanding events influenced by Christianity allows us to see how we've arrived at many things we never knew how we got to in Western society and culture.

And... Being a Christian, I rather enjoy this type of history :)

June 14, 1954

The Pledge of Allegiance has "under God" added to it by.......

Numero 34. Ike.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower. That's right, the man we owe a ton of credit to for our Interstate system (and who also is often accredited for the Allied Forces' victory on D-Day).

Officially instituted by Congress in 1892 on Columbus Day, the reasoning behind the Pledge was because of post Civil War sentiments that were still running awry across the Nation. (Remember, the War took place less than 30 years before). Wanting the people to unite under one banner, Congress approved the notion to pass the Pledge into law.

It was not until 1942, however, that it was made mandatory to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools. Sparking outcries amongst religious groups (especially the Jehovah's Witnesses because they regarded the American Flag as a graven image), it was eventually petitioned and lobbied to add "under God" to the Pledge by the Knights of Columbus since it was going to remain mandatory. They succeeded.

Many received this poorly, not necessarily because there were anti-God protestors, (the vast majority of folks believed in God in the '50s) but because of the argument of the need for separation between church and state. The lawmakers who argued in an attempt to justify this new addition, however, stated that the newly added phrase didn't mean "under God" in a religious sense, but simply in a 'we seek out God's guidance for all political decisions of the state.'