Mike Newdow is an average guy who actually started his first religious institution while in junior high school in New Jersey. He finished high school there, and then undertook some university work in assorted locations (see his Wikipedia article for details). In 1977, he became an ordained minister, and has since lived his life according to the tenets of the Universal Life Church, which basically state: “Do what’s right.” [Want to be a ULC minister yourself? Just click here.] In 1997, he started his second religious institution, the First Atheist Church of True Science (FACTS). That institution is an active church, which meets each month in Sacramento. Feel free to attend if you are ever in Sacramento on a new moon. (Better yet, feel free to start a congregation of your own!) Passing one of the most difficult tests he’s ever taken, Mike obtained his Doctor of the Universe Degree from ULC in 1998.
The Rev. Dr. Newdow has the usual varied hobbies, including music, theater, sports, etc. He has written fun things such as the Polysyllabic C-words in History, and has CDs available, including Liberty and Justice for All (a collection of songs related to his Establishment Clause litigation) and Merry Solstice! (which is comprised of Christmas carols, altered for the enjoyment of Atheistic listeners). He has traveled fairly extensively, and dabbles in computer programming. Probably his greatest interest is fatherhood – he has one truly delightful daughter, for whom he has great hopes and plans. Included among these is the one he’s working on now: her ability to go to public school free from daily theistic indoctrination, as is her right, guaranteed by the California and the United States Constitutions.
A letter from Rev. Dr. Newdow
| Hi, I’m Mike Newdow, the Plaintiff in a lawsuit to remove the words “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance. Because many people have asked me why I’m doing this, and many have made it clear that they think I shouldn’t, I’m writing this brief note to explain. The First Amendment states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” As I understand it, this resulted from the Framers’ awareness of the persecution and animosity that inevitably accompanies state religions. With this in mind, they made the decision to ensure religious freedom by keeping the government out of that sensitive area. Personally, I think this was a good idea. And even if I didn’t, it’s one of the fundamental rules of our society. Thus, when I see our Pledge of Allegiance containing the words “under God,” I see a gross violation of one of our foremost Constitutional mandates.
Many people have suggested that this violation is nothing to worry about, and that I shouldn’t be “wasting my time” on such an endeavor. Those who make this suggestion are virtually all believers in God, who apparently are blind to the injuries the current Pledge causes. When I ask if they would hold the same opinion if the Pledge said “one Nation under white people,” they immediately say no. And why not? Granted, the analogy isn’t perfect: since “under God” pertains to a religious belief and “white people” reflects an immutable genetic characteristic. But, constitutionally, there is no difference: the resultant harm is that a minority population is made to feel like “outsiders” in both situations. So why is it okay to do this to atheists and not to African-Americans?
It’s worse than that. Not only is this the Pledge of Allegiance, but it is a pledge that is recited in public schools throughout the land. Thus, the government indoctrinates every schoolchild – every school day of the year – with a belief in God, and a belief that our Nation, as an entity, is one “under God.” What of those parents who choose not to inculcate their children with such a belief? Where is the religious freedom so precious to our democratic ideals? What is the difference between “one Nation under God” and “one Nation under Jesus”? And what would we all be saying if we heard that Russia had their children recite “one Nation under no god” every day?
“One Nation under God” in our Pledge of Allegiance is infuriating to me – as much as “one Nation under white people,” “one Nation under Jesus,” or “one Nation under no god” would be. We are a nation of laws – to be applied equally for every citizen. That a religious belief – the one category of belief that is specifically forbidden by the Constitution – has been inserted by the government into the Nation’s Pledge is offensive, unconscionable, unconstitutional and wrong. Since no one else has righted that wrong, I’m doing it. To end the offense. To strengthen the Constitution. |