A few weeks ago, NBC aired a patriotic clip during the final round of the U.S. Open Golf Tournament. They played it a couple of times, and although I'm a patriotic guy, I didn't care too much for it. You see, the clip had a video of children reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, but there was one problem. They left out the words, "under God" and "indivisible." When calls started coming in from concerned citizens about the error, NBC quickly apologized and stated that it was an editing error.
Editing error? Who could make that kind of error? Was it some illegal alien that didn't know the Pledge? Or was it some liberal media person who had an ulterior motive to delete any mention of God from our public broadcasts? Does NBC really not want our nation to be under God and indivisible? When I heard about it, I found it alarming and ironic. Alarming because here is one of our nation's largest television networks, trusted by millions, making an "editing error" of this magnitude. Ironic because I had been rehearsing our church choir in preparation for the July 3rd worship service, and the new piece we had been learning was entitled "Under God."
After I heard of this NBC incident, I thought back to some words spoken by two of our former U.S. Presidents. I would like to share these thoughts with you now.
As President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved the words "under God" to be added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954 he stated:
"In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most powerful resource in peace and war."
In August of 1984, President Ronald Reagan stated:
"Without God, there is no virtue, because there's no prompting of the conscience. Without God, we're mired in the material, that flat world that tells us only what the senses perceive. Without God, there is a coarsening of the society. And without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure. If we ever forget that we're One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under."
We need to remember that now, just as it's been throughout our history, our only hope and prayer is under God. Take a look at the lyrics to the song I spoke of earlier. The message is a timely one for our nation.
Under God
Half a century ago two simple words declared a truth that's planted in our hearts
And every time the flag is raised we've been honored to repeat the phrase
So the world will know we are
(chorus)Under God America's been blessed
under God brought through every trial and test
We are sheltered by the mercy He chose to give
In priv'lege and abundance this nation lives
Under God freedom has survived
Under God we need to recognize
We're dependent on His goodness, indebted to His care
Maybe more than any people any time or anywhere
Still our only hope and prayer is under God
When we pledge allegiance now it's under God
Those words have shaped the land that we hold dear
Some insist it's not allowed to acknowledge that we need Him now
But it's never been so clear
(repeat chorus)
Still our only hope and prayer
Still our only hope and prayer
is under God, under God, under God!
written by Sue C. Smith and Phil Johnson
copyright Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing