I don't do the pledge of allegiance, salute, or put my hand over my heart when the Anthem is played. I will stand, but that is it. I don't bow my head when public prayer is happening either. It would be totally dishonest on my part to do so. I just happen to be born here. I have no respect or allegiance to "things", only to people and animals.

I have a real problem with patriotism in that it all too often feels more like jingoism. When Colin Kaepernick peacefully took a knee during the National Anthem in protest of police brutality, he was exercising his Constitutional right to protest what he saw as racism. The patriotic thing to do would have been to respect his right to do so. The jingoistic thing to do was exactly what everyone did -- lose their collective shit and call for him to be punished for disrespecting a song that ostensibly celebrates his freedom to peacefully take a knee in social protest.

Ironic, isn't it?

And now Bobsuruncle has blocked me.

Odd that only white conservative men block me lol

Who's the snowflake?

I used to stand and leave out the "Under God".

Right now I'm not sure in good conscience I could say the pledge.

" With Liberty and Justice for all?". I'd choke on the words.

I'm not much for pledging allegiance. It feels a bit divisive to me. I'm involved in my local community, I vote regularly, and I'll gladly serve jury duty when called, but a pledge of loyalty seems weird and unnecessary to me. Maybe if had a powerful government position or if I were in the military or secret service or government intelligence it would make sense to take such an oath, but I feel more like Thomas Paine did in this regard: "my country is the world, and my religion is to do good." As for "under God," I won't say that regardless; not only do I not believe it, but it's also strange/ironic to me that the phrase "one nation indivisible" was divided by the insertion of "God."

I stand but do not say the pledge. If I were to say the pledge, I would replace "under god" with "under the Constitution".

I have omitted "under god" for decades now. I've made sure my grandchildren know that those two words were added to the pledge under Eisenhower as well.

I also omit "under god." I go right on to "indivisible, with liberty and justice for all," and I end two words before everyone else.

If everyone in my vicinity knew that I was a liberal, agnostic atheist and I felt like politely representing, I would probably do something similar. Realistically, they do not, and I’m never at an event where this sort of nonsense is going on to begin with. Lately now that I hear of people being assaulted for not standing for the anthem I’d probably sit and dare someone to say something to me. There are limited ways I can use my white privilege but supporting the protest against our fascist, racist, hypocritical, evangelical government is the least I can do. I owe no allegiance to any flag or god; just my fellow humans, who are suffering under this nationalist bullshit. I love my country but my government has some motherfucking explaining to do.

No. I am not participating in such a clear form of propaganda and indoctrination willingly. I remain seated. In protest of all the atrocities that this country commits daily in the name of that flag, patriotism, and their imaginary friend, god. That, and fuck getting up for no good reason.

I don't stand and I don't put myself in a position where I have to deal with this shit. If they are gonna do it, I get up and hit the bathroom or something.

Absolutely not and here, in my area, there are seldom events that do this. My late partner quit her sub job at the local school as the new principal was having this said over the intercom and, of course, they never tell people it is their right to not participate.

I stand if I'm at a place where it is being said out of respect for my country, allegiance to a flag no allegiance to the people who it represents yes, under god no way.

I bow before no man or god ... I pledge allegiance to no country, no flag, no ruler .. only to those I love

I did it as a child in school, because it was mandatory.
I no longer recite it, and depending upon where I am, and who I'm with,
I will remain seated during it's recitation.
I will not pledge allegiance to any flag, or country.
I don't respect "patriotism", or nationalism. I find most of it false and
used as a blunt instrument with which to beat the masses to further an
agenda.
I will not participate in that, no matter who I piss off.

As a public school teacher in Texas I pledged every morning for 31 years. I think I am grandfathered in and no longer have to recite it. lol
I did stand and stood what in military jargon is called "at ease". No hand over my heart and do not say "under god".
Like mistymoon77, I'll avoid it when I can.

Same. I just omit “under God.”

Yes, but I don't say "under God" and after
"with liberty and justice for all" I add "some day."

I stay seated. Everyone else always stands and it never ceases to amaze me how people just conform.

I stand, put my hand over my heart and recite it but do not say under god.

Nearly all instances of the pledge involve my grands school functions and I absolutely will not cause them problems by refusing to stand or say it.

No because I am English

As a Britisher I do not have to pledge allegiance or loyalty to anyone or anything. I'm surprised that anyone in a free country should want to do so. It makes me think of Germany when everyone in the army had to pledge allegiance to Hitler. Don't bend the knee in subservience to anything but your own conscience.

I find that knowing people from their actions is a much greater indicator of their character and how they feel about things than simplistic incantations mumbled by rote at football games and such. A robot I'm not, and Pavlovian conditioning didn't take with me. I stand out of respect, but do not make meaningless noises for the sake of showing how patriotic and loyal I am.

The phrase, "Under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance during the "50's because mainly of pressure from The Knights of Columbus, a Catholic organization. The catholic church was engaged in that period of red scare & McCarthyism in combating "Godless Communism"

They felt adding this phrase to the Pledge would help keep Communism from our shores & preserve their power. Politicians who were terrified of McCarthyism caved in to this blatant violation of the separation of church & state in our constitution.

I believe we Agnostics should do everything in our power to have this unconstitutional phrase removed from the Pledge. The catholic church should concentrate on cleansing itself of pedophiles & stop trying to defy our American Constitution with Deistic nonsense.

Meanwhile I would stand for the Pledge. When in Rome, do as the Roman's do. But don't say, "Under God". America is not a theocracy, as some religious nuts would like to make it.

I say it every day at school as a teacher. I say "under god" just because I don't want a disruption of questions at the beginning of every period ("Why didn't you say that, Mr. X" ), and the closest I've come to being "out" as an atheist is to say I am not religious. I have too many headaches in getting my job done as at is.

Many students don't know many of the words in the pledge anyway. Pledge? Allegiance? Republic? Indivisible? Liberty? I can tell you I've had many students over the years who didn't know what any of those words meant.