Source: Religion and Ethics Newsweekly

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week726/cover.html

On February 27, 2004 the Religion and Ethics Newsweekly reported, "In late March the Supreme Court is to hear oral arguments in the case of an atheist, Michael Newdow, who wants the words 'under God' removed from the Pledge of Allegiance. The pledge was written in the late nineteenth century, but it wasn't until 1954, during the Cold War against communism, that Congress inserted the words 'under God.' Are those words merely a ceremonial reference to religion's role in the country's history? Or do they cross the line separating church and state?" The article features an interview with Newdow, who comments, "'We have a history that a lot of people believed in God. We also have a history of people that didn't believe in God. And the main history that we had was a history that we had religious freedom.'"