Bill Text: HI SCR94 | 2014 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Commemorate February 8 as the date "under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-03-13 - Referred to TEC, JDL. [SCR94 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2014-SCR94-Introduced.html

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THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	94
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2014
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMEMORATING AND RECOGNIZING FEBRUARY 8 AS THE DATE "UNDER GOD" WAS ADDED TO THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO REMIND AMERICAN CITIZENS THAT AMERICA WAS FOUNDED ON CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES.

 

 

     WHEREAS, on February 8, 1954, a bill to "amend the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America" by inserting the words "under God" was introduced in a Joint Resolution by Senator Homer Ferguson, Republican from Michigan. In 1953, the same proposal was made by Representative Louis Rabaut, Democrat from Michigan; and

 

WHEREAS, February 8, 1954, was chosen as the date to introduce this bill because it was the five-year anniversary of the imprisonment of Cardinal Joseph Mindszenty, a Hungarian prelate who had been arrested, tortured and imprisoned by both Nazis and Communists for his sermons that exposed their common goals to eradicate all religion; and

 

WHEREAS, on February 8, 1954, six speeches were made in Congress by both Democrats and Republicans honoring Cardinal Mindszenty and drawing attention to the threat that Communism posed to America — the eradication of Christianity. Senator Ferguson's comments upon the introduction of this bill: "Our nation is founded on a fundamental belief in God, and the first and most important reason for the existence of our government is to protect the God-given rights of our citizens. America must be defended by the spiritual values which exist in the hearts and souls of the American people. Our country cannot be defended by ships, planes and guns alone"; and

 

WHEREAS, the vote to add "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance was unanimous. The bill was signed into law by President Dwight Eisenhower, who became convinced that it was the correct thing to do after hearing a sermon by Presbyterian Minister Reverend George Docherty on February 7, 1954, who pointed out that Abraham Lincoln used the phrase, that "...under God this Nation shall know a new birth of freedom" in his Gettysburg Address; and

 

WHEREAS, the original Pledge of Allegiance was recited on October 21, 1892, by an estimated 12 million school children and although it did not include a reference to God, the program that instructed schools on its recitation admonished that they "Acknowledge God" through prayer or scripture reading immediately after reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. The first time the Pledge of Allegiance was recited with the phrase "under God" was Flag Day, June 14, 1954; and

 

WHEREAS, in order to encourage, train and support legislative leaders in every field who believe in the power of prayer and ministry, and to highlight the vital role that prayer and Judeo-Christian principles have played in the history of our Nation and our state in strengthening the fabric of our society, at all times consistent with the progress of our state and with the well-being of our fellow citizens of Hawaii; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2014, the House of Representatives concurring, that we do hereby commemorate and recognize the date of February 8 as the date the U.S. Congress introduced the bill to add "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance as a method to remind United States citizens and the people of Hawaii that America was founded on Christian principles and to encourage that the compelling history of the importance of this date be posted in schools and public buildings; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and the State Board of Education for proper dissemination to the schools and agencies of our state and be made available to the Capitol Press Corp.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

 

Report Title:

 

Commemorate February 8 as the date "under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance.