Pastor Who Urged ‘Under God’ In Pledge Dies At 97

December 3, 2008 – Rev. George M. Docherty died at the age of 97 on November 27 at his home in Alexandria, Pennsylvania.Rev. Docherty is most famous for his influential sermon preached in 1954 where he urged that “under God” be added to the Pledge of Allegiance. Attending his sermon that day at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC was President Dwight D. Eisenhower. He was so inspired by the sermon that he urged Congress to add “under God” to the Pledge as quickly as possible. Congress acted and the Pledge was revised within four months. Portions of Rev. Docherty’s sermon are linked at the end of this article.

Dr. Peter Marshall, well-known author and pastor had also served at New York Avenue and later became Senate Chaplain. His son Peter’s ministry is an important resource on religious freedom issues and the Christian history of our nation.

Atheist Attacks Pledge

In 2002, the radical leftist 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that the words “under God” in the Pledge were unconstitutional! The lawsuit against the words “under God” had been filed by militant atheist Michael Newdow on behalf of his daughter. He claimed that his daughter was offended by having to hear the words “under God” in the Pledge at her school.

“Traditional Values Coalition has been working with Sandy Banning, Newdow’s former partner and the mother of their daughter, on the Pledge issue. He never married Banning and did not have custody of their daughter. Sandy Banning is a lovely woman. She and her daughter are both Christians and her daughter had no problem listening to ‘under God’ in the Pledge,” said TVC Executive Director Andrea Lafferty.

“Newdow’s lawsuit was based on fraud and misinformation – yet the 9th Circuit ruled in his favor and declared ‘under God’ to be unconstitutional. In 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court overruled the 9th Circuit on a technicality. It ruled that Newdow had no standing to bring such a lawsuit.

“Newdow, however, found parents who did have “standing” in court and filed another lawsuit against the Pledge in 2007. The 9th Circuit has not yet ruled on this case.”

In 2004, TVC began campaigning for passage of the Pledge Protection Act sponsored by Missouri Republican Todd Akin and for the splitting of the 9th Circuit into two additional federal circuits.

TVC’s Special Report on the 9th Circuit reveals that this federal court is the most liberal in the nation and is the most often overturned federal court as well. The 9th has issued numerous outrageous decisions that impact 56 million Americans in its jurisdiction. The 9th decisions are also used by other federal circuit courts in issuing similar decisions involving parental rights, homosexuality, religious liberty, property ownership and other concerns.

Additional Resources: Judges: Our Robed Masters; 9th Circuit Must Be Split!
Excerpts From Rev. Docherty’s Famous “Under God” Speech

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