Another lawsuit was brought to light in the U.S. questioning the words "under God" that became part of the country's Pledge of Allegiance in 1954.
A New Jersey family is arguing in court that the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance is discriminating against atheists.
"Harm is occurring every day the state is invalidating the plaintiff's religious class," David Niose, an attorney for the American Humanist Association, who is representing the unnamed N.J. family, said in court.
The Aberdeen Matawan school district involved in the case doesn't require that students say the pledge, although it requires parents whose children are opting out to explain the decision to the school in writing, The Associated Press reported.
District attorney David Rubin said in court that he was unaware of any instances where parents refused to supply the school with an explanation as to why their child was not saying the Pledge of Allegiance.
"This is a state-sponsored and state-conducted exercise that happens every single day," Niose argued in court. "It's done every single day, for every student in all classrooms. It's not like a biology lesson or a sex education class or a controversial novel a class will have to read. It's intended to instill patriotism and to define patriotism."
