Family Research Council President Tony Perkins sent a letter today to the FBI Louisiana Field Office addressed to Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey S. Sallet regarding his reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance in which he omitted the phrase “under God” from his recitation.
Perkins, a former law enforcement officer with the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office and the Baton Rouge City Police, wrote, in part, in his letter to Special Agent in Charge Sallet:
“I would agree with your statement at the press conference yesterday that unity is what we need and what we should seek at this time of crisis in our community and in our nation. Sharing your desire for unity, I wanted to bring to your attention that in your reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance you omitted the fundamental element that has historically unified us—the fact that we are one nation under God. The omission may have been inadvertent, but it was noticeable and concerning, given the steady attacks on religious liberty by the present administration.
“President Ronald Reagan speaking at a prayer breakfast in Dallas, Texas in 1984 said, ‘If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.’
“President Reagan is right. Removing God only makes it more difficult to overcome the division and distrust that has been seeded into our nation. Only through God can we as individuals, families, communities and a nation find hope and unity.
“I want to give you the benefit of the doubt here and respectfully request that you offer a simple correction. Doing so would make clear that your remarks were not intended to further divide, but in fact, unify,” Perkins wrote.
To read Perkins’ full letter, please click here.
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