The viewpoint of one party was missing Wednesday in a Massachusetts courtroom where attorneys and judges debated whether the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance violated the equal rights of nonbelievers: Children who are asked to recite the pledge every morning. Do children know they can opt out of saying all or part of the pledge? Do atheist students feel stigmatized as unpatriotic if they don't say "under God" when reciting the pledge? Would a 6-year-old understand the term "under God" as a philosophical statement and not a religious declaration?
