Saying the Pledge of Allegiance the Wrong Way

I have been told from time to time that we Americans are saying the Pledge of Allegiance incorrectly. Every time we say “one Nation under God” we pause between the words “one Nation” and “under God” as if there was a comma after Nation.

If you look at 4 USCS 4, you will find the following:

The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag: "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.", should be rendered by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. When not in uniform men should remove any non-religious headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Persons in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and render the military salute.

Sure enough, according to this Federal Statute, the phrase is “one Nation under God” without a comma. So, why do we pause? I am not sure of the origin of this tradition. Perhaps it's verbal laziness when having to recite something from memory. Perhaps it was a conscious decision among some early on that believe an impermissible government endorsement of religion, which functions to enforce a religious orthodoxy of monotheism, occurs when we recite this phrase without a pause.

I particularly don't care one way or another how we say “one Nation under God,” as long as we say it. When you start to mess with the Pledge of Allegiance by removing the phrase “under God,” that's a different story. It is interesting to learn that for all of these years we have been reciting the pledge incorrectly. Maybe it's time we make a change... and remove the pause.