Mother - Girl in Pledge of Allegiance fight is no atheist

SAN FRANCISCO -- The 8-year-old girl whose father successfully sued to have the Pledge of Allegiance declared unconstitutional has no problem with reciting the pledge at school, her mother said Thursday.

"I was concerned that the American public would be led to believe that my daughter is an atheist or that she has been harmed by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, including the words 'one nation under God,"' Sandra Banning said in a statement. "We are practicing Christians and are active in our church."

Banning never married Michael Newdow, the third-grader's father and the atheist behind the pledge lawsuit.