What’s In The Pledge
This week in church we sang, “Jesus Lover of My Soul”. On the way home from church my son asked me, “What does that mean to fly into someone’s bosom?” A few weeks ago we sang “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name” and he asked me, “What does that mean when an angel’s prostate falls?” When we recite words by rote memorization, it’s easy to disregard the meaning.
I’m glad a 14-year-old boy is paying that much attention to what the adults are saying. Wouldn’t it be great if everyone thought about what we are doing instead of blindly accepting the status quo?
One of the reasons we have our Country today is because independent thinkers considered the situation with the Motherland and decided it was time to go a different direction. There’s a time to conform to the norm and there’s a time to shake off the old ways when they no longer reflect reality or are no longer meaningful.
The original pledge used a salute like what’s shown in this photo. The Socialist (NAZI) Party of Germany adopted this same salute, so it was changed to hand over the heart. A Socialist, Francis Bellamy, wrote it in 1892 to be used in government schools. Our Country survived over 100 years without needing a pledge.
It’s good for our Country to be united around the same set of values. The Constitution and the Declaration of Independence function as the conscience of our Country. However, the Bible is the basis for our founding documents. If we move from our foundation and these documents become corrupted, what is an appropriate response?
Patriotism is good, but taken to an extreme it can become idolatry, which is bad. As we consider the right perspective, our highest allegiance belongs to God first.
Many people are afraid to not say the pledge for fear they would look “unpatriotic”. They don’t know enough about the subject to feel comfortable sitting it out, so they are left with a ritualistic perplexity. A few of my friends add to it “…with liberty and justice to all…BORN AND UNBORN.”
On our show today, we talk with someone who studied the Pledge of Allegiance and who offers her perspective on what we do and why we do it.
Most of us were taught the pledge at a young age so we do not think twice about it. Some may be bothered by the questions but it’s always good to know the truth and make an informed decision.
What are your thoughts on the Pledge of Allegiance?
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4 Comments
Arthur LeBeau, Jr.
After reading the article, each reader please click on “Francis Bellamy” (emphasized in blue) It is important to know how “under God” was added. However it does not state that the concept came from the Knights of Columbus How our Republic has transgressed downward. Put God & the Ten Commandments back in school. Where are the Christians & The Christian Churches on this subject? (Art LeBeau, Villa Ridge, MO (Christian & Conservative)
Steve Collier
In our attempt to make everyone feel accepted, we have disregarded many of the mores of the past, thus loosing the focus on the principles upon which this nation was founded. For those who refuse to say the pledge of allegiance, we need to engage them in dialogue to understand why they refuse. I think many objectors have accepted the distorted view of our nation’s history, promulgated by those who want to change history. If you examine the picture of the class saying the pledge, I like the hand over the heart more than the “salute,” possibly because the Nazis used the salute. Perhaps returning to the dress code wouldn’t be such a bad idea. Much of the dress by girls today make it difficult for boys to keep their mind on their studies!
Mark
I’ll start with one reason the pledge is a mistake. My allegiance is to be to ‘the people’, that body which is protected by the system we created. I am not an officer of the United States, I am full flesh and blood human with the Inalienable Rights which are being served. I need no reason to Pledge Allegiance to an Institution I create any more than I would pledge allegiance to my Hammer for helping me build a house.
Dale
Thanks for all you do and bringing this to light. With kids in the Catholic school system I would hope they would delve into this as a teaching moment but unfortunately I don’t believe that is the case. When I discovered the history behind the pledge I was shocked but use it as a teaching moment every chance I get.