"Reciting patriotic pledges is no different than reciting your last name (a 'Pledge' of respect for your ancestry) or calling someone 'Sir' or Ma-am'. It's called respect, and it's important to pass along."
Is this generally believed to be true? If so, I now understand why people think I'm so strange for not reciting the pledge of allegiance. I am fully aware that precision in the English language is degrading quickly, and that causes many misunderstandings. In the past, a "Pledge" was more or less synonymous with an "Oath." If the words to the Pledge went something more like, "I hereby identify with the Flag as the symbol of the United States of America, and acknowledge my citizenship therein," I would not have an issue with reciting it. I can no sooner "Pledge Allegiance," however, than I could swear an oath in court (which I don't do, either). It has absolutely nothing to do with me hating my country, or the flag, or even having a general animosity toward either one. In fact, I thank God on a regular basis that he has blessed me with living in this beautiful country, where we enjoy a great deal more religious, political, and personal freedom than is typical in most other nations. However, to swear an oath -- any oath -- is against my conviction as a Christian, expressly forbidden by my Savior (Matthew 5:33-37), to whose Kingdom I owe my first allegiance regardless of the nation in which I happen to reside (which happens to be my other issue with pledging allegiance to the flag -- even if an oath were permissible, my oath of allegiance would have to be to God rather than Nation).
Xyzzy, I get around the problem personally by not wearing the BSA uniform. I have no problem with _wearing_ the flag, since to me that only implies my national identity. But as long as I remain inconspicuous and I'm not in uniform, other people are free to think that I'm simply ignorant by not saluting and reciting when the Pledge is performed during BSA activities. When I attend Scout camp with the boys, I generally find an excuse to be in the Ladies' room during the twice-daily flag ceremonies. I have no wish whatsoever to call attention to myself just because my understanding of loyalty, patriotism, and the swearing (or pledging) of oaths, is drastically different from how most other people understand these things. When I am counseling merit badges or supervising activities, I will wear the Troop T-Shirt, but not the Class A uniform.
I do not belong to a denomination which prohibits the saluting of the flag or the pledging of allegiance, however I do find that when the subject comes up, roughly half of the people within my denomination have independently come to the same conclusions I have on the matter. My boys both participate in flag ceremonies and pledge allegiance to the flag, and I do not discourage them from doing so, although I do encourage them to THINK about these things rather than just follow the crowd. There was a time when my younger son came to me with a concern that perhaps saluting the flag might be the same as idolatry. After looking up the word "idolatry" in the dictionary, and reading some scripture on the subject, he felt assured that the Pledge was not the same as idolatry (and I agree) but the point is that he thought it out and came to his own conclusion. This is exactly one of the main things that I want my children to learn from their experience in Scouting.
Flag optional on uniform?
in Uniforms
Posted
"Reciting patriotic pledges is no different than reciting your last name (a 'Pledge' of respect for your ancestry) or calling someone 'Sir' or Ma-am'. It's called respect, and it's important to pass along."
Is this generally believed to be true? If so, I now understand why people think I'm so strange for not reciting the pledge of allegiance. I am fully aware that precision in the English language is degrading quickly, and that causes many misunderstandings. In the past, a "Pledge" was more or less synonymous with an "Oath." If the words to the Pledge went something more like, "I hereby identify with the Flag as the symbol of the United States of America, and acknowledge my citizenship therein," I would not have an issue with reciting it. I can no sooner "Pledge Allegiance," however, than I could swear an oath in court (which I don't do, either). It has absolutely nothing to do with me hating my country, or the flag, or even having a general animosity toward either one. In fact, I thank God on a regular basis that he has blessed me with living in this beautiful country, where we enjoy a great deal more religious, political, and personal freedom than is typical in most other nations. However, to swear an oath -- any oath -- is against my conviction as a Christian, expressly forbidden by my Savior (Matthew 5:33-37), to whose Kingdom I owe my first allegiance regardless of the nation in which I happen to reside (which happens to be my other issue with pledging allegiance to the flag -- even if an oath were permissible, my oath of allegiance would have to be to God rather than Nation).
Xyzzy, I get around the problem personally by not wearing the BSA uniform. I have no problem with _wearing_ the flag, since to me that only implies my national identity. But as long as I remain inconspicuous and I'm not in uniform, other people are free to think that I'm simply ignorant by not saluting and reciting when the Pledge is performed during BSA activities. When I attend Scout camp with the boys, I generally find an excuse to be in the Ladies' room during the twice-daily flag ceremonies. I have no wish whatsoever to call attention to myself just because my understanding of loyalty, patriotism, and the swearing (or pledging) of oaths, is drastically different from how most other people understand these things. When I am counseling merit badges or supervising activities, I will wear the Troop T-Shirt, but not the Class A uniform.
I do not belong to a denomination which prohibits the saluting of the flag or the pledging of allegiance, however I do find that when the subject comes up, roughly half of the people within my denomination have independently come to the same conclusions I have on the matter. My boys both participate in flag ceremonies and pledge allegiance to the flag, and I do not discourage them from doing so, although I do encourage them to THINK about these things rather than just follow the crowd. There was a time when my younger son came to me with a concern that perhaps saluting the flag might be the same as idolatry. After looking up the word "idolatry" in the dictionary, and reading some scripture on the subject, he felt assured that the Pledge was not the same as idolatry (and I agree) but the point is that he thought it out and came to his own conclusion. This is exactly one of the main things that I want my children to learn from their experience in Scouting.
So... there's my $0.02, for what it's worth.
-Liz