I am going to address a somewhat different, and I am sure, controversial topic, that of the pledge of allegiance. This may seem a moot topic, but as a christian, and a christian dedicated to the founding ideals of the United States, I have come to conclude that saying the pledge of allegiance is both wrong for Christians to do, and that the pledge, itself, is a contradiction to the ideals of the United States.
I would like to begin by dealing with the second issue first; and to do this, I would first like to define socialism. Socialism is a "theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole." This economic system was adopted by Karl Marx, the founder of Communism, and in many ways, Adolph Hitler was socialist. I bring this point up because our pledge of allegiance was written by Francis Bellamy, a self-proclaimed socialist who frequently interjected socialism into his sermons. (To read more about him and the pledge, click here. Also, the picture posted at the top of this post is a picture entitled "The Bellamy Solute to the Flag) I in no way intend to suggest that socialists are inherently evil, instead, I find it rather odd that US citizens would recite words written by a man dedicated to the ideals of socialism, when those ideals so clearly contradict those laid forth in both our founding documents, and the words of our founding fathers.
Furthermore, the allegiance states "And to the republic for which it stands, One Nation . . ." These terms are not synonymous. When one thinks of a republic they are to understand that power is vested in the hands of the people who willing provide elected officials certain rights for the purpose of governance. This form of government is often times found in a Confederacy. A nation, on the other hand, does not require people to have nay power, but rather, and more often then not, a strong central government with its own agenda; not always the agenda of the people. A perfect example of this is the Roman Empire. A republic for 500 years, then came Cesar and out the window went the republic, and the will of the people, and in came Emperor. Frankly, to put these two words next to one another seems of over arching contradiction.
Finally, I find it difficult to pledge total allegiance to the state when my allegiance is to Christ. It could be said that one could have an allegiance to both their state and their god. To this, I define the word allegiance. Allegiance is "loyalty or devotion to some person, or of a subject to his or her sovereign". Christ is sovereign over my life, not the United States. One might then point to Romans 13 and say that as a Christian we are bound to give allegiance to our government. This works insofar as government is acting within the realm of Christ's character, which, sadly, is almost never. To read more about this topic click here.
Ultimately, I think that the action of saying the pledge, for myself, causes me to speak with a double tongue, and as a Christian, I simply cannot pledge my allegence to anything except God. (Please note that I am not against others saying the pledge, and I would in no way ask others to follow my example. This would take away from their freedom of speech, and their right to express their thoughts)
The video below deals first with the issue of Texas secession, and then with the Pledge of Allegiance. So please watch the entire clip.
I would like to begin by dealing with the second issue first; and to do this, I would first like to define socialism. Socialism is a "theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole." This economic system was adopted by Karl Marx, the founder of Communism, and in many ways, Adolph Hitler was socialist. I bring this point up because our pledge of allegiance was written by Francis Bellamy, a self-proclaimed socialist who frequently interjected socialism into his sermons. (To read more about him and the pledge, click here. Also, the picture posted at the top of this post is a picture entitled "The Bellamy Solute to the Flag) I in no way intend to suggest that socialists are inherently evil, instead, I find it rather odd that US citizens would recite words written by a man dedicated to the ideals of socialism, when those ideals so clearly contradict those laid forth in both our founding documents, and the words of our founding fathers.
Furthermore, the allegiance states "And to the republic for which it stands, One Nation . . ." These terms are not synonymous. When one thinks of a republic they are to understand that power is vested in the hands of the people who willing provide elected officials certain rights for the purpose of governance. This form of government is often times found in a Confederacy. A nation, on the other hand, does not require people to have nay power, but rather, and more often then not, a strong central government with its own agenda; not always the agenda of the people. A perfect example of this is the Roman Empire. A republic for 500 years, then came Cesar and out the window went the republic, and the will of the people, and in came Emperor. Frankly, to put these two words next to one another seems of over arching contradiction.
Finally, I find it difficult to pledge total allegiance to the state when my allegiance is to Christ. It could be said that one could have an allegiance to both their state and their god. To this, I define the word allegiance. Allegiance is "loyalty or devotion to some person, or of a subject to his or her sovereign". Christ is sovereign over my life, not the United States. One might then point to Romans 13 and say that as a Christian we are bound to give allegiance to our government. This works insofar as government is acting within the realm of Christ's character, which, sadly, is almost never. To read more about this topic click here.
Ultimately, I think that the action of saying the pledge, for myself, causes me to speak with a double tongue, and as a Christian, I simply cannot pledge my allegence to anything except God. (Please note that I am not against others saying the pledge, and I would in no way ask others to follow my example. This would take away from their freedom of speech, and their right to express their thoughts)
The video below deals first with the issue of Texas secession, and then with the Pledge of Allegiance. So please watch the entire clip.
1 comment:
Most excellent! Could I share my similar article here?
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