I pledge allegiance...?
Posted by simplisticthoughts , Sunday, February 6, 2011 5:45 PM
We all know it, our nation's pledge..."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." For the past few months I have been musing over the idea of allegiance and what it means to allege myself to something or someone. Ever since I can remember, grade school and so forth, it has been ritualized into our culture and academia to recite our allegiance to our flag. Honestly, how many of you really know the origins of our flag recitation? I am not going to give a history lesson this time, but look it up, it is rather interesting.
A lot of controversy boils over the issue of the pledge, most of what you hear about is the idea about it being a public prayer because of the words "under God". Which interestingly enough, did not get added to the pledge until 1954, the original was written in 1892. It also was revised to add "to the flag of the United States of America." But my query is neither about the revisions and religious connotations regarding it, yet my query lies in the fact that I am taking an oath that I can not solemnly swear I would uphold. Let me clarify, Blacks Law Dictionary, 6th ed. defines allegiance as "Obligation of fidelity and obedience to government in consideration for protection that government gives." That is one hefty exchange! Now, before I get written off as treasonous or unpatriotic, I would like to defend my honor by stating that I do not want to take oaths lightly. I try to be a person of my word, does not generally always work out that way but is the ultimate goal and with that being said, I do not genuinely feel that taking an oath to uphold all loyalty to my country and binding myself in an allegiance is something I can commit to. No, that does not mean I am going to commit an act of treason or espionage, but if there ever was a day that the government started contradicting, removing or abusing the Constitution and their power, I could not support that. In which I am sure many would agree with that.
As a Christian, my loyalties remain in God and people- those are the two for sure allegiances that I can pledge my loyalty to and even with people, that can be a challenge to uphold. Because lets face it, without sounding like a conspiracy theorist, I am sure we will reach a time when the government will not be our ally. Every week, kids and adults across this nation make a pledge to something they do not even know the history about. Really think about the things you bind yourself to..."It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it" Ecclesiastes 5:5 "When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said" Numbers 30:2.
I love my country, I have Lee Greenwood's "Proud to be an American" on my IPOD. I support this country, along with the men and women who serve and protect it, who I understand their allegiances, I just do not personally think I can pledge my allegiance to it wholly. Just a food for thought...
