on not saying the pledge of allegiance.

[redbeardiam]

I haven't gone so far as this guy. But I sympathize. I am uncomfortable pledging my allegiance.

http://www.wilderness-voice.com/2012/04/...l?spref=tw

Thoughts?

[Natalie]

You're an American. You can choose to, or choose not.

Perk of being American.

[laurat99]

Every time I say the pledge, it reaffirms why I love my country. I find joy in being patriotic and loving my country, like I find joy in being a child of Jesus. If I'm at a meeting and someone doesn't say the pledge and I notice, I'll wonder why. Maybe I'll ask why they don't say the pledge, if I know that person well enough. I had the chance to live in another country for a while, and that makes me appreciate the US all the more.

That being said, our church choir is singing a song for the Sunday before Memorial Day that has the whole "as a country we've turned away from God" theme which makes me uncomfortable. If God is removing His favor from the USA, it's because of Christians, not everyone else. That thought is a bit to fundy-performance based for my blood.

[Darrell]

I say the pledge. I don't have a problem with it.

Loving my country is not equal to loving Jesus but loving Jesus doesn't preclude me from loving my country.

[exOBCstudent]

(04-25-2012 09:27 AM)Darrell Wrote:  I say the pledge. I don't have a problem with it.

Loving my country is not equal to loving Jesus but loving Jesus doesn't preclude me from loving my country.

Well put.

I also will recite the Pledge, only no longer will I follow it with those to the Christian flag or KJV Bible.

I enjoy standing in uniform with rifle at Present Arms during the playing of the National Anthem MUCH more though.

I guess I asscociate the Pledge with school most of the time instead of what it really is supposed to mean on it's own.

[elfdream]

There was a time when I went through the 'angry Indian' stage and didn't pledge for a while. I kept stumbling over the 'liberty and justice for all' part. I do now simply because the Flag is one of the things that can unite Americans. We have different ethnic backgrounds, different religions...no monarch. We don't even look like each other. This and the Constitution are some of the things that can 'unite' us.

[amyrose5]

Exactly how often are you all, as adults, somewhere where it is said? Because I'm pretty sure that were I not a teacher, I would not have been anywhere where it was said in the last 20 years or more.

Incidentally, all of the rah-rah nationalism of anthems, pledges and rituals was born in the 19th century. Historically, these are new developments among humans. It's worth thinking about why we even see a need for any of it.

[Donb123]

I don't do it. It reminds me of Hitler Youth too much. I might well love my country but I don't really love where it is today and I'm certainly not pledging allegiance to an emblem of something- particularly when I don't mean it.

The original pledge was written by a Christian Socialist so frankly the intent might not be something that all the good patriots who chant it at rallies today might even like. The notions of national solidarity (Bellamy had the words "equity" and "fraternity" in it at one point.) are all happy thoughts but there's nothing realistic about them. Why play mind games with kids?

[Donb123]

As to the question of where- baseball games, Girl and Boy Scout events are two things that come to mind

[dramaturge]

I'm pretty sure I've never said the pledge at a baseball game of any kind, and I've been to all kinds. National anthem, yes; pledge, never that I can think of. Besides my classroom or a school open house thing, the only place I can think of having said the pledge...maybe at a political rally? AWANAs? It's not really that common of a thing to do in general, I would imagine. I have no problem saying the pledge. I don't think we've quite accomplished what it proclaims about us as a nation, but I use that with my students. We do some writing prompts to encourage them to think about what "justice for all" means, and what they can do to help us as a nation get there. I really hate saying the pledge to the Christian flag. Currently it's better because the one we use says "One brotherhood, uniting all mankind in service and in love" rather than the "one savior, crucified, risen, and coming again with life and liberty to all who believe" that I learned as a child. It still seems weird to me to pledge allegiance to a flag of faith--weirdly theocratic. Pledging to a nation of which I'm a citizen seem much less weird to me. While I admit that there can be a fine line between patriotism and nationalism, the pledge doesn't trigger that for me.