Why the Pledge of Allegiance is Good and Why You Should Say it
As an answer to ARandomPerson’s Reasons Why the Pledge of Allegiance is Stupid, I have decided to defend the Pledge with this post. I will counter each one of his list entries with these 10 points, respectively:1: I’ll just repeat: This country was founded on Christian values. You cannot argue with that. The Pilgrims were Christian. Most of the Founding Fathers were Christian. People need to stop getting offended over that heritage. The founders still believed in freedom of religion regardless. Besides, what 'religion' doesn't believe in a God or some other higher power? Why would it be inappropriate to mention anyway? Especially when you, personally, can just leave those two words out when you state the Pledge (as the Pledge itself is not mandatory *see point 6*).
2: You are not pledging allegiance to a ‘piece of fabric’. The American flag is a symbol. Everything about it is a symbol. Even the colors are symbolic. White signifies purity and innocence. Red, hardiness & valor. And Blue signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice. The stripes, of course, symbolize the original 13 colonies; and the stars symbolize the 50 states.
We state the pledge to show honor and respect for the flag, this country and for the freedom they both stand for.
Saying the Pledge is a way to show loyalty towards your country. Because, you know, fidelity is a perfectly good thing. And by the way, you’re pledging loyalty to the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. NOT to a political party or any other political institution. Nor are you pledging to any religious institution.
Lastly, when you say the pledge, you honor the men and women who have died defending this country. Next time you state the pledge, remember the countless men, women and children who have given their lives through the centuries, so that you can live free and peacefully today.
3: As I’ve said elsewhere, freedom is equality of opportunity. NOT equality of outcome. People are responsible for their own lives and destinies. NOT the government. I will also add, when you say the pledge, you are pledging allegiance to freedom for each person in the country. In other words, you are pledging to honor other people’s freedoms and to uphold their rights. “Liberty and justice for all.” Again, this does not mean everyone will have the same outcome in life. Life isn’t fair sometimes. It is not the government’s job to meddle, placing more restrictions on our lives to try and make life fair. That is the opposite of freedom! Government trying to even the odds for everyone? (What I believe ARandomPerson was trying to suggest) That is socialism in a nutshell. In the words of John F. Kennedy, “My fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
4: Regardless of who wrote the Pledge, it is still relevant to all and certainly doesn’t encourage socialism or indoctrinate socialism. It is not political - it is a declaration of support for the ideals of freedom and individual liberty.
5: Talk about simplification. It was not written to sell flags. It was written to educate children to be patriotic and to raise awareness of what the flag stands for. Francis Bellamy, the man who wrote the Pledge, wanted to recover some of the patriotism of the Civil War era. He also, most importantly, wanted to provide a patriotic emblem to school children, particularly those immigrant children who might have mixed national allegiances. The United States, especially those states in the Northeast, saw hundreds of thousands of immigrants entering the country at that time, many of them eastern and southern European. Moreover, their religion was Catholic or Jewish and perceived as permanently foreign. Bellamy hoped that the Pledge could serve as a unifying force among the various groups. *See point 9*
"At the beginning of the nineties [1890’s] patriotism and national feeling was at a low ebb. The patriotic ardor of the Civil War was an old story... The time was ripe for a reawakening of simple Americanism and the leaders in the new movement rightly felt that patriotic education should begin in the public schools.” -Francis Bellamy
James Upham "felt that a flag should be on every schoolhouse".
6: It is not compulsory. West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, look it up. Reciting the Pledge is not a requirement, but a show of patriotism to the country. It is an action that symbolizes one's loyalty to the United States of America and the feeling that, as an American, one is proud to be a part of this blessed country. Of course, patriotism cannot be forced, which is why the recitation is NOT compulsory.
7: By saying the pledge, you are showing a lack of shame in being patriotic. Screw the people who get offended by our right as citizens to pledge ourselves to the country we love. That’s right. I’m pulling the freedom of speech card again. Don’t be intimidated by those who will make you feel bad or reject you for being patriotic or, if you dislike America so much, non-patriotic. STAND FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN! Don’t cower down like a little bitch!
8: Reciting it everyday may direct children to think more deeply about its meaning and significance. Hence, why it is important to say the Pledge each day.
9: The Pledge is a unifying force. It brings us together in the midst of everything else that divides us. As political and cultural issues separate us, the United States Flag and the Pledge of Allegiance binds us together. At least, it is supposed to. We are supposed to be united in spite of race, religion, culture, differences in political opinion, etc., etc. But unfortunately, we really aren’t anymore. Because so many people don’t care about their country.
“Citizens, by birth or choice, of a common country, that country has a right to concentrate your affections. The name of american, which belongs to you, in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of Patriotism, more than any appellation derived from local discriminations.” -George Washington, Farewell Address - 1783
10: “Under God” does not violate the First Amendment. As ModernSpongeBobSucks has already stated, the Supreme Court case, Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow, has already addressed this issue. Obviously, the case goes into great detail. If you’re that anal about two little words though, you can read about the case on Wikipedia.
In short:
“Chief Justice Rehnquist's opinion asserts the term "under God" does not endorse or establish religion but it actually asserts that the term merely acknowledges the nation's religious heritage, in particular the role of religion for the Founding Fathers of the United States. Thus, according to the opinion, the Pledge is a secular act rather than an act of indoctrination in religion or expression of religious devotion.”
“Justice O’Connor would hold that the Pledge is a permissible form of ‘ceremonial deism,’ recognizable as such because it is very brief, recited by rote, avoids reference to any particular religion, and is not worship or prayer. This is an important opinion; it is the first Supreme Court opinion suggesting objective criteria for distinguishing permissible and impermissible government invocations of religion.”
I’ll end by saying that writing this post has only served to make me more proud to be an American, more proud of my country and it’s heritage, and glad that the Pledge of Allegiance is such a special, important tradition. I hope all who read this post will see that. I think I’ll go recite the Pledge now! Thank you!
*puts right hand over heart and stands, facing the flag*
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.
Comments
This is a direct stab at ARandomPerson isn't it? - visitor
Is this more sarcasm? because I should think it's obvious. And I addressed that in paragraph uno. I am making a stab at his list, not him. He and I are friends, anyway. - visitor
Oh, just making sure lol - visitor
I agree this is a good post, yet I have some points to make. The pilgrims Were Christians, but they came from England was to escape Prosecution. The country was founded on Freedom OF religion. If ther is under God, I believe it should have Under "Zeus" too. - ARandomPerson
I want everyone to look at this: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pledge_of_Allegiance - ARandomPerson
They were escaping 'persecution' not 'prosecution'. - visitor
Okay, then. So you suggest we state EVERY religion's name for God in the pledge. 'One Nation, Under Zeus, Under Allah, Under Shivah, Under Vishnuh, Under Jehovah...' on and on down that list. We'd be at it all day. That is silly, inconvenient and completely unnecessary. 'God', the basic, generic English term for any supreme deity, can easily cover all of those. And why do you care about 'Zeuz' if you're an atheist? Besides, the Supreme Court has already ruled that 'under God' does not favor any religion, as you seem to think. I will repeat: “Chief Justice Rehnquist's opinion asserts the term "under God" does not endorse or establish religion but it actually asserts that the term merely acknowledges the nation's religious heritage, in particular the role of religion for the Founding Fathers of the United States. Thus, according to the opinion, the Pledge is a secular act rather than an act of indoctrination in religion or expression of religious devotion.” - visitor
I'm not saying we list all of the gods, I say we don't have to say the under God part if we don't want to. I once did that, and my teacher yelled at me for not saying it. - ARandomPerson
Yelled at you? That's a bit over the top. What a jerk teacher you have! I addressed this in my post. You don't have to say 'Under God' even if you want to say the Pledge. - visitor
I knew I don't have to say it, yet all of my class mates over react to it and just ask me over and over why didn't you say the pledge? And no, ignoring them didn't help. - ARandomPerson
I know* - ARandomPerson
Well, seeing as you are so against saying the Pledge, you must hate this country and you clearly hate the flag (as you insinuated that you'd like to burn it) and the republic it stands for and you don't want 'liberty and justice for all.' - visitor
And since you believe that "religion has to go", you must not really believe in freedom of religion. No wonder you don't say the Pledge. - visitor
Spot on, eventer51314. I agree with every point you made on this list. - visitor
Thank you for taking the time to read it! - visitor
While I disagree with arandomperson, he makes valid points. - visitor
The Pledge violating the 1st amendment? That is not a valid point. The Supreme Court has ruled that it doesn't violate the 1st amendment. And that ruling right there invalidates all his other arguments. - visitor
The one valid point he makes is that America is not indivisible. It's true, we are very divided right now. Thanks to...well I'm not going to point fingers. Heck I'm half on board for Texas seceding. though that's a pipe dream. - visitor
Look at his bible list. The reasons aren't incredibly stupid. They look like they were well though out. And before you scream "atheist! ", I'm a catholic. - visitor
Why are you bringing that up? I'm not talking about that list. This post is for the list bashing the Pledge. - visitor
I'm giving proof he has good reasoning. - visitor
Think what you want. - visitor
ARandomPerson is a jerk - TwilightKitsune
He's actually really nice to talk to in pm. And willing to put aside differences to chat. His lists are just really annoying. - visitor
Yeah, I'd agree with eventer. - ARandomPerson
I'll try to talk to him again then. The first time we talked we were arguing so I'll probably try to get along with him. - Skullkid755
That's good, Skullkid755 - visitor
It's always impressive to read an erudite discourse. This American (me) respects the Pledge, with 'under God' intact. - Crwth
Thank you! Glad to hear that - visitor
Bravo. One of the few actual "high quality" posts on this site. Well-written, clearly explained and supported reasoning. - Billyv
Thank you! - visitor
Well done! - visitor
Thanks - visitor
I think the problem with "under God" is that "God" while it could technically be referring to any religious deity, is almost always associated with the trinitarian God in Christianity. And I think that in the pledge, it is most likely referring to The trinitarian God. I am a Christian, so this doesn't mean much to me personally, but I sort of understand what ARandomPerson was getting at. Obviously America was founded on Christian values, but it was not a "Christian country". It was a country founded on the idea that all religious beliefs were welcome. I don't think that adding "under God" takes that away, but I'm just saying I can understand some frustration at this part of the pledge. - visitor
You're contradicting yourself. We have always been a predominately Christian nation. The majority of early immigrants came from Europe. All of Europe was either Protestant and/or Catholic. That doesn't mean we don't except people of other religions and countries. - visitor
This is a good post - 2storm
Thank you - visitor
Good post. - ProPanda
Thanks - visitor