Quote:
Originally posted by glatt
borders [on idolatry]? It is idolatry.
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You guys are
really getting off track. Idolatry is the worship of an idol representing a diety. Since Christians worship Jesus and God, and since they are baying the loudest over keeping God in the pledge then it stands to reason that they are not worshipping the flag. They are pledging their allegience - loyalty- to the United States as represented in the classroom by the flag. All "allegience" means is that you will not put another country ahead of the United States - what's so bad about that? If you can't or don't want to then don't become a citizen (or renounce your citizenship and all the bennies that come with it).
I don't know what the big deal is about the pledge. If athiests don't want to say "under god" then no one should make them. They should be permitted to recite the old "pre-god" version. People who are religiously opposed to the pledge should not be forced to recite it at all - they can lip synch a prayer orremain seated. The very idea that we need to cancel the pledge because someone who sits it out "might" get some derision is so beyond asinine that I don't have any words for it. Sitting out the pledge on some valid principle is the most American thing I can think of and the courage of any student who did so in the face of derision is a model American for the other students to observe and learn from. Its a teacher's job to point that out.
All this fuss for such a small deal.
A president put "under god" in the pledge and, since he was president and all, he gets to do stuff like that. Some other president is free to take it out. Maybe the Kerry supporters could encourage Kerry to make that part of his platform.