Does the Pledge of Allegiance break the Second Commandment too?

Question

Shoehorning 'under God' in the Pledge is a violation of the First Amendment by many people's analysis (including my own), but isn't pledging allegiance to a physical thing like the Flag at least roughly equivalent to worshipping a golden calf?

Answer 1

Allegiance: Loyalty or the obligation of loyalty, as to a nation, sovereign.

Worship: The reverent love and devotion accorded a deity, an idol, or a sacred object.

You do the math. I say "no".

Answer 2

***“The flag, like the cross, is sacred. . . . The rules and regulations relative to human attitude toward national standards use strong, expressive words, as, ‘Service to the Flag,’ . . . ‘Reverence for the Flag,’ ‘Devotion to the Flag.’”—The Encyclopedia Americana (1942), Volume 11, page 316.

“Nationalism’s chief symbol of faith and central object of worship is the flag, and curious liturgical forms have been devised for ‘saluting’ the flag, for ‘dipping’ the flag, for ‘lowering’ the flag, and for ‘hoisting’ the flag. Men bare their heads when the flag passes by; and in praise of the flag poets write odes and children sing hymns.”—What Americans Believe and How They Worship (1952), by J. Paul Williams, pages 359, 360.

**What scriptures have always had a bearing on the attitude of true Christians toward ceremonies involving flags and national anthems?

1 Cor. 10:14: “Flee from idolatry.” (Also Exodus 20:4, 5)

1 John 5:21: “Little children, guard yourselves from idols.”

Luke 4:8: “In reply Jesus said to him: ‘It is written, “It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.”’”

See also Daniel 3:1-28.

Do such patriotic symbols and ceremonies really have religious significance?

“[Historian] Carlton Hayes pointed out long ago that the ritual of flag-worship and oath-taking in an American school is a religious observance. . . . And that these daily rituals are religious has been at last affirmed by the Supreme Court in a series of cases.”—The American Character (New York, 1956), D. W. Brogan, pp. 163, 164.

“Early flags were almost purely of a religious character. . . . The national banner of England for centuries—the red cross of St. George—was a religious one; in fact the aid of religion seems ever to have been sought to give sanctity to national flags, and the origin of many can be traced to a sacred banner.”—Encyclopædia Britannica (1946), Vol. 9, p. 343.

“In a public ceremony presided over by the vice president of the [Military Supreme] Court, on the 19th of November, honors were shown to the Brazilian flag. . . . After the flag was hoisted, Minister General of the Army Tristao de Alencar Araripe expressed himself concerning the commemoration in this manner: ‘ . . . flags have become a divinity of patriotic religion which imposes worship . . . The flag is venerated and worshiped . . . The flag is worshiped, just as the Fatherland is worshiped.’”—Diario da Justiça (Federal Capital, Brazil), February 16, 1956, p. 1906.

Answer 3

Pledging your allegiance, and worshiping are a tad different when described in this context. No body is worshiping the flag.

Answer 4

At least the flag is a symbol of a real thing--our country, but I agree, it never should have gotten in there in the first place--the pledge has nothing to do with god, anyone's god.

Answer 5

You are not worshiping the flag when you say the Pledge of allegiance, you are PLEDGING your loyalty to your country. If you have a problem with it, there are plenty of countries in which you would not have to pledge to a flag...perhaps you should look into that.

Answer 6

The pledge was created as an effort to "patriotize" its citizens. The under god line was an effort to show that even the government is subject to a power higher than itself.

Answer 7

The flag represents our nation and it is that , to which we pledge and not a piece of cloth our nation is not a god not to us or to god.

Answer 8

All of man's governments have a oath of some sort they want their subjects/citizens to say. And, it's usually to the nation's flag.

But it is indeed taking away from God, want belongs to God.
The true christian looks for God's government, the Kingdom of God, to rid the earth of all it's problems.
Man's governments, especially the U.N., cannot not do it. After all, they add to the problems of the earth.

Exclusive devotion belongs to God, not man's governments and their flags.

Answer 9

I think its stupid. IN school i refuse to pledge the allegiance, but then teachers make me do it. range against the machine people

Answer 10

As a school teacher, when we say the Pledge, I yell out the "under God" part!!! Ain't that great!!!