A Comment About Our Flag ……

I thought I’d share this.  I hope it expresses my thoughts towards our flag appropriately enough for people to understand.

I recently made a comment to a FB friend.  Like many others, she seems confused as to why people stand for our flag.  Now, much of the comment was responding to comments she made.  So, it may be less clear than I wish it to be.  But, let me be clear about this, she’s a friend.

XXX     I’m a veteran. I can tell you unequivocally our flag is not about our servicemen. It’s certainly not why I stand for our flag. Indeed, the people in our military are taught to respect our flag in various ways, but, it is never to simply show respect for our fellow defenders. Our flag, that is, yours and mine, is NOT emblematic of our military. It is emblematic of our nation.

So, this begs the question of what is “our nation”? It is, in part, our military, our guardians. But, that’s just a small part. It’s our people, it is our land, but, mostly, it is the idea of this nation. Sure, pay respects to the people who have offered to die for this nation, if need be, and the many who have. That’s part of respect for the flag. It is also, respect for our fellow citizens, our commonality and pursuit towards a common cause.

But, what is our “idea”, our common cause? The 2nd paragraph of our Declaration of Independence is the start of our common cause …… “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” ……. I would note, the thoughts expressed here were a near echo of other thoughts already expressed, but, they omitted the reference to the rights “endowed by their Creator”. Our founders had purposely inserted this notion, which, entirely changes the meaning.

That this nation has no king is also, not by happenstance, but, rather derived directly from the Bible. Our Constitution is derived from the notions expressed in the Bible. Indeed, one of our founders, John Adams, had this to say about our Constitution ….. ” Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, • would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” .

The foundation and the idea of this nation is centered entirely on God’s Word. I suppose the central notion is freedom. As you well know, God is the Father of freedom. No legitimate government can be founded otherwise. As far as I know, no other government has been. This is our notion, our idea, for our people, for our land, one nation, under God, indivisible. <—— This is our flag!!!!

I yearn for this nation to be a moral and religious nation. I desire that the people of this nation understand our rights, our freedoms are endowed by our Creator. I pray that we may once again be one nation under God. I respect our guardians who gave so much for this idea. This is why I stand for our (yours and mine) flag. I’ve never once tried to compel people to do so, nor, do I advocate doing such. But, then, if they don’t, then, they’ve lost all of my respect.

BTW, it isn’t idolatry to do so. Standing, rather than kneeling, is intentional. Standing means you are a part of whatever you are standing for, kneeling means you are subservient to whatever you are kneeling for. I don’t want anyone to kneel for our flag. Then, it does become idolatry.