COLUMN: Where has the Pledge of Allegiance gone?
It is incredible how much patriotism we’ve seen since the Manhattan Massacre on Sept. 11.
The American flag is flying high in parks and front yards throughout the country. It’s hanging from bridges and buildings, rafters and rooftops. Its meaning and symbolism has been renewed.
The flag isn’t the only thing with newfound respect, however. The national anthem is being sung with more feeling. Baseball is taking time out of each playoff game during the seventh-inning stretch and replacing the traditional “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” with “God Bless America.”
And the shocker of all … the Pledge of Allegiance has returned to schools across the land.
Why, however, did it take such a horrific event for all of these things to once again be appreciated? Why weren’t we celebrating these things before Sept. 11? Why were these symbols and celebrations of freedom shoved to the back of the room and scoffed at as if they were no longer necessary?
America, we know better.
Why don’t kids stand up and cite the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of every class period? Did we become that blind to the blessings of this great land? Have special interest groups gained that much power in America today – so much power that the few can drown out the voices of the many?
Numerous schoolteachers have told me they are not allowed to lead their classes in the Pledge of Allegiance. Why? Because there is a reference to God, and children can’t be taught of God in a state institution. Furthermore, the mere mention of God might be enough to scar a young mind for life. If exposed to such ideas, the child might turn out to be (gasp. shhhhh) … a God-fearing Christian.
Make no mistake about it; our forefathers are rolling in their graves.
This country was founded on a firm belief in God, and the pledge to the flag reflects that belief. So does our currency. The men who wrote the Constitution were faithful men with the utmost respect for God. They separated church and state not so people wouldn’t be taught of God, but so the government could never restrict freedom of religion. The separation of church and state was never intended to wipe the Pledge of Allegiance from the school walls. Rather, it was intended to make sure children across the country could stand on a daily basis and state their allegiance to God and country.
Yet here we are, some 225-plus years later, and kids in grammar school don’t even know the words by heart. They can’t even recite a couple of lines. Why? Because we’ve chosen to overlook such symbols of freedom in the interest of a handful of people who might be offended.
Shame on us.
Shame on us not only for forgetting God, but for forgetting the fallen soldiers who fought for our freedom. Shame on us for not honoring those who spilt their blood in service of God and country – two things which are inseparable when talking about the freedoms we enjoy in this land. Shame on us for overlooking what made this country so special.
It’s time to put the Pledge of Allegiance back in the classroom. This idea is not radical. I’m not asking we reinstate prayer in public schools. I’m not saying everyone should be forced to practice Christianity. I’m merely suggesting it’s time for kids to learn what it means to have “One nation, under God.”
Many people have wondered over the last month why God would let something so unthinkable happen to so many innocent people. Perhaps the question isn’t why he let it happen, but rather why he didn’t let it happen sooner? I mean no disrespect for the lives lost in the attack on this great country, nor do I think we deserved any of this. Nothing could be further from the truth.
But it is an interesting question, isn’t it? Why have we been blessed and protected for so long? Like you, I hope and pray attacks like those witnessed on Sept. 11 will never happen again. I just hope we haven’t already strayed too far from what made this country so great to begin with.