You wrote: "To pledge anything to something made by human hands, in this case a patterned piece of cloth, seems outrageous to me. How is this different from the golden calf? Just how, exactly, is this not idolatry? What about making vows only to God?"
It seems outrageous to me that people still continue to make pledges to imaginary gods. Pledging allegiance to a flag at least has some kind of symbolic meaning, speaking of a shared nationality, history and destiny. Pledging allegiance to a god is merely affirming that you're part of a collective delusion.
If you hoped to insult me with your comment Dan you will need to try a bit harder. I live with people who do not believe, came from people who did not believe. My comments are directed at those who who declare faith in God in very strong terms and yet also equate that faithfulness with a strong patriotism and a maudlin' sentimentality to the flag of the United States. For those outwith the world of faith the discussion is mute and sure! the Energizer Bunny is as valid for you as my God or their flag...
Posted by Dan Brusca at August 29, 2004 05:21 PM