The Flag Salute

= The Flag Salute =
Even though we do not salute the flag of any nation, this certainly is not meant to indicate disrespect. We do respect the flag of whatever country we live in, and we show this respect by obedience to the country’s laws. We never engage in antigovernment activity of any kind. In fact, we believe that present human governments constitute an “arrangement of God” that he has temporarily permitted to exist. So we consider ourselves under divine command to pay taxes, tribute and honor to such “superior authorities.”​—Romans 13:1-7.
Although we do not discourage others from saluting the flag, we cannot conscientiously give what we view as worship to anyone or anything except our God, Jehovah. (Matthew 4:10) Of course, many people do not consider the flag sacred or that saluting it is an act of worship. However, consider what secular authorities say about this: “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.
It is interesting that in the colonial days of America the Puritans objected to the British flag because of its red cross of “Saint” George. According to The Encyclopædia Britannica (1910-1911), they did this, “not from any disloyalty to the mother country, but from a conscientious objection to what they deemed an idolatrous symbol.”
One of the Ten Commandments forbids making an object to worship with “a form like anything that is in the heavens above or that is on the earth underneath.” (Exodus 20:4, 5) As Christians, we also feel bound by the Bible’s command to ‘guard ourselves from idols.’​—1 John 5:21.
Others have expressed an understanding of the position we have taken that the flag salute is related to worship, as the following comments show: “Christians refused to . . . sacrifice to the [Roman] emperor’s genius​—roughly equivalent today to refusing to salute the flag or repeat the oath of allegiance.”​—Those About to Die (1958), by Daniel P. Mannix, page 135.
“The key assumption is that saluting a flag constitutes an act of religious devotion. . . . This view, while odd, is not entirely without biblical support. . . . If saluting is a religious act, then it is forbidden by God’s law however worthy the object of respect. In other words, refusal to salute need imply no disrespect for flag or country.”​—Render Unto Caesar, The Flag-Salute Controversy (1962), David R. Manwaring, assistant professor of political science, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, page 32. We would like to emphasize that we intend no disrespect for any government or its rulers by our refusal to salute the flag. It is just that we will not, in an act of worship, bow down to or salute an image representing the State, like the one Nebuchadnezzar raised up in the plain of Dura, or like the modern flags of the nations. (Daniel 3:1-30) Significantly, the Supreme Court of the United States, in a historic reversal of a previous decision, stated: “We think the action of the local authorities in compelling the flag salute and pledge transcends constitutional limitations on their power and invades the sphere of intellect and spirit which it is the purpose of the First Amendment to our Constitution to reserve from all official control.”​—West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943). So then, while others salute and pledge allegiance, our children stand quietly during the flag salute ceremony. But if, for some reason, the flag ceremony is conducted in such a way that simply standing gives evidence of one’s participation in the ceremony, our young ones remain seated. In addition, our youths do not march in patriotic parades, which would show their support of the thing honored by the parade. We remain neutral.
Category:Flag
Category:Flag Salute
Category:Flags