Our Pledge of Allegiance – We Know It – But Do We Really Know It?
As a child, we learn little songs and poems and sayings. And they stay with us most all of our lives. We also learn to recite other words by memory, like Bible verses, oaths, and pledges.
But sometimes we learn something too well. And we know the words, but we forget what they mean.
There’s this creed, this pledge that’s just 31 words long. We all know it – it was written by a minister Francis Bellamy in 1892. It went by a number of names, but when adopted by our U.S. Congress, it was given the official title the “Pledge of Allegiance”.
We can all recite it. It talks of allegiance – words like Republic, Indivisible, Justice. And it says that it stands for all of us. But have we forgotten what it really means?
When I was a young boy, we used to watch this little 12-inch box we call the television. And one of our favorite shows was a comedian. His name was Red Skelton. He made us laugh and cry and think, and he loved America.
One night, at the end of his TV comedy show, he told the story of when he was a boy and attending school; how they stood each morning before class to recite the pledge of allegiance to our Flag. And as they did their reciting his teacher noticed; they were only saying shallow memorized words that really meant nothing. And that’s when the teacher explained to the children what the Pledge really meant.
Listen closely.
I – me, an individual, a committee of one.
Pledge – dedicate all my worldly goods to give without self-pity.
Allegiance – my love and my devotion to the flag, our standard Old Glory, a symbol of freedom. Wherever she waves there is Respect because our loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts freedom is everybody’s job.
United – that means we have all come together as states; we are individual communities that have united into 48 great States 48 individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose; all divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common purpose that is love for Country and to the Republic.
Republic – a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern; and government is the people and it’s from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.
For which it stands,
One Nation– meaning so blessed by God.
Indivisible – incapable of being divided.
With Liberty – which is freedom, the right of power to live one’s own life without threats, fear or some sort of retaliation.
And Justice – the principle or qualities of dealing fairly with others.
For All – which means it’s as much your country as it is mine.
And then Red Skelton closed his talk with this thought. He said, “Since I was a small boy, two States have been added to our Country and two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance.
The two words? – ‘Under God’.
Wouldn’t it be a pity if someone said, “that is a prayer” and it is eliminated from our Public Schools?
Take a moment now – recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Think of the words.
Since I heard Red Skelton’s Talk, I have never thought of the Pledge the same.
God Bless You!
