In the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, we say “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” It is no secret to many citizens of the United States, or to those observing us around the world, that this was not true when the pledge was written in 1897, nor when it was modified in 1954.
My father, his four brothers, and six of my mother’s brothers, two nephews, and over twenty male and female cousins have served in the U. S. Military. My father served when the U. S. Military was racially segregated.
While the pledge expressed an ideal or dream, it seems that we have abandoned even the thought of God. Certainly, many of our practices, and much of our present nationalistic rhetoric, indicate that we are a divided nation. Liberty and justice, historically and presently, have escaped a great part of the nation.
At one point, many people throughout the world, believed that we believed really believed in God and in liberty and justice for everyone.
There may be a few nations in the world that believe themselves to be under the rule of God, but none, that I know of, that can boast of clean hands in this regard.
Wherever we are in the world, if there is any hope for our reputations, our nations, and the world, we must repent, or at least be honest about where our honest allegiance lies.
Repentance, loyalty, fairness, and justice will require a new discipline. If we are going to successfully live as a nation and world reverencing God, we must make a change.