Phil,

I really like that. I love the flag, but I've never worshiped any of those
things.

The only thing I worship is God.

Love,
Pat Ferguson

At 08:24 PM 11/7/04, you wrote:
>      There is something sad I see happening in America and that
>is the dumbing down, or the devaluating, of the importance of
>symbolism.  For example, the flag, for starters.  The supreme
>court decided a number of years ago that constitutionally, the
>flag bears no symbolism concerning freedom of speech.  Thus you
>can burn it, sit on it, sow it on the butt of your britches, spit
>on it, drag it through the mud, urinate on it, use it for toilet
>paper, and just about anything else you want to do with it.
>Yet, once upon a time, if an American flag touched the ground, it
>was to be burned.  If symbolism isn't important, why do state
>legislatures pass laws declaring certain birds as the state bird
>and flags as their state flag and flowers as their state flower?
>For that matter, why do high schools and colleges pick something
>as a symbolic representation of their school athletic teams?  Why
>do most companies and commercial businesses have a logo?  What
>comes to mind when you see a nativity scene, Santa Claus, or a
>Christmas tree?  What if you see a display of pumpkins at a
>certain time of year?  What about a 5,000 pound rock with the 10
>commandments carved into its surface?  When it really comes down
>to the meaning of the separation of church and state, I wonder if
>the founding fathers were more concerned with the government
>getting involved with the church rather than the church getting
>involved with the government.
>
>      Let me try a few things out on you to see if anything comes
>to mind.  Does a bell have an meaning to you?  How about an
>eagle.  A fish?  A bear?  A heart?  Does a halo mean anything?
>What about a star?  Does the figure eight mean anything to you?
>What comes to mind when you see the symbol of a snake?  How about
>a cross?  A candle or perhaps a lighthouse?  If symbols don't
>really have any meaning, why are icons used in computer
>applications?
>
>      I was in a church once where during the alter call, the
>pastor asked everybody in the evening service to come forward.
>As we stood around in a circle, the pastor proceeded to tell us
>how important the authority of God's Holy Word was to each of us
>as Christians.  He then lay a Bible on the carpeted floor of the
>front of the church and invited people to come and stand,
>literally stand, on the bible as he prayed for them.  He said it
>symbolized standing upon the authority of God's Word.  Oh,
>really?  Who says?  Even young people were being encouraged to go
>and stand on the Book of books.  I made up my mind, regardless of
>what it cost me, to speak up and denounce the whole thing if one
>of my kids were encouraged to stand on the Bible.   Why?  In my
>home, we never laid a Bible on the floor for any reason.  We were
>taught the bible should always be on top of anything.  That is,
>if you had other papers and magazines on a table and you laid the
>Bible down, it was always to be on top of everything.  Never,
>never, never put something on top of the Bible.  We were taught,
>the key word is taught, never to throw the Bible or to hit other
>children at church on the head using the Bible.  I remember my
>two older sisters, when they went to the public high school,
>carrying their Bibles with them along with all their other books.
>Strange to have these feelings of reverence about a bunch of
>paper and ink and genuine simulated tooled Moroccan leather.  Is
>it really that important or are we being overly sensitive about
>something that really doesn't mean anything?  Are we perhaps
>fearful we might get carried away and start worshipping the
>symbol?  Funny though, I have never felt as if I were worshipping
>the flag when I said the pledge of allegiance.  I never felt I
>might be worshipping the bible itself by reading it or carrying
>it or memorizing it.  Now that I think about it, I don't remember
>feeling like bowing down and worshipping or praying to a
>Christmas tree and I dead sure knew the presents we put under it
>weren't for the tree or some unknown god.  Speaking of big rocks
>with the 10 commandments inscribed, I don't ever think I would
>feel like falling down upon my face and worshiping the rock when
>I saw it.  Apparently, though, three lawyers in Alabama were
>somehow offended by what they thought it might mean.  I wonder
>where they think law began in the first place.  There's nothing
>like being paranoid.  I heard it argued the other day on a talk
>show by someone who isn't an absolutist but thinks everyone else
>should be, that Christians wouldn't like it if a Buddhist symbol
>of some sort was in a public courthouse.  Of course, he failed to
>recognize the simple fact that Buddhist didn't found this country
>and had nothing to do with forming a free nation.  Yet this free
>nation allows Buddhists to come here, become American citizens,
>and worship any way they wish.  They no longer even have to learn
>English to become an American citizen.  Talk about freedom.
>Their temple property can also be tax exempt.  Try that in some
>other countries and see what happens.  If symbols have no
>meaning, why are some trying to get them band from public places?
>One final question.  If symbolism no longer is needed, why do we
>still fly the American flag at half mast under certain
>circumstances?
>
>Phil.
>
>I Flew Kites With Jesus
>www.SafePlaceFellowship.com