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