A Mississippi judge asked everyone in his courtroom to stand and say the pledge of allegiance on Wednesday. A civil rights attorney refused and was jailed.
Oxford, Mississippi attorney Danny Lampley was found to be in criminal contempt. Chancery Court Judge Talmadge D. Littlejohn jailed Lampley based on the following circumstances: “The court having ordered all present in the courtroom to stand and recite the pledge of allegiance, and having found that Danny Lampley, attorney at law, failed and refused to do so, finds said Danny Lampley to be in criminal contempt of court.”
Respect for our flag and national anthem is not mandated nor legislated. It is traditional and common practice. We Americans are mostly patriotic. So why wouldn't someone say the pledge of allegiance?
If Lampley is a Jehovah Witness, then his religious beliefs may prevent him from saluting the flag or saying the pledge. Should a judge's order win out over religious belief? How sad that this question should even come up.
No, I do not know Lampley's religious beliefs. I just happen to know one reason why a person would not stand during the national anthem, salute the flag or say the pledge of allegiance. Would I go to jail if a judge ordered me to renounce Jesus? You betcha, I would. I would die for my beliefs. As it so happens, a lot of soldiers and sailors have died just so anyone could worship as their conscience leads them. If that happens to be Jehovah Witness, then so be it, although I pray that all Americans would come to know Jesus Christ as their savior and Lord. You just cannot legislate religious belief.
I am an American. I praise God that I was born in this great country. I give my allegiance to Jesus Christ, not the flag or the country. Yes, I was in the military. I am not trying to cut down the country or be unpatriotic. However, my allegiance belongs to Jesus and only Jesus. Does this now make me a criminal? I have joined the ranks of Paul (Saul) of Tarsus, Peter and Steven.
Tim, I too, am an American and I most definitely give my allegiance to the Lamb. In fact, I sing that song every so often. However, unlike some, I do not believe that giving my allegiance to this great country is a form of worship. I believe that as a citizen of the US, giving my allegiance is a form of promise that I will do my utmost to protect other citizens, to obey the US laws and the state laws, to choose my country over any other country and to never betray my country in favor of another country. To make this sort of commitment legally binding would make this a police state rather than a country built on the inalienable rights given by the Most High God. Therefore, the question is truly not one of religion or God-related because it was God who gave permission for the creation of these United States. The question is one of patriotism. Just as the blood of Jesus ran down that wooden cross for our freedom from sin and death, the blood of many soldiers, sailors soaked into the soil of 13 states, ran in the streets and gutters of foreign soil, blended with salt water in the fight for the freedom to choose how we worship. If you truly study the original writings of our forefathers, you will see that not one of them disbelieved in the Mighty God, and almost all of them believed Jesus was His Son who died on the cross and rose on the third day in victory over sin and death. You will also understand the deep love of mankind, love of country and concern that this democracy would last for generations to come. Tim you are not a criminal, and I thank you for standing between me and the bad guys.