The Naval Academy Almost Stood Up For the American Flag

[margotb822]

But, then the Evangelicals "made" them back down.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — On Sundays at the Naval Academy Chapel, at a few minutes past 11 a.m., the choir stops singing and a color guard carrying the academy flag and the American flag strides up the aisle.

Below a cobalt blue stained-glass window of Jesus, one midshipman dips the academy flag before the altar cross, and the other dips the American flag.

The dipping of the flag has begun this nondenominational Protestant service at the Naval Academy for 40 years. But in civilian life, the American flag is never to be dipped, and the Navy says, it is not dipped at any other worship service at the academy or at any other installation.

In October, after the academy’s superintendent, Vice Adm. Jeffrey L. Fowler, raised questions about the ritual with the academy chaplains, they suspended the flag-dipping because “there was a concern over teaching midshipmen something not practiced anywhere in the fleet,” the academy’s spokesman, Cmdr. Ed Austin, said in an e-mail message.

Clashing Over Church Ritual and Flag Protocol at the Naval Academy Chapel

[bryant69]

1. I'm having a hard time caring about this

But I'm sure i should care about it.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Bonobo]

2. It is threatening to non-christians though.

This is a ritual act of baptism for the flag of all of US citizens.

It sickens me.

[bryant69]

3. I think I'd care more about it if it were a new thing

Or widespread.

As it is we are talking about a long standing custom that hasn't spread to other parts of the navy.

Bryant

[RaleighNCDUer]

10. "In god We Trust" started in 1864 on a 2 cent coin.

Nothing to worry about - it's just a two-cent coin. Never on any other currency in the first 85 years of the Republic.

"Not a new thing" becomes "tradition". And "widespread" can change.

Blending of church and state is what, #4 on the 14 point of fascism?

[bryant69]

11. Well I'm on record as saying that 14 Points of Facism is bullshit

And your problem with the bit on the coin is that it spread to other coins and denominations. If it had stayed only on the 2 cent coin well, there isn't a 2 cent coin anymore, so no problem.

To what other institutions has this traditions spread to?

Bryant

[RaleighNCDUer]

12. I don't know. Do they dip the flag to the cross at KKK rallies?

What about religious lodge meetings? Every tradition in the world started with one person, or one group, doing something that caught on with like-minded people.

For myself, I believe neither in god nor in flag veneration - so it shouldn't matter to me - but combining the two is dangerous, and is exactly what the founding fathers feared.

Keep god out of the government, and government out of the churches.

[bryant69]

13. OK - I guess my attitude is there a lot more direct and current examples of this

Jamming Ten Commandments on Courthouses for example - Judge Moore and all that, that strike me as much more threatening and problematic.

Bryant

[RB TexLa]

5. I don't think anyone's pouring water over the flag. Bowing to an altar and genuflection

toward a tabernacle are physical signs of reverence and admiration. Theologically it makes no sense to bow or tip a flag toward an alter and is rather silly.

[margotb822]

4. Unless you want your military fighting in the name of God

instead of the Constitution, which isn't what it's supposed to be doing. Unless you want your future leaders thinking they're fighting a holy war against muslims instead of a made up war for oil. I think it's indicative of the greater problems facing this country, the steady march to the right and the suppression of our Constitutional rights and freedoms. So, I think you should care...even just a little.

This might explain why I care a little more. Check it out--> http://www.serveoutloud.blogspot.com

[spoony]

6. It's stupid to have national flags in a house of worship anyway.

Especially in a time when the flag too often is a code. Consider the attacks on Obama when he refused the empty (at best, at worst it's jingoistic) symbolism of the lapel pin.

[WinkyDink]

8. EXACTLY. It's not like there aren't plenty of secular places for a flag.

But that's that particular form of "Christian" for ya: One isn't a true patriot if one isn't "Chrisitan" (always a Protestant form), and, apparently, vice-versa.

[pegleg]

7. More important things to worry about.

Like improving the economy,stopping a war and impeaching a president. It's things like this that cause us not to keep our attention on really important issues. this most certainly is not one of them. I blame the inability to do much about these issues on the flakiness of Democrats.All blow and no go.

[melm00se]

9. the "reason"

for not dipping the American flag, legend has it, dates back to the 1908 Olympics when the US flag bearer refused to dip the American flag to King Edward VII saying something to the sense of "this flag dips to no earthly king" (never mind that the flag bearer was an Irish-American making a semi protest about the British and there are pictures showing the US flag dipped).

This eventually crept into the US flag code in the 20's.

Now, this dipping in the chapel seems to be in line with the legend (God's house, God is king, God is not an earthly King ergo: 1-2-3 dip).

Is this a big story? no, not really, it is really a waste of ink.

[spoony]

14. Interesting background, thanks