Posted on 11/06/2015 5:47:11 PM PST by Kaslin
Updated
Veterans group outraged by 'this slap in the face'
Veterans group outraged by ‘this slap in the face’
An evangelical university is removing the Pledge of Allegiance from its Veterans Day chapel service in response to complaints that patriotism has no place in worship.
The "presentation of the colors," in which a color guard presents or retires an American flag, has also been excised from the schedule.
In a Wednesday email to Seattle Pacific University faculty members who are military veterans, obtained by The College Fix, Chaplain Bo Lim said "some people mentioned to me that they would be uncomfortable doing [the Pledge of Allegiance] within a Christian worship service."
Lim, also a religion professor at SPU, made clear that this was not the overwhelming response at the university, however.
"For many, the focus of the service would turn into whether we ought or ought not to have the pledge in a Christian worship service,"Lim wrote. "I imagine our community is probably split on this one so I could lean in either direction, but I've finally decided to pull it."
If the point of the chapel service, for which attendance is optional, is "to help our community support military persons within our midst, I think by including the pledge it would be a distraction from this cause," Lim concluded.
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‘An uphill battle’ to get a Veterans Day service in the first place
Student Emma Wendt, who grew up in a military household, told The Fix she disagrees with Lim's view of these elements in a service.
"The Pledge of Allegiance and Presentation of the Colors was more than an iteration of patriotism, but a means by which everyone would pull together and honor the sacrifices of our community’s deployed spouses, parents, and children,†she said in an email.
According to the schedule of events for next week's chapel service, three minutes will be dedicated to exploring Veterans Day from the perspective of the United Kingdom.
"Surely if we have time to examine the United Kingdom's perspective of this holiday," said Wendt, "we have time to allow opportunity for those willing to say the Pledge of Allegiance.”
On its Facebook page, SPU's Military and Veteran Support Club said it was initially asked to "collaborate†with University Ministries on "the first Veterans Day Chapel in a long time.” Sarah Martin, president of the group, wrote that it was "an uphill battle to get to this point" at SPU, which has a pacifist streak.
But the club is incensed by the administration’s flip-flop on the honorific elements of the service. Martin asked students to "partner with us and speak out against this slap in the face of every soldier who has fought, sacrificed, and even died for our freedoms, which are represented by that flag."
She said veterans have told her that "their friends did not die for our country so that Americans could be ashamed of or made uncomfortable by their own flag." The post includes contact information for University Ministries.
Seattle Pacific U?????
That one will be gone soon, given that they’ve pretty much demonstrated their (lack of) any standards whatsoever.
No, wait, it’ll be a good school to give degrees in “eddikashun” and “kommunicashun”.
Gibmedatdegree.
My son goes to SPU. He said that already there has been enough uproar from the students that they WILL be having the flag ceremony and Pledge.
One thing they are still trying to overturn (he’s a Junior) is the new rules on “hazing” which has gone overboard. The various floors have different things to build community. Holding a sock up in the air for an hour while some guy talks, etc. Now banned. I think a bunch of guys got kicked out for still doing it. That was the floor that Paul was on that was killed last year by the gunman. A floor that KNEW community.
My son’s floor had to carry around a bowling ball for a week(?), month(?) everywhere they went as a sign of carrying your brother’s burdens. He was at some breakfast place (with the 8 egg omelete) and some old guy saw the bowling ball, came over and said “Sixth Hill! Let me buy you breakfast!” They had a nice chat.
This PC stuff is getting out of hand.
We should really make them uncomfortable with an end to state funding!!
The Pledge was created by a progressive leftist, and “under God” was only added later. We didn’t have a Pledge until the early 20th century. I personally find it a rather fascist/communist exercise.
https://www.facebook.com/spumvsc/?fref=nf
We are happy to announce that a solution has been reached with University Ministries. We are thankful for the positive outcome of this issue.
Students will now have the opportunity to say the pledge of allegiance and honor the veterans with the presentation of the colors at a pre-chapel ceremony. The MVSC would like to thank all of the concerned veteran supporters who let their voices be heard. You are all invited to join in on this special moment to present the colors....
Everything about America, its history, its culture, its iconography will invariably make some idiot “uncomfortable,” whether a Muzzie, a feminist, a foreigner, a homo-fascist, an atheist, or whomever. These nuts specifically look for things to be offended by. It’s a neverending ‘power’ game with them.
America’s current ‘pajama-boy’ weakness as a nation and as a society is in great part not because these people live and exist here, but because we constantly surrender and cowtow to them and their ever-more-ludicrous and ever-more-concocted sensitivities. All of Western civilization seems to be merrily marching to suicidal insanity.
It sure is and enough is enough
I am also a Junior. :) Funny old world, isn’t it? Anyways, the “hazing” thing is ridiculous considering the Freshman agreed to the scheme. This school makes me angry sometimes. Part of me wants to transfer to another Christian school, despite the impossibility of it, another part of me wants to paint my body head to toe in red, white, and blue and walk into the chapel next week and sit in the front row.
There is absolutely nothing in the Constitution or the Bill of Rights that guarantees anyone the right to be “comfortable.” If they want to be “comfortable”, they can take their goatsmellin’ asses back to the sewer they crawled out of. THIS IS AMERICA. The freeloaders need to understand that. THIS IS OUR COUNTRY. Not theirs.
I know. I got the email about this before I was aware of the whole situation. The school officials have revealed how cowardly they are and I’m still really upset.
It was never our intent to dishonor our veterans or their service to our country.
Lying pieces of shit.
You had EVERY intention of dishonoring veterans.
After all, the whole damned bunch of you liberal academics have been doing it for years, now.
To hell with you.
It would be interesting to look into the military background of the folks pushing this. My guess would be there would be many third & fourth generation no-shows and a whole slew of folks who have to look back to 1945 to find a veteran in their own family.
From an earlier FB post from yesterday, it sounds like the students taking it up with the media worked!
- Concerned students, along with the MVSC, contacted media outlets on Thursday, once it was clear that any further dialogue with University Ministries would be unreciprocated.
- Several interviews have taken place since the students reached out to the media, and we are hoping to come to a solution that honors our veterans, their sacrifices, and the symbols representing the freedoms for which they fought.
The morons claimed it was a “misunderstanding”.
No, they dishonor the country, not veterans, with this kind of move. Which is ever their intention.
They simply hate America, and THAT is always the focus. If one hates America, how could one possibly pledge to it?
I hate commie libs.
It would be interesting to look into the military background of the folks pushing this. My guess would be there would be many third & fourth generation no-shows and a whole slew of folks who have to look back to 1945 to find a veteran in their own family.
It makes me sick to my stomach. People have contempt for their own country make me sick to my stomach. Even though I’m not German, watching Merkel get rid of the German flag in that video made me angry. Nobody appreciates what people have done to protect their homelands. And for what? So governments and “academic institutions” can dishonor you and throw dirt on your memory.
*who have
Typical left-wing lame excuse
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