Oath of Allegiance

Photo courtesy of somadjinn

Throughout our lives we often find ourselves swearing allegiance to one thing or another. For instance, when I was in elementary school we said the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all. If, by chance, we are called to jury duty we are made to take an oath of honesty that is often said with the Bible as witness. For those of us who have served, and are serving, in the US military we take an oath of enlistment. The example which follows is for the National Guard but the only difference is the inclusion of the state and governor. 

I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the State of (STATE NAME) against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the Governor of (STATE NAME) and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to law and regulations. So help me God.

The Naturalization oath that some makes when becoming a US citizen is strikingly similar;

I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the armed forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.

Do you notice something unique about these oaths? To help you out let me show you the Oath of Allegiance from the British military;

I... swear by Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Her Heirs and Successors, and that I will, as in duty bound, honestly and faithfully defend Her Majesty, Her Heirs and Successors, in Person, Crown and Dignity against all enemies, and will observe and obey all orders of Her Majesty, Her Heirs and Successors, and of the generals and officers set over me. So help me God.

Do you see it now? We, in America, swear allegiance, not to a person but to an idea laid out over 200 years ago on a piece of paper. Yes, we are to obey the orders given to us by our superiors and the president but only as far as they conform to the law, the Constitution. The number one thing that we are to defend in this nation is the Constitution. Why? Because it contains everything this country stands for and it outlasts any particular elected official. It secures for us the blessings of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 

Notice too that we are to defend the Constitution from enemies foreign and domestic. We can see this idea even as far back as September of 1776 when this oath was approved for the armed forces;

I _____ swear (or affirm as the case may be) to be trued to the United States of America, and to serve them honestly and faithfully against all their enemies opposers whatsoever; and to observe and obey the orders of the Continental Congress, and the orders of the Generals and officers set over me by them.

"All enemies opposers whatsoever." Why put this in the oath? Surely there would be few, if any domestic enemies. I believe the Continental Congress understood that those who oppose the ideals of liberty and freedom were not limited to outside forces. The same is true today. There are plenty of people within these United States that stand against everything our country was founded upon and everything that has made it great. 

So what do we do? First and foremost, I do not believe that I have been relieved of my oath. No where in that statement is it understood that I will stop defending the Constitution and our country when my enlistment ran out. Furthermore, I have not released myself from the oath. I still love my country as much as the day I signed up for the National Guard. Therefore, I believe the following actions are consistent with the oath and my Christian convictions.

1) Vote: This is the easiest and most readily available form of opposition to those who are enemies of the Constitution. It is my right as an American citizen and squandering it would be tantamount to surrendering in war. The founders of our country put this right in place to provide the citizens with a peaceful and fair way to ensure our liberty. One of the great testimonies to our form of government is the peaceful transfer of power for over two centuries, always because of a vote.

2) Petition: The 1st Amendment insures many things, one of which is our right to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Our government is not above the law, the people or fault. If we sense an issue needs to be addressed then we have the freedom to bring that to the attention of our elected officials. Along with the petitions to representatives we are allowed the freedom to petition with our presence, in a peaceful manner, through assemblies and marches. This is a visible "show of force" that can be seen by the government and the media. Finally, and again thanks to the 1st amendment, we are free to petition our God for the healing of our land. 

3) Speak: Again, the 1st Amendment comes to our rescue on this subject. Praise God that in our nation we are free to express our views and opinions without fear of imprisonment or persecution from the government. We can share our views in the public forum with relative liberty, whether it is through speeches, videos, blogs, books or other forms of communication. 

4) Resist: Please do not misunderstand me on this point. Resistance is the last and most extreme form of defending the Constitution. Every effort must be made to find peaceful solutions to our grievances. There is no excuse or justification for jumping to this point. However, my allegiance is first to my Lord and King Jesus Christ and secondly to the Constitution of the United States of America. I have never, and will never, swear allegiance to any one person outside of Christ and the vows I have made to my wife. The result of that would only be tyranny and that is something God and our nation strongly oppose. As Americans our rights are delineated in the Constitution and most of those rights come directly from the Author of all rights, God Himself. These cannot be usurped or denied by any earthly entity. The Declaration of Independence sums up this idea far better than I ever could;

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security...

Notice, though, that this powerful statement at the heart of the Declaration is preceded by this equally important statement;

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. 

Again, resistance is the last of all courses of action but it is one that our nation was founded upon. 

My goal is not, and never will be, to sabotage our nation. I love these United States and freedom that it has afforded to so many throughout the years. Despite our problems I still believe we are the greatest nation the world has ever seen. However, this greatness is at risk and we have strayed far from the ideals and principles that made us that way. My call is not to rewrite the Charters of Freedom, but to return to them so that we can enjoy future security, prosperity and freedom.

RV