Flags

Flags.

Flags are gen­er­al­ly pieces of fab­ric with dis­tinc­tive designs and col­ors. They are used as sym­bols, sig­nal­ing devices, or dec­o­ra­tions. We are famil­iar with nation­al flags, patri­ot­ic sym­bols with a vari­ety of inter­pre­ta­tions, most often asso­ci­at­ed with mil­i­taris­tic asso­ci­a­tions because of their orig­i­nal and ongo­ing use in that area. Setting up a flag could mean the con­quer­ing of some­thing — a piece of land, or even a heav­en­ly body. Flags dec­o­rate gar­dens, front porch­es, and vehi­cles, and can be used in mes­sag­ing or advertising.

In my first year of Episcopal sum­mer camp on Rough River Lake, we played the game, “Capture the Flag.” Two teams, each tasked with hid­ing their flag some­where on their side of the camp divid­ing line, com­pet­ed to find the oth­er team’s flag. I remem­ber it involv­ing some sub­terfuge, mis­di­rec­tion, and secu­ri­ty. I still remem­ber that my team, with a white tow­el, placed it on the roof of Mitch Clark’s Ford Bronco, which had a white top. The oth­er team hid their yel­low tow­el under a pile of grav­el with just the small­est bit of it stick­ing out. The next year, the church camp had a new direc­tor and “Capture the Flag” was banned — too mil­i­taris­tic. It wasn’t that the flags had any poli­cies or per­son­al­i­ties toward war­fare or con­flict, but that they sym­bol­ized those very ideals.

Americans of faith tra­di­tions and beliefs that aren’t Christian, even folks with no faith or belief in God, could be offend­ed by the mes­sage that America is only for true Christians. Christians from oth­er coun­tries could be offend­ed by the mes­sage that Jesus gives favor to the United States.

This past sum­mer in down­town Winchester, a group of folks approached own­ers of down­town build­ings ask­ing per­mis­sion to dis­play flags for June’s National Pride Month — col­or­ful rain­bow flags mes­sag­ing the inclu­sion of LGBTQ+ folks in our com­mu­ni­ties, and sym­bol­iz­ing that pride of being tru­ly them­selves with­out fear or hes­i­ta­tion. This met with resis­tance from a few down­town busi­ness owners.

If you’ve noticed, dur­ing the month of November, there are dif­fer­ent types of flags fly­ing in Winchester — a few down­town, but dozens more along Bypass Road and Lexington Avenue. These flags came in response to the sum­mer Pride flags and were cre­at­ed, sold, and dis­trib­uted by mem­bers of Grace Bible Church. They want­ed to present what it was they believed in — in such a way that even the community’s young peo­ple could under­stand — God and Country.

God and Country. The flags con­tain an American flag, the Declaration of Independence, a Holy Bible, and a Cross.

I am all about free speech, and folks hav­ing the space to express their beliefs in ways that respect the rules of civ­il society.

I, too, believe in God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

I, too, respect the Holy Bible and the image of Jesus’ Cross, that heinous method of exe­cu­tion which has become, for Christians, a sym­bol of new life.

I respect the Declaration of Independence as one of the found­ing doc­u­ments of a new begin­ning for many British colonists on this side of “the Pond.”

I respect the American flag, when it is prop­er­ly dis­played, adher­ing to the US Flag Code — heck, we pledge our alle­giance to that flag at sports events, some civic meet­ings, and in some schools.

The prob­lem is when these ideals and images become conflated.

This flag could be seen as a mes­sage of the United States as a Christian nation — which it is not, and nev­er was. This flag could also be seen as Christianity being an American sym­bol, which it is not. Americans of faith tra­di­tions and beliefs that aren’t Christian, even folks with no faith or belief in God, could be offend­ed by the mes­sage that America is only for true Christians. Christians from oth­er coun­tries could be offend­ed by the mes­sage that Jesus gives favor to the United States.

Our front porch flies a few flags – Black Lives Matter, My Body-My Choice, and the Love is Love pride sym­bol. These are impor­tant mes­sages for Nancy and me in this com­mu­ni­ty and at this time. These are not meant to dis­par­age any one per­son or group of peo­ple — they sym­bol­ize some of the things which are dear to our hearts, things we stand for, and peo­ple we stand with.

Flags can serve as amaz­ing mes­sen­gers of pow­er­ful ideas and ideals. They can also be twist­ed, and used to dis­hon­or, con­demn, and oppress. It’s our call as cit­i­zens, or as peo­ple of faith, or as neigh­bors to know the dif­fer­ence and call things out when it’s need­ed, and when it’s time.