Legal, Moral, and What’s Right

Just because something is legal, does that mean it’s necessarily the right thing to do? I started thinking about this after reading about a melee that broke out during the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio. As you might recall, an attempted burning of the American flag ignited the scuffle.

Someone on social media pointed out the U.S. Supreme Court in 1969 ruled burning the flag is not illegal. That’s true, but does that mean it’s okay to do?

Consider: There’s no law that prohibits cheating on one’s spouse, but does that mean it’s the right thing to do? You won’t get arrested for cutting into a grocery store’s checkout line, but just because it’s not against the law, should we do it? And I doubt there’s any legislation restricting a person from walking into a mosque and shredding a copy of the Qur’an (if you prefer, Koran), but that doesn’t make it right – or advisable.

As I’ve so often found, the Bible has something very practical to say about this. And you don’t have to be religious – or even spiritual – to appreciate its wisdom: "’I have the right to do anything,’ you say – but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’ – but not everything is constructive” (1 Corinthians 10:23). Another translation states it this way: “’All things are lawful,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up.”

I’m all in favor of free speech, and if people want to protest, they should have that right. But if that involves attacking the sensibilities of millions of proud, patriotic Americans – especially in these days when we’re told to avoid offending anyone – maybe it’s stepping over the line.

Some might argue an American flag is just a piece of material, so what’s the harm? But if the protesters thought it important enough to select the Stars and Stripes to set ablaze, it must be more than a piece of material to them. For them it’s a significant symbol, representing some cause they wish to protest or denounce.

Countless thousands of soldiers have given their lives to protect what the flag represents. Many thousands more have returned from battle maimed in body, mind and spirit to guarantee the rights of these protesters to voice their dissent. My father suffered two wounds in World War II, and a number of family members and friends also participated in various wars because they believed in the values and principles the American flag has traditionally represented.

So for those who feel inclined to burn Old Glory to express their ire, I’d like to ask them, as the Scripture passage admonishes, “Is it beneficial?” “Is it constructive?” “Is it helpful?” “Does it build up – or does it tear down?”

I’d also make a suggestion: If these protesters feel so strongly opposed to the American way of life, why don’t they burn their Social Security cards and renounce their benefits? Or their welfare checks, food stamps, or college financial aid vouchers? That would make a point, for sure.

And since those that protest in such an unseemly manner reject what they believe the red, white and blue stands for, these folks should be encouraged in the strongest possible way to quickly find a new country of residence, one whose flag they can look upon with pride rather than scorn.

That’s not to say all is well with our nation. Far from it. But for those of us who choose to convey concerns and dissatisfaction in more civil ways, we’d be wise to heed the exhortation of Micah 6:8, which informs us, “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

We’re not to worship a flag – or a nation. But in our strivings to bring about a better world, wouldn’t an approach that’s beneficial and constructive, one that’s helpful and builds up, be better? Flies still are much more attracted to honey than they are to vinegar.

Deserving of Remembrance

Again on this Memorial Day, thoughts turn to the countless thousands of Americans through the years who have lost their lives defending our nation and paying the highest possible price for the freedom we enjoy – even with its flaws. We also think of the flag that represents our country, the banner that has flown over many of those who suffered death or grave injury to protect many of us who have never seen a real battlefield.

Recently I saw a video of how patriotic Americans quashed a planned flag-burning by students staging a protest at a prominent university in the South. Not only was the intended igniting of the American flag averted, but a soldier in uniform also shamed one of the protestors, shouting at him, “My brother died (in battle) for you!”

I can’t imagine what it must be like to have a loved one’s life taken on the field of battle. My father was wounded twice during World War II, but returned home after the war alive and intact. If he hadn’t, I certainly wouldn’t be writing this blog post today. A friend of mine was not as fortunate – he never knew his biological father, who died during a battle in that war. My friend’s pain of loss may have dulled, but has never disappeared.

So as we pause for this annual commemoration, I respect the right of people to protest how our country is being run. However, I believe that to burn or desecrate the flag in any way is a heinous act of disrespect – not only to the nation it represents, but also to the lives that were cut short in preserving that right to express protests.

Like most people, I wish there was no war. I wish there had never been any wars. In any form, war seems so senseless, but wishful thinking has yet to make war go away.

So it seems the prudent, compassionate strategy is to strive for peace – praying for it, seeking non-violent resolutions to conflicts, and hoping the loss of lives due to war in the future will be minimal. At the same time, it’s also fitting to recognize and honor the lives of those many who bravely and nobly sacrificed themselves so that people like you and me could live, work, play, and yes, even protest.

In John 15:13, Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.” This applies to every soldier and sailor, male and female, that has not returned from a field of battle, whether in Europe, Asia, Africa or the Middle East. And of course, Jesus was also referring to Himself, as He prepared to singlehandedly engage in the greatest war of all, the war against sin and the powers of evil.

His “battlefield” was unique, a cross atop a lonely hill that seemed so stark and obscure at the time. Two thousand years later that cross, that hill, and that life are hardly obscure or forgotten. This event has become the linchpin that serves to link – and divide – all of humanity today. The battle against sin continues, but the war has been won once and for all. Jesus declared such when He said just before breathing His last, “It is finished” (John 19:30).

So it seems fitting that as we honor and memorialize the countless American lives that have been lost from the Revolutionary War to the present, it would be proper also to ponder the death of the one called the “King of kings.” We should call to remembrance the Christian “soldiers” who have defended the faith all around the world, including missionaries and martyrs who have stood firm in the face of persecution and oppression.

These lives were not lost in vain. In Acts 10:4 a devout Roman centurion was told, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.” In the same way, all who live for the Lord and serve Him are not forgotten but remembered forever.