After weeks of watching the Pride flag wave in various venues, cities, states, countries and even the White House, it just struck me the differences between it and the American flag.
We’re not just talking about aesthetics, but the feelings “Old Glory” and ,what I like to call, “New Exaltation” evokes.
When looking at the American flag, I immediately think Land of the free and the home of the brave. When I look at the Pride flag, I think of coercion
Coercion?
“That makes you a homophobe!”, says the typical liberal/leftist
No .
My impression of coercion comes the reality of peer pressure from liberal straights who are intolerant of any criticism of the LGBTQ+ movement.
Don’t you know there are no bad people in LGBTQ? Everyone is noble and brave and all they want is to be left alone! Blah, blah, blah.
The truth is most Americans could care less about homosexuals. So-called straights are not obsessed by what these people do in private.
However, the Pride flag symbolizes an obsession by homosexuals, etc to force their lifestyle and sexual proclivities into the daily lives and thoughts of heterosexuals.
Tell me I’m wrong.
The vast majority of Americans simply want to live their lives and wish the same to others, as long as it is lawful. The Pride flag symbolizes LGBTQ doesn’t share this sentiment. “You will accept our lifestyles!” ‘We will educate you in how you will treat us!” ‘You will refer to us in the approved pronouns!”
Who gets such authoritarianism from the American flag? I look at the American flag and I think … freedom. Freedom to love the country and cherish the flag or the freedom not to do so.
Sure, if you demonize the country or desecrate the flag, there’s a very good chance you might meet opposition. After all, your right to criticize doesn’t absolve you from rejection as well.
That’s what freedom of speech means as symbolized by the American flag.Can you say the same about the Pride flag?
Have you thought land of the free and home of the brave every time you’ve seen the Pride flag this Pride Month? I bet you haven’t. Most likely you associate Drag Queen story hour and obnoxiously colored parades featuring in-your -face sexuality.
Land of the free and home of brave promotes thoughts of love of country, which in itself evokes humility. Think of the countless brave Americans who gave their lives to protect freedom and liberty. The Pride flag, by its very name, is not synonymous with humility .
Humility means placing the needs of others above you . The Pride flag says “My rights are more important than your rights and you must celebrate them.”
Placing the Pride flag at the center two American flags at a recent White House ceremony commemorating Pride month, was an apt symbol of this domineering attitude.
Unity is associated with the American flag. The stripes symbolize the original thirteen colonies and the stars represent the unity of the fifty states. The flag embodies people from different lands living together under the banner of a freedom not found anywhere else in the world.
Supporters of the Pride flag declare it represents not just unity but also diversity , inclusion and equity. What’s left unsaid is that while drag queens and trans people are sacrosanct, Bible believing Christians, conservatives and white males are … well…evil.
Did you know there are actually seventeen different pride flags ? (link) For brevity’s sake let’s focus on a description of the Progressive Pride Flag which debuted in 2018.
Just to the left of the rainbow colors is an arrow representing forward progress. The flag stands for life (red), healing (orange), sunlight (yellow), nature (green), peace/harmony ( blue),and spirit (purple/violet). The colors inside the arrow represent trans individuals ( light blue, light pink, white) marginalized persons of color communities (brown and black), and those living with AIDS, those no longer living and the stigma surrounding them (black).
Everything about the Pride flag speaks of group association , groupthink and entitlement.
Contrast that with the American flag where the rights of the individual, regardless of skin color, gender or religious affiliation, are celebrated.
Finally, let’s talk about the obvious. The Pride flag speaks of … well… pride. I totally understand the desire to feel good about one’s self without shame. That is a basic human need.
But pride coming from elevating yourself over others and thinking your way supersedes God’s precepts , becomes problematic. That is when pride becomes sin.
The great C.S. Lewis wrote of pride in his landmark work Mere Christianity:
“According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere flea bites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil:
Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind…… it is Pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began.”1
If Mr. Lewis’ assessment is accurate, why have many churches embraced this movement with zealotry? What explains this virtue signaling?
I believe that these churches do not think of pride in the traditional biblical sense and instead view it as a movement, as say, civil rights. To them, the Pride flag symbolizes hope and says “You’re safe here.”
Throughout history, churches have been a haven for the oppressed. But just how oppressed is the LGBTQ community? Gay marriage is the law of the land and so is gay parental adoption. Homosexuals hold prominent positions in business, politics, academia and Hollywood. There are no “Straights only” signs like the old “Whites Only” signs during the Jim Crow era.
And why has this church embrace of LGBTQ led to painful splits of mainstream denominations such as Lutherans, Episcopalians, Methodists and Baptists . Could it be that these liberal sects choose to ignore all the biblical verses that condemn homosexuality (like lying, coveting, lust, stealing, idolatry, murder, etc) as sin in favor of a more modern gospel?
Yes.
So then, could one not infer flying the Pride flag is a proud reminder of this division in the church? Such division is not a good thing for the church or, for that matter, the country which was founded under God.
And yes, America is divided right now.
For almost 250 years, the American flag has epitomized a country who, for the first time in history declared that rights of the citizen–of freedoms of speech, religion and assembly–come from God, not government. As we near the end of Pride month, can most Americans say the same of the Pride flag?