Did You Sit for the National Anthem? (page 3)

nancy drew

It seems most here were forced into taking a stand on an issue that they really weren't old enough to know what they really thought about it.

the organization pushes its worship concept on everybody and I'm sure as a child many felt awkward and different.

I went to catholic school for 12 years we had to spin off a litany of prayers every morning in school followed by the pledge ofallegiance a we stood and prayed before each class after class before lunch after lunch before we went home. During lent we went to church before school on friday afternoon we went over to the church in our uniforms had hymn practice for sunday mass where we had to sit with our class. It was a nightmare but we didn't have to pretend we liked it when the nun would leave the room we laughed and jumbled up the prayers. One time the nun got so mad at us she hit a few people called us the devil incarnate and we all smirked.

this was just a sample of an alternate childhood spiritual universe.

undercover

Nancy, thanks for your Catholic school experience.

I think Catholic school had to be hell on earth for most kids. Ever notice how a lot of comedians come from a Catholic background and a lot of their material is from similar experiences as yours.

I knew even as a JW kid, that public school was much better than having to go to a religious school. Though there were those little catholic school girl dresses...

blondie

I learned today that the Star Spangled Banner was not made the national anthem until 1931.

Before 1931, other songs served as the hymns of American officialdom. "Hail, Columbia" served this purpose at official functions for most of the 19th century. "My Country, 'Tis of Thee", whose melody was derived from the British national anthem, [ 3 ] also served as a de facto anthem before the adoption of "The Star-Spangled Banner." [

NiceDream

I remember sitting for the anthem in elementary school at the school assemblies. I always felt incredibly embarrassed, as friends would ask me to stand up and teachers would give me dirty looks and gesture for me to stand up. It felt so disrespectful to sit and I didn't understand it.

As I got older, I stood for the anthem and didn't sing which elicited dirty looks from super dubs in school with me.

And to avoid this problem at hockey games, we'd wander around for the anthem and then take our seats. However, the anthems are catchy, and I sung them in my head anyways.

JWoods

I always stood for it - did not want to look like a jerk. Also, I never thought the watchtower society had any kind of logical argument on this.

It seldome came up in my school days - usually just at school games, sometimes at an assembly.

donuthole

The unwritten rule in this area was that if you were already standing when the anthem started you could remain standing, you didn't have to rush to find a seat or sit down. So the custom was, when JW's went to sporting events they would remain standing at their seats prior to the game beginning so that when the National Anthem played they could say they were already standing and not have to sit down. I wasn't very comfortable with that loop-hole so I tended to just roam the hall or go to the restroom while the anthem played and return to my seat afterward. It also seemed to be a weird double standard that I could stand for the Pledge of Allegiance but I couldn't stand for the National Anthem. It wasn't like I was putting my hand over my heart and singing along while a tear ran down my cheek.

Stealth

I used to sit during the National Anthem. That was until the congregation planned an outting after an assembly to a MLB game. There was a whole section resevered for the group. We got there, found the section and we were the only ones in the entire group of about 30 Jdubs that were in the section prior to the start of the game.

During the National Anthem, I sat like a good Jdub because I knew many more were there, however as soon as it was over all of the rest of the Jdubs came out of the wood work like cock roaches after the light gets turned on from the hall ways & up to the seats. We are talking elders, MS servents, pioneers, lots of blue blooded JWs. I thought, what a bunch of pussies and I never sat again after that day.

Leolaia

At school I think I stood but didn't sing. But.....I did sing the State Song. Which today makes me feel way more patriotic and emotional than the Anthem ever could.

titch

Well, during my educational years, associated as a JW, I would stay seated, during the National Anthem, or I would just remain in an upright position prior to its playing, if I was at a school sports event. (Just to avoid making a "spectacle" of myself.) But, as I've gotten older, now in my 50s, I've started to wonder about something, and maybe someone here can enlighten me on this: What, EXACTLY, does the playing of a National Anthem, in ANY country, at a sports event, or a school assembly, ACCOMPLISH??? What does it do? At a sports event, like football, baseball, basketball, etc, what does its playing accomplish? Does it make the athletes better athletes; does it make them play the game better? Does it make the fans in the audience, in the stands, better citizens, better fans? Does it give people, either the athletes, or the fans, some kind of warm, fuzzy feeling inside? Again I ask, What does it accomplish? I can't figure it out anymore, as I've gotten older. Well, just my musings. Anyway, on a personal level, with regards to the sentiments of the U.S. National Anthem, has anyone really analyzed the words to that song? I mean, if you take the time to read the lyrics of the Star-Spangled Banner, they seem to me to be so convoluted and archaic, written in an English-language style that was used in the 1800s. Oh, well.

Titch.

compound complex

Titch:

Excellent questions, to which I have no immediate answers. You've given me reason to delve further into the purpose of a thread I started!

Thanks, everyone, for great comments.

CoCo

Did You Sit for the National Anthem?

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