Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 19 July 2002 — Page 15

FRIDAY, JULY 19,2002 ■ PAGE B1

RELIGION

I N S I

Salt and

Light

By Bishop I. Garrott

Ben|annn

Embrace the meaning behind Pledge of Allegiance By WHITNEY HOPLER This article is reprinted from Crosswalk.com with permission from Whitney Hopler, Live It Channel Editor. $ :|c $ $ }|c “You probably recited the Pledge of Allegiance every day in school growing up. But how much did you actually think about the meaning behind those 31 words you recited with your hand over your heart? Here are some ways you can embrace the meaning behind the words in the Pledge of Allegiance: • I — You are singularly responsible for contributing positivelyito our nation by being a faithfulcitizen. Your attitudes and actionfiffltter; they greatergood for us all. • pledge—You make a sacred commitment to our country and keep your oath even in difficult times because of your patriotism and gratitude for our freedom. • allegiance — You will be loyal to your nation, expressing your devotion however you can and serving diligently when called upon. • to the flag—You will honor the American flag, the symbol of our nation. You will celebrate the privilege of being an American. • of the United States of America — You will stand in solidarity with other Americans, united by your mutual love for freedom. • and to the republic — You will fulfill your civic duties to help maintain a strong government. You will vote, pay taxes, volunteer, obey laws, serve in the military and on court juries, and contribute in whatever other ways God leads. • for which it stands — You will affirm and proclaim to the world that what Americans believe is worth believing. • one nation — you will work together with others as part of a diverse group working in unity toward the common goals of maintaining freedom and making progress in our national affairs. • under God—You recognize that our country was built on the foundation of faith. You will thank God for his blessings and look to him for guidance. You will pray regularly for our nation and its leaders and your fellow citizens. • indivisible—You resolve to make unity a daily priority in your interactions with other Americans. You share a commitment to democracy with other citizens. • with liberty — You will courageously defend freedom however you can, from threats such as terrorism and civil unrest. • and justice—You will strive to do what is right in God’s sight and treat other people fairly and equitably. • for all — You will think of what is good for others, not just for yourself. You will remember that America is a place for everyone, young and old, male and fe-, male, healthy and sick, and all Sm SALT, Page B3

D E • B • SECTION*SPORTS

ONE NATION UNDER GOD?

Local religious and civic leaders outline the importance of a Godly pledge By BRANDON A. PERRY Susan Bosherts, communications Staff Writer director for the Indianapolis Catholic Archdiocese, ren\inded The Re-

Local ministers of all faiths agree that the “under God” provision of the Pledge of Allegiance should be left untouched. As a man of the cloth, Bishop Larry Grinstead of Puritan Baptist Church strongly supports keeping “under God” in the Pledge. But at _ thesarae time, he points to what he calls the “ironic” hypocrisy of citizens who seek to remove references to God from the Pledge. “It’s very ironic and almost amazing that Newdow would want to strip God from our nation’s pledge,” Bishop Grinstead said. “I’m sure he’s walking around with coins in his pocket that say ‘In God we trust.’ But there is no movement by him or anyone else to take that statement off of our money. Why is it we (people) want to remove certain things from certain places, but we don’t touch the things that are important to us?’ Rev. Greg Dixon of the Indianapolis Baptist Temple said that keeping God in the pledge is imth> Q hls nation wascstapbsnea |s a Christian nation/ and-that our forefathers intended this to be a godly nation with values. “It’s important to let our children in schools know that America was founded on biblical principles.”

corder that the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic organization, almost single-handedly persuaded Congress and President D. Eisenhowertoadopt the pledge’s “under God” statement in 1954. ‘To us it’s good news that they (judges and attorneys) are reviewing the case,” she said. “This is indeed a very critical issue,” said Dr. Sayyid Muhammad Sayeed, Secretary General of the Plainfield-based Islamic Society of North America. “Keeping God in our pledge is an acknowledgment of the reality of his existence. This reference to our creator has been in there for a long time. Faith should not be put in the background. Muslims fast, pray five times a day and remember God often throughout the course of our day. So it is safe to say that any Muslim man or woman would oppose the court’s ruling. Rabbi Shlomo Crandall of B’nai Torah Synagogue is regretful about the 9th Circuit Court' s decision. “We must leave it (‘under God’) where it is and ipmember \yh^t jt rep^ents. The fact"that vaiious people are trying to take God out our pledge is sad,” he said. “It’s shocking that these individuals actually want to take it out. What’s next?” The controversy surrounding the See NATION, Page B4

Students at Johnson Elementry take part in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and an Iraqi official.

Farrakhan says sanctions are killing Iraqi people BAGHDAD — United States the Honorable Minister Louis citizens must be informed about Farrakhan told reporters recently the conditions under which 5,000 after meeting with several high Iraqis die every month as a result ranking government officials here, of U.S. sanctions, and they should “We are asking President Bush be able to hear from leaders of that and the Congress, appealing to the country themselves in order to de- fairness of the American pepple, cide whether or not A merit in that before one American soldier bombs and soldiers should inflict more suffering on the Iraqi people, See KILLING, Page B3

In the Spirit

More than a woman Sister Anna Brown was the featured speaker at the Women’s Day celebration held last Sunday at St. Luke’s Missionary Baptist Church. Her strong message resonated with women of all ages.

The Treasures of Heaven Spiritual Dancers (left) from Mt. Vernon Missionary Baptish Community Church offered their exciting and unique brand of worship at the Praise In the Park Celebration recently held at Riverside Park. This Innovative youth program was sponsored by Pastor Donald Colder and The Temple of Praise Assembly.

Mary, Mary on mission to spread word of God

Bv GIL ROBERTSON Electronic Urban Report

Offering praise from their hearts, delivered with passion and harmonious style, the two sisters who comprise the duo Mary, Mary are on a mission to spread the divine word of gospel. On their debut album, “Thankful” (which included the hit single, “Shackles” ) the sisters — Tina <7 «

Mary, Mary duo has new album out.

and Erika Atkins exploded on the gospel and secular scene with their mix of tightly woven vocals, set against a backdrop of hip-hop and funk urban rhythms. With a platinum album, the duo has a Grammy and multiple Stellar Awards.f “The reaction to our music has been more then we ever imagined,” says sister Tina. “We’ve been blessed and we want to share those blessings with everyone.”

Los Angeles natives, Erica and Tina first began singing in their church choir, where their superlative vocals gained them an appearance on the “Bobby /ones Gospel Show.” Soon both sisters were delivering background vocals for Kenny Lattimore, Brian McKnight and Eric Benet, before a chance encounter with super-hot producer Sm MARY, Pag* B4

Claiming Yaur Victory

By R*v. Mkhoel CCarsoa

A life worth living “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." — 1 Peter 1:3 ***** One thing that we understand is that there have been times when we interfaced with some hardtimes. Yes we have at times faced pain, rejection, trial, being denied, and some overall rough and tough times. We have a lot in common with Simon Peter who knew about challenges to one’s faith. Simon Peter, as you remember, was the fisherman whom Jesus recruited to serve as the leader of a ragtag group called the disciples. Simon Peter assured Jesus that “he had his back.” But of Peter, Jesus told him th^ before the tbbffttfaldtibwthat Simon Peterwoufd'hOve dehied Jesus three times. There is a great deal that sometimes hangs on our minds. Times of missed opportunitioo, times of saying the wrong thing, and times of making the wrong decision sometimes “speak” to us. We all deal with those times in our life when we just did not measure up. It’s painful to realize that God gave us an opportunity to witness to another, but we did not. It’s painful to realize that when we should have apologized to someone, but we did not, thinkSm VICTORY, Page B3

' Rev. Floyd H. Flake named president of Wilbertorce UnKiMy By TIERRA JONES Special to the NNPA From BlackAmericaWeb.com

WILBERFORCE, Ohio (NNPA) —The Rev. Floyd H. Rake, senior pastor of one of New York’s largest churches and a former congressman, has been chosen as president of his alma mater. Wilberforce University. The school’s board of trustees recently selected Flake, who graduated in 1968, for the oneyear appointment to replace Dr. John L. Henderson, who retired after 15 years as the school’s president. “I feel it is important to maintain historically Black colleges and universities,said. “By accepting this position, I want to send a message to other leaders in the country to evaluate current 8m FLAKE, Pag* B4

?

T