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Welcome to our new regular feature, "Ask a Friend!"

At Media-Providence Friends School (MPFS), we're guided by a set of core Testimonies that often lead to practices unique compared to other independent schools. Why do we sit in silence? Why are our decisions often made by consensus? Why do we use the word "Meeting"?

In this series, we invite lifelong Friends and respected members of the MPFS community to answer these intriguing, unusual, and sometimes complicated questions. There is a common saying amongst Friends: "You can ask three Friends the same question and get three different answers." We embrace this spirit of individual leading. While we hope to use the wonderful, knowledgeable Friends in our community to answer these questions, please know there are many nuances and angles to approach these topics. We aim to give the answer that resonates most deeply with the MPFS community and our commitment to our core values.

To launch the series, we turn to our longtime Registrar and lifelong Friend, Claire Wilson, who addresses a common point of curiosity: the Pledge of Allegiance.
 

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Have you ever wondered why, at a time when many schools across the nation begin their day with the Pledge of Allegiance, a Friends school like Media-Providence Friends School (MPFS) does not? For many, this daily ritual is an unquestioned part of the school experience. For us, however, our practice is not an oversight, but a choice deeply rooted in core Friends principles—specifically the Testimonies of Integrity and Equality. We believe this choice fosters a deeper, more active kind of citizenship.

1. The Friends Testimony of Integrity and the Refusal of Oaths

The Friends Testimony of Integrity cautions us to refrain from taking oaths. This tradition goes back to the earliest Friends, who took Jesus’ admonition to “let your yea be yea, and your nay, nay” as a directive to always speak the truth as fully as we are able to be.

For a Friend, taking an oath implies a split standard: that one is only expected to be fully truthful under the oath, and perhaps less so otherwise. Our commitment to Integrity means we must always be trusted, and our word should stand on its own, without external guarantee.

Historically, this principle was profound. Early Friends were often ready to face jail rather than swear on a Bible in court or swear loyalty to a government, leading to landmark legal changes. This is why, in jurisdictions like Pennsylvania where Friends were prominent in government, the standard legal question became, “Do you swear, or affirm?”—ensuring that those who conscientiously object to an oath can still participate fully as citizens.

2. An Objection to Symbols and Changing Language

Another Friends principle that informs our practice is a general caution against using symbols to represent complex concepts or organizations. Just as you will not find a Christian cross or other religious symbols in a simple, unadorned Friends Meetinghouse, we generally avoid leaning on external symbols to say what we mean.

The national flag, while a powerful symbol for many, holds diverse and sometimes conflicting meanings. We recognize that it can, at times, be used to represent values that are inconsistent with the spirit of "liberty and justice for all," such as the approval of war.

Furthermore, the language of the Pledge itself has evolved, reflecting its political nature. When first introduced after the Civil War, it was an attempt to mold young minds into loyalty to a reunified nation. The controversial addition of "under God" in 1954—intended to distinguish the U.S. from “godless communism”—raised serious objections about the separation of Church and State and the fundamental value of religious liberty in our nation.
 

3. A Commitment to Active Citizenship Over Blind Loyalty

At MPFS, our focus isn't on promoting loyalty for its own sake, but on fostering active, questioning, and responsible citizenship.

We impress upon every student their responsibility to strive to make this country the best it can be—to hold our leaders to the high standards we have set as a nation. We value the Integrity that asks hard questions, not the loyalty that stays silent.

We believe that true commitment to our country is not found in reciting an oath, but in the sustained work of living out our shared values. As we have seen throughout history, and even today, oath-taking is not a guarantee of ethical action; many people who have sworn to uphold the Constitution work only for power and personal gain, rather than for fairness and lawfulness.

Instead of requiring an empty pledge, we seek a living commitment:

• To ask: Is everyone truly afforded Liberty and Justice right now?
• To act: What is my part in reducing injustice and making our community, nation, and world better?

Our hope for every MPFS student is that their daily actions, their involvement in the community, and their work to build a more just and peaceful world will be a truer, more powerful affirmation of their commitment to the ideals of the United States than any oath could ever be. -- Claire Wilson, Registrar