# Foreign Equivalents to the Pledge of Allegiance **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 10, 2005, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-equivalents-to-the-pledge-of-allegiance/330438 "2005-11-10T17:51:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![T\_SQUARE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de053/32.png) [@T\_SQUARE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T_SQUARE)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-equivalents-to-the-pledge-of-allegiance/330438/21 "2005-11-11T03:09:57Z")
In Thailand, everyone stands up before a movie and they play a montoge of the royal family with a song or poem or somesuch as the soundtrack. Don’t recall if the movie patrons join in. ---
**Author:** ![stockton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@stockton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stockton)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-equivalents-to-the-pledge-of-allegiance/330438/22 "2005-11-11T03:18:29Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Richard Stanz is Don Zurley’s cousin. They used to live over by Round John Virgin and Harold Angel, if I remember correctly. ---
**Author:** ![St\_Ides](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@St\_Ides](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St_Ides)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-equivalents-to-the-pledge-of-allegiance/330438/23 "2005-11-11T04:21:40Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Thanks, **AHunter3**. Here in Ontario, we public-school students definitely didn’t recite anything like that… although I have a vague memory of standing for the national anthem, during “morning announcements” at 9AM. Then there’d be assorted announcements. Yeah, the nat’l anthem is played every morning, before morning announcements (or as a part of them, if they decide to have a student sing it.) Early on, we were encouraged to sing along, but that practice is generally restricted to grade threes and lower. Eventually, you just stand and take off your hat, if you’re wearing one. I vaguely recall the practice being the same in the separate schools, but having only gone there for kindergarten, I really don’t remember for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-equivalents-to-the-pledge-of-allegiance/330438/24 "2005-11-11T05:57:51Z")
Just wanted to add that almost all of the controversy about the pledge that I’ve heard has just been about the “under God” passage, not the recitation of the pledge itself. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-equivalents-to-the-pledge-of-allegiance/330438/25 "2005-11-11T06:35:39Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > Just wanted to add that almost all of the controversy about the pledge that I’ve heard has just been about the “under God” passage, not the recitation of the pledge itself. That’s the most recent part of it, with the Newdow cases and all, but the argument dates back to about 1940 and covers the Pledge itself, not merely the “under God” element (which wasn’t added until 1954; I’d just memorized the old version in first grade when I had to relearn it!). ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-equivalents-to-the-pledge-of-allegiance/330438/26 "2005-11-11T06:50:28Z")
> [@Mk VII](#): > > I should think there would be riots if someone tried to get the kids in our schools to Pledge Allegiance To The Flag. He would be torn apart as a ‘fascist’. Can I live on your couch? I’d love to live in a place where such things are recognized for what they are. ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-equivalents-to-the-pledge-of-allegiance/330438/27 "2005-11-11T08:47:12Z")
German (former West German) here. Something like the US Pledge of Allegiance was unthinkable here - any patriotic ceremonial (in school at that) would be considered far-right. That also goes for a cult of the flag. (I think flag burning is illegal in Germany, but nobody does it in the course of protests because it would fail to get a rise out of people). In school former President Gustav Heinemann was held up as a model to us. When asked if he loved his country, he answered that he loved his wife. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-equivalents-to-the-pledge-of-allegiance/330438/28 "2005-11-11T19:15:14Z")
> [@MelCthefirst](#): > > When I went to a British school, I remember having to say the lord’s prayer every day before the end of school… Not disputing that this was the case - but you wouldn’t encounter this now, outside of a church school. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-equivalents-to-the-pledge-of-allegiance/330438/29 "2005-11-11T19:34:39Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > Heinlein notes in his travel book _Tramp Royale_ that (in 1954, when it was written, at least) New Zealand required every visitor to swear an oath to keep the Queen’s Peace. Similar situation in Australia regarding the Crown (for citizenship, not visitors): **1949 Oath of Allegiance:** I, A. B; swear by Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King George the Sixth, his heirs and successors according to law, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Australia and fulfil my duties as an Australian citizen. **1994 (current) Pledge of Commitment:** Form of Pledge No. 1 From this time forward, under God, I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people, whose democratic beliefs I share, whose rights and liberties I respect, and whose laws I will uphold and obey. Form of Pledge No. 2 From this time forward, I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people, whose democratic beliefs I share, whose rights and liberties I respect, and whose laws I will uphold and obey. Say it once when you get off the plane, then forget about it. Go wild breaking laws with the rest of us. If you’re born here, you never have to say it at all. There is no current controversy - nobody thinks about it. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-equivalents-to-the-pledge-of-allegiance/330438/30 "2005-11-11T19:50:01Z")
The hospital in India that I worked at for a month last summer had an attached primary school. Every morning, at about 7am,400 kids would line up and say **hawkeyejo’s** : India is my country. All Indians are my brothers and sisters. I Love my country. I am proud of its rich and varied culture. I shall always strive to be worthy of it. I shall love and respect my parents, teachers and elders. To my country and my people I pledge my devotion. Except that all 400 under kids saying that pledge in English had Marati as their first language, and I only now understand what they were actually saying! The only part I ever got was “All Indians are my brothers and sisters” which the kids really enjoyed saying…the rest was pretty incoherent. ---
**Author:** ![rippingtons\_fan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rippingtons_fan/32/11767_2.png) [@rippingtons\_fan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rippingtons_fan)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-equivalents-to-the-pledge-of-allegiance/330438/31 "2005-11-11T20:54:40Z")
> [@irishgirl](#): > > The hospital in India that I worked at for a month last summer had an attached primary school. > Every morning, at about 7am,400 kids would line up and say **hawkeyejo’s** : > > India is my country. > All Indians are my brothers and sisters. > I Love my country. > I am proud of its rich and varied culture. > I shall always strive to be worthy of it. > I shall love and respect my parents, teachers and elders. > To my country and my people I pledge my devotion. > > Except that all 400 under kids saying that pledge in English had Marati as their first language, and I only now understand what they were actually saying! > > The only part I ever got was “All Indians are my brothers and sisters” which the kids really enjoyed saying…the rest was pretty incoherent. To me that sounds like a very nice pledge in any language. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-equivalents-to-the-pledge-of-allegiance/330438/32 "2005-11-12T01:19:17Z")
Up until Grade 2 (1992) we sung O Canada every morning and said the Lord’s Prayer (at the discretion of the teacher, my Grade 1 teacher never had us do that), in my public elementary school. After that, we did nothing, except O Canada at assemblies. Once I went to high school, we didn’t even do that. ---
**Author:** ![mittu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@mittu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mittu)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-equivalents-to-the-pledge-of-allegiance/330438/33 "2005-11-12T09:38:11Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > Not disputing that this was the case - but you wouldn’t encounter this now, outside of a church school. Up until I left primary school in approximately 1992 we recited the Lord’s Prayer everyday before lunch. My primary school wasn’t particularly religious, we were linked by name with the local church but the only time we ever went there was for the leavers ceremony (something similar to graduation) and that was only because our school hall was too small. I wouldn’t be too surprised if pupils recite the prayer to this day. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-equivalents-to-the-pledge-of-allegiance/330438.md?page=1)