Tsiku lina, Gathie Barnett wa zaka 9 ndi mng’ono wake Marie wazaka 8 anangoima mwaulemu pamene anzawo ena a m’kalasi amapereka sawacha ku mbendera ya dziko la America. Atsikanawa sankadziwa kuti zomwe achitazo posonyeza chikhulupiriro chawo zichititsa kuti akaimbidwe mlandu wosaiwalika ku Khoti Lalikulu Kwambiri m’chaka cha 1943. Iwo ankakhulupirira kuti ayenera kulonjeza kuti adzakhala okhulupirika kwa Mulungu yekha basi. Gathie ndi Marie ali m’gulu la ana a Mboni za Yehova ambirimbiri amene amatsatira chikumbumtima chawo chophunzitsidwa Baibulo.—Machitidwe 5:29.

Gathie ndi Marie ankaphunzira pa Slip Hill Grade School ku West Virginia ndipo anachotsedwa sukulu chifukwa choti anakana kuchitira sawacha mbendera. Bambo awo anapitiriza kupanga apilo za nkhaniyi mpaka anakapanganso apilo ku Khoti Lalikulu Kwambiri la ku United States. Pa 14 June, 1943, khotili linagamula kuti masukulu asamakakamize ana kuchitira sawacha mbendera ndipo linachita kunenanso momveka bwino kuti a Mboni za Yehova alibe zolinga “zosalemekeza mbendera kapena dziko.” Chigamulo cha khoti pa mlandu wa West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette chinali chosemphana ndi chigamulo chomwe chinaperekedwa zaka zitatu m’mbuyomu pa mlandu wa Minersville School District v. Gobitis, chomwe chinapatsa ufulu masukulu onse kuti ana azichitira sawacha mbendera. a

Woweruza wina dzina lake Robert Jackson, analemba zokhudza maganizo omwe anavomerezedwa ndi mamembala ambiri a Khoti Lalikulu Kwambiri ku America kuti: “Mfundo yofunika kwambiri imene dziko la America limayendera yomwenso siingasinthe ndi yakuti pasapezeke mkulu waboma, kaya akhale wa udindo wotani, amene angapange lamulo louza anthu zomwe azichita pa nkhani ya ndale, kusankhana mitundu, chipembedzo, kapena pa nkhani zina zoti munthu ali ndi ufulu wosankha. Ndipo pasapezeke aliyense wokakamiza anthu kuyankhula kapena kuchita zinthu zimene boma likufuna kuti azichita koma m’chimbulimbuli.”

Ngakhale kuti ana a Mboni anasangalala kwambiri ndi chigamulochi, koma a Andrew Koppelman, omwe ndi pulofesa wa zamalamulo pa yunivesite ya Northwestern anati: “Mabungwe a ku America omwe amalimbikitsa za ufulu wa anthu azithokoza kwambiri a Mboni za Yehova chifukwa anapirira nkhanza zoopsa ku America pofuna kuti apatsidwe ufulu, zomwe zathandiza kuti anthu tonse tizisangalala ndi ufulu umenewu.”

A Philip Brumley, omwe ndi loya wa Mboni za Yehova anafotokozanso mmene chigamulochi chathandizira mayiko ena osati la America lokha. Iwo anati: “Chigamulo cha mlandu wa Gathie ndi Marie Barnett chinathandiza kwambiri ndipo umboni wake ndiwoti mayiko monga Argentina, Canada, Costa Rica, Ghana, India, Philippines, ndi Rwanda anayamikira kwambiri chigamulochi ndipo nawonso akhala akusankha zochita pa nkhani zoterezi potengera chigamulochi.”

Mu 2006, Gathie ndi Marie anaitanidwa kuti akafotokoze zokhudza nkhani yawoyi pamaso pa akatswiri osiyanasiyana ku Robert H. Jackson Center ku New York. Marie anafotokoza kuti: “Ndikusangalala kwambiri kuti chigamulochi chinathandizanso ana ena.” Gathie anaonjezeranso kuti: “Ndikukumbukira nthawi imene mwana wanga woyamba anauzidwa kuti apite kuofesi ya ahedi chifukwa chokana kuchitira sawacha mbendera. Ahediwo anamuuza kuti, ‘Aphunzitsi ako ayenera kuti sakukumbukira zimene Khoti Lalikulu Kwambiri linagamula.’”

Mofanana ndi a Mboni za Yehova ena onse, Gathie anati: “Timalemekeza mbendera komanso zimene imaimira. Ndipo zimenezi tilibe nazo vuto. Koma sitimailambira kapena kuichitira sawacha.”—1 Yohane 5:21.