It was inevitable. As soon as calls were rightly made to take down the Confederate flag from in front of the South Carolina state house, similar voices demanded that Mississippi change its state flag.

House Speaker Philip Gunn became the first top-tier Republican to call for a change in the flag, which has had the Confederate symbol in the upper left corner since Reconstruction.

“We must always remember our past, but that does not mean we must let it define us,” Gunn, a leader in his local Baptist church, said in a statement. “As a Christian, I believe our state’s flag has become a point of offense that needs to be removed. We need to begin having conversations about changing Mississippi’s flag.”

Several other state leaders weighed in on the issue.

“If the flag does not represent our citizens today, then we, as a body, should select one that does, “ Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said.

Attorney General Jim Hood: “I agree with the Speaker’s comments about the state flag and our role as Christians. Though it may sound cliche, I believe we should always ask ourselves, ‘What would Jesus do?’ Will we – as individuals and as a government – treat our neighbors the way we want to be treated? If a symbol is hurtful to our neighbor, don’t we have a responsibility to remove that symbol?”

That approach is hard to argue with. If Mississippi is as Christian as most surveys suggest, this should be a no-brainer. Like Gunn said, our state’s past doesn’t have to define us today. The Confederate emblem is viewed as a symbol of racism and hatred, so why not err on the side of removing that emblem?

Changing the state’s flag will not prevent individuals from flying the Confederate flag on private property. Changing the flag will in no way diminish the positive aspects of the state’s history. But changing the flag will help the state move beyond its painful past.

The effort to change Mississippi’s flag found support at the state level, but it wasn’t unanimous or overwhelming.

“The Confederate flag is such an emotional issue because to some people it is about history and chivalry and a certain period of time, but to other people it symbolizes hatred and oppression,” said Sen. Sally Doty, R-Brookhaven. “And I think it is time to start a conversation about it, but right now I think we should be focusing on the lives of those people in South Carolina that were lost.”

“We took a vote in 2001 and 65 percent of the state wanted to keep it. It may be time to do that again and let the people choose,” Rep. Becky Currie, R-Brookhaven, said. “I know that it’s an issue, it just may be that time to take a look at it again — but I think it should be something the people decide not a handful of politicians.”

Those comments shouldn’t be taken as support of the state’s current flag, but they also shouldn’t be taken as condemnation of it either.

We realize changing the state’s flag may be unpopular with some, but it’s what is right for Mississippi.