I am a religious man who loves his country. I have always been an American patriot, but now, more than ever before, I feel a sense of shared destiny with my fellow citizens. My love of country is not a simple matter, of course. It is rooted in a profound identification with American ideals, and especially with the values of freedom and tolerance that I see as central to the American creed. But it is rooted as well in the feel and the touch of particular places of enduring beauty, and in the connection that I experience with other Americans who manage to be, at least much of the time, ornery, outspoken, friendly and fair.
I am also more comfortable now with American symbols than I have ever been. A child of the 60s, I once had mixed feeling about the American flag. But I now see the flag as a sign of favor and high ideals that provides comfort and inspiration to a distressed people. The flag is meaningful symbolism, and Jewish tradition, rich in ritual, understands the value of symbols. Like most Americans, when I see the flag, I am filled with pride.
All of these thoughts came to me as I read "What So Proudly We Hail," an anthology of stories, speeches, and song edited by Amy and Leon Kass and Diana Schaub. Beautifully done, the book is intended to promote good character and honorable conduct along with love of country; clearly the authors are concerned that we are failing in this regard and that "creating a deep national bond and spirit" is more of a challenge now than before.
But this treatment of patriotism raises other issues for me. Like religious people before me, I struggle with the conflict that arises between love of country and love of God, a conflict that seems to be particularly acute at this moment in American history.
Many of those who speak the language of patriotism nowadays seem to think that America is both totally self-sufficient and always right. Even worse, these same people are likely to identify themselves as religious, and in fact are the sort of religious folks who believe, with unshakable faith, in their own rectitude. Not only that, they then transfer their religious sensibilities to their understanding of patriotism and arrive at the conclusion that the United States has a special claim to divine election. In short, not only is America for them the richest, freest and most splendid country in the world, it is also the country of God and its citizens are the people of God.
I too, it should be said, believe in American exceptionalism. I believe that an objective case can be made that the United States offers a combination of liberty, pluralism, free market vitality and human rights protections that is unique in the historical experience of humankind. I am influenced in these convictions by how Jews have fared; they have found a measure of security and freedom here that they have found nowhere else in their long history. And yet, I am fully aware of the risks of talking this way: the language of exceptionalism is fraught with danger, and those who speak that language today tend toward idolatrous nationalism -- which is contrary to my most fundamental religious convictions. Religious people worship God; they do not worship countries or government, no matter how impressive.
My answer, while unsatisfactory, is to acknowledge the reality of my dual loyalties. On the one hand, I am a true patriot, proud and assertive about my national loyalties. On the other hand, I recognize that true patriotism requires a significant measure of humility. Humility is required because however convinced I am of the virtues of our country, I need to be aware of the interdependent nature of the world and of the fact that people in other places may feel about their homelands much as we feel about ours. Also, humility is necessary because other Americans, whether acting out of conscience or religious conviction, will surely interpret the American values that I hold dear very differently than do I -- and I must defer to the political system to referee conflicting claims. And finally and most important, I need to be humble about my patriotism because I believe that wisdom ultimately resides not with our country's leaders but with God. Like the Jewish sovereign in Deuteronomy 17:18-20, who is commanded to carry and study the Torah, we must both exercise the duties of citizenship and study our sacred texts; in this way, we will have a standard by which to subordinate the power of princes to what God demands of us.
In short, my political loyalties are intense, instinctual, and flow from deep conviction, but, of necessity, they are also limited. And limiting them, I believe, is the best way to increase human dignity and freedom in this great country in which we live.
Bob Cesca: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Newt Gingrich
"God Loves Country Music" - YouTube
Love of God, Love of Man, Love of Country
Sermons From Matthew - Our Duty To God And Country (22:15-22)
The Struggle to Love God and Country - Evangelical Lutheran ...
God bless the United States of America.
Hebrew scripture puts emphasis on the moral responsibility of nations to establish just societies. The sociological reality is that each of us is a part a national entity which shapes us as well as we shape it. It would be considered a national sin for our patriotic impulse to descend into narrow chauvinism.
The messianic ideal in Judaism is framed in terms of the unity of nations. In the words of Isaiah and Micah ( Isaiah ii, 2-4; Micah iv, 1-4) “The Lords house shall be on the top of the mountain…and all nations shall flow unto it….and he shall judge between the nations…and they shall beat their swords into ploughshare…”
The concept that God enters national covenants comes from the Hebrew Scripture.
“Pray for the welfare of the state” (Avot 3:2). ..The King by justice establishes the land” (Proverbs 29:). And all this is equally true of non-Jewish governments, for the descendants of Noah were also commanded concerning them.” (Rav Kook)
Congress recognized Noahide Law as “the historical foundation ,,,upon which our great Nation was founded..” H.J Res. 104 - One Hundred Second Congress.
A friend invited me to read "The Commentary" which gives great insight on many matters.
Best wishes to you, again!!
Is it a matter of "Look how wonderful we are and pay no attention to that man behind the curtain"?
that are no boundaries in the infinite. boundaries are of man not of god.
at this stage of the evolution of consciousness process man needs boundaries; someday when awakened to the divine oneness of all he will not.
I too find nothing objectionable in the Rabbi's adumbrations. I would only point out that those of us who favor Kant's categorical imperative (So live that your actions could become a general law for all mankind. Persons must always be treated as ends not as means.) have the same difficulties with many of our country's policies without dragging God into it. The difference is that we do not have a relgious shield to hide behind.
(No sarcasm, serious q)
“Love of Country and Love of God” need not be a balancing act. When our country's words and deeds are to the benefit of not just our nation but the long term welfare of humanity loving our country and loving God would be synonymous.
On the other hand when our words and deed lead to:
Unjust distribution of God's resources resulting in many not to have enough to reach their fullest potential,
Unjust policies beneficial to our society and detrimental to the welfare of the rest of humanity,
Unjust wars adversely affecting others as well as ourselves, etc., then the choice is clear. Then our highest responsibility would be to do all we can to prevent our country from falling from Grace.
The following poem by the Persian poet Saadi that “graces the entrance to the Hall of Nations” at the UN says it all. If our words and deeds are the reflection of what the first four lines stand for then the love of our country and the love of God are the same but in case of the last to lines, we need to be on the side of God:
Human beings are members of a whole,
In creation of one essence and soul.
If one member is afflicted with pain,
Other members uneasy will remain.
If you have no sympathy for human pain,
The name of human you cannot retain.
"My country. When right, to keep it right. When wrong, to make it right."
patroitism and nationalism has created more wars than a sincere love for a god of oneness.
this should be a no brainer question; the fact that it is for many tells us their love for god.
spend time in studying the books of anthony de mello. he takes on the patroitism nationalism beliefs and our levels of awareness of the god within us.
hint if we have a high level of patroitism and nationalism we have a low level of the awareness of god. sorry to be so blunt but spend time on this it is worth the effort.
go to vietnam and find out what we did to those people with our patroitism and nationalism and fears. also germany and japan are other examples of patroitism and nationalism beliefs over our awareness of god within us and others.
As time passes, the more I identify w/ a community much greater than one nation, regardless of how lovely the nation may be. The passage of time is bringing us into closer proximity as a species, making separatist ideologies of various sources (such as exceptionalism) look as outdated as they have always been.
We are being shown how interconnected we are. Interconnectedness is not likely to coexist very well or at all w/ exceptionalism, moral or religious supremacy, or attempts at domination through the use of political or economic imperialism, etc. As a result of these revelations of interconnectedness, one might be lead to think we are being asked to choose between each other and worldly illusion.
I look forward to seeing what other comments will be offered on this article.
Take care. Peace. =)