Be forewarned: I am primarily a positive person, but I am also a realist, and write what I see from my point of view. I take great care in writing these so that it is understood clearly what my observations are.
Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel~Samuel Johnson
Nothing unnerves me more than when someone announces to no one in particular, and everyone in particular that they are a "Patriot". I have a problem usually not with just the terminology, but with the context of which it is used. Some people have a tendency to create a label for themselves which is flowery, has power, and is non threatening in one way, but still commands some sort of fear based respect. "Patriot" is one of those labels that fits that criteria. It's hard to criticize without it backfiring because the critic is an easy target for retaliation. One would be criticizing a self proclaimed love of country, and if you are that person that is doing the criticizing, there obviously is something wrong with your patriotism. And if there is something wrong with your patriotism, then obviously you are a threat, and must be ostracized, and dealt with accordingly. It is a safe platform to operate from, and one that the operator can easily use to dish out fear, and suspicion. McCarthyism thrived on that whole concept for years in the 50's, and took down plenty of innocent people in the process. McCarthy knew that in the case of patriotism, and in his case against Communism, the best defense was an offense, and keeping the task of making someone seem unpatriotic, or even traitorous was an easy process that didn't take much persuasion or evidence because fear is an ugly barrier to common sense. And fear based patriotism is exactly where the scoundrels call home, because they seem safe there. The problem I have with the terminology and the context is that it often times than not is used to belittle another person. The people who tend most to use it, insinuates that their love of country is more important and valuable than another person's and even suggests that the other person has NO love of country. I would never in my cockiest mood question another American's love of their country, but they have created an atmosphere where this is acceptable. In order to fulfill some agenda, one must have a common enemy that others can side with them against. That common enemy happens to be in this day and age, the folks that are hampering America's grip on "values" and the great American way of doing things, so the best thing that the patriots can do to spark fear, is to wage an imaginary war with those they deem as unsympathetic to the values they have declared as solely American, and worth fighting for. They need scapegoats for the decline of some lost idealistic picture that they have in their heads created by the affectionately mentioned "Forefathers" because if you don't know at least two or three quotes by one of the men who founded this country, then of course you are not a patriot either. In order to conduct this imaginary war, the self proclaimed patriots need an ally. For the huge task of inserting even more righteousness into the cause, the Patriots have chosen the perfect ally to couple with their " I love my country and you don't" illusion. Religion.
I have nothing against organized religion to an extent. I come from a family of Southern Baptists, and I understand where that history lies. Particularly the aspect of the Southern Blacks going back to a time of Slavery in this country where the religion that they were allowed to practice, which was Christianity gave them at least some modicum of comfort believing that something better lay ahead awaiting them, and that bondage was temporary. And although the very Christianity they adopted was used against them to justify oppression, it nevertheless was source of strength. The same holds true for all peoples. I understand their need to believe in something for themselves that gives them strength and hope, and although I choose to believe in a higher spiritual plane of the universe as opposed to one particular deity which directly contradicts with how I was raised, trust me, I get it. I won't take away anyone's idea of spiritual comfort. That is not my place. The problem with organized religion occurs when those in power adopt it and manipulate it for their own particular agenda, which happens quite often. Christianity in this country has fallen more prey to that in the last 15 or so years almost more than it has in the history of this country. Almost. Christianity has always been a good springboard for power hungry individuals, because historical belief has been twisted and turned to make people think that this country is a Christian nation, and was founded upon Christian principles which couldn't be further from the truth, but it is now entrenched within the minds of millions that Christian values have run this country for years. Christians will even tell you that they are being persecuted in this country for being Christians today when that is laughable, and some fantasy concocted by political extremists to gin up fear and support. The values that are prominent for anyone to follow are not cornered on the market by Christianity. They are within the fabric of all ancient doctrines and credos about how human beings would like to conduct themselves in a perfect world. Religion is actually supposed to be a man made vehicle to lift individuals to a higher plain of consciousness to commune with their deity, but as we have seen throughout history, religion is a powerful weapon of control, domination, and misconduct tool in the hands of the powerful who have enacted themselves as the chosen keepers of religious law.
Keeping those two separate paragraphs in mind, I now come to connect the two headed dragon that breathes fire upon everyone in America. Patriotism and Christianity seem to be doing a nice little hop skip and jump across America as those in power pulling the strings for these two entities manipulate others to disparage those they believe are destroying the country. Now what I am going to write next may piss some people off, but I am unafraid to write it, because I am unafraid to analyze exactly what it is. Most of the "religious patriotism dialogue" comes from whites in America who are feeling threatened and disenfranchised right now in this country. They believe that past American greatness came from a work ethic born in Europe, and that when America was a white dominated country, the country was in better shape. This statement I put out may offend some, but the fact is that most of the militias that emerge from this country have been born from the ideas of racial hostility, that justify their pledging allegiance to God and Country to restore the white man to his place for natural order. Anyone not seeing this does not want to see it, and doesn't understand the residual nature of the civil war that still exists after almost 150 years. This is not me looking for racial aspects under some rug where it isn't. This is America, where this mindset exists and thrives very easily in troubled economic times. Now since blatantly saying this is too radical for the mainstream of America to digest and get behind, the subtle nature of disparaging people using code words and phrases is in effect. "America is ruined, and these are the people destroying it: Food stamp mothers, Welfare recipients, Immigrants coming into the country, Atheists, People with Non Christian values, and folks who won't use the phrase "under God" in the pledge of allegiance. It's out of control and we have to get back to what our forefathers envisioned". There is that phrase again. "The Forefathers". In the minds of people they are saying, "Yes..The white men who built this country and saved the land from the savages that inhabited it, were decent Christian men. They would save us." That is what is being said whether one wants to acknowledge it or not, and this is the language being dropped upon the lowest common denominator target audience to motivate them. What is being said is, "Get rid of these people, and everything will be all right, and fall back into place." This xenophobic outlook is exactly what McCarthy understood and was genius at until people caught on, because he just couldn't help himself from going too far.
Mind you, I don't have a problem with religion OR patriotism in their own realm of context. As I stated I was born into a very religious family, and have seen how people can have a hope for the future based upon the belief of something greater, and how that can guide their value system and make them conduct themselves accordingly. Spirituality is what I choose over organizations, and there is a tremendous difference. But I don't begrudge anyone from having something to believe in that perhaps helps them. I also love the country I live in despite all of the huge flaws that it has had and still seems to be infested with, and the questionable way it became what it was, to become what it is. I DO however have a problem when the two are intertwined as they seem to be nowadays for a specific reason. And that reason is to control certain ideas, actions, thoughts and people from obtaining power, and keeping others who are corrupt from losing power. Americans will be the first people to condemn another sovereign nation as being religious based and full of entities of zealots that do harm. But we are in fact filled to the brim with those individuals right in our own back yard. And those individuals have killed, maimed, persecuted, spread fear, organized for power, and manipulated minds all in the name of "God given land". One can be a patriot all one wants and love ones country, and dissent with ones government and fly the stars and stripes until the cows come home. I am not saying that one can't. I actually encourage it when it's necessary. Also one can worship and practice whatever religion one desires, and quote Bible scriptures and go to church five times a week if they want to, because that actually is something that those "founding men" meant to happen. But what's not supposed to happen is the influence of both to be placed within the conduct of each other to influence set agendas and disparage others, particularly a religion such as Christianity where of course love, acceptance, and forgiveness are supposed to be the center pieces of conduct. But obviously those values are thrown out of the window in favor of those aspects that the religious patriots wish to highlight for whatever just cause they wish.
If you haven't gotten my point by now, I will just say this: The combination of any deity based belief coupled with fanatical love of country is a dangerous mixture that feeds itself on its own justification of existence. It doesn't have to be America, and it doesn't have to be Christianity. The combination can happen anywhere in the world and leaves nothing but devastation in its path. The least of what can happen is corruption, power struggles and marginalizing people for a particular agenda. The most that can happen is war, and we have seen that too many times to count. People mix the two and constantly lose themselves, and the actual purpose and good that the two can do when they are separate. So when someone has a tendency to constantly put God and country in a superior conversational, and action based context, your hackles should be raised. Because they are weapons in tandem to be feared, and if you don't comply with the agenda, you could be the next target of some agent of the Lord who is in reality a scoundrel in refuge.
Just sayin'..
