Is it possible to be patriotic and maintain our Christianity? What if the country you are referring to is NOT the United States, but perhaps Iran, or China, or Saudi Arabia, or Japan? American instinctively associate patriotism with Christianity and believe firmly that our nation was founded by Christians, and on Christian or Biblical values. But many citizens of foreign nations around the world also believe their countries allow for them to be both patriotic and still maintain their spirituality, albeit in many different forms. One could argue that Italy is also a largely Christian nation, as is Germany. Yet both fought against our country in a massive world war. While Hitler and Mussolini may not have reflected Christian values, the soldiers on the front lines were likely praying to the same God we do. How can we ask God to take sides where it comes to preserving our nation, particularly if it comes at the expense of another; how can they?
The most fundamental “Christian” value that the USA was founded on is that of separation of church and state. The Bible is clear that conscience of man CANNOT be compelled either to accept or to reject God. Each of us must make an individual choice as to what we are going to believe about God. To attempt to force another person to believe in the moral standards I hold, or the method in which I choose to worship God, is to do the work of Satan himself. The irony of our greatest Christian principle is that it protects the rights of an Atheist to reject the God we believe in. In this we echo the character of God. Where we seek to blur the lines between church and state, we embark on the work of the evil one. Lest a zealous Christian think it is a good idea to unite the laws of the land with our particular version of religion, imagine what it would be like if the majority religion in this country was Muslim rather than Christian. Would you still believe it to be a good idea to enforce religion based on the majority when the particular views on religion are not ones you share?
Atheists have long accused religion as being the motivator for the greatest atrocities committed in our world. The crusades are just a single example of religious fervor turned into bloodshed across a continent. Religious persecution is what drove the pilgrims to flee England in order that they might practice their own version of Christianity without being compelled by the reigning Church of England at the time. The Catholic Church persecuted those who would not covert at the edge of a sword for over a thousand years. Even today Muslim countries strictly forbid the spreading of any other religion but their own on pain of death. Exclusionism. Persecution. Torture. Genocide. All words easily associated with attempts to force one group to believe as another does. Even Christ Himself was put to death for standing against the power structure of the organized religion of His day. The Romans might have cared less how much love, peace, and humility He preached; but the Pharisees could not stand his lack of subservience to their leadership on spiritual matters. They killed Him over it.
Long have men seeking to have control over the hearts and minds of others, attempted to use religion as a way of inciting deep passions and fundamental beliefs of those to follow their cause. The crusades would not have happened at all absent any religious implications. Why bother invading a foreign nation to secure a capital you have no economic or other interests in? But add religion into the mix, make it a matter of defending the honor of God (as if such a thing is possible, let alone required) and men willingly lay down their lives in the effort. Patriotism blended with religious fervor becomes a dangerous thing. Most often those who incite it do so to gain power over others. Look at Osama Bin Laden for example; He did not learn to fly planes and crash them into the towers himself. Instead he had others do it. He did not suicide bomb his own enemies, but he freely encouraged his followers to pursue this course to paradise. His cowardice is masked by claiming religious piety. Yet he does not choose to die as an example, only to compel others to believe they should in his cause. It is nothing more than a tool of control.
The problem with love of country is that most countries do not share the same values as our God, including our own. Countries seek to maintain borders and immigration controls. They cannot by practicality welcome everyone without precondition as God does. Countries maintain a strong defense in order that they are not overrun by their enemies. Yet God tells us to pray for our enemies, turn the other cheek when they strike us, and give the thief more than what he steals for free. Countries maintain laws to maintain order. God asks us to learn how to love each other and in so doing become free from the laws that are required to restrict our evil behavior. Countries or perhaps better stated governments, seek to maintain power. God asks us to have no interest in power, and instead focus on humility and simple trust as that of a small child. Governments tend to favor the rich. God is no respecter of persons.
The inherent values of any country run directly counter to what our God advocates. The fundamental problem is that God teaches the true equality of man. Respect for each individual, and their choices. He offers love to lure us to Him, so that we might escape the pain of evil. But He does not compel us to choose escape. In the end, God will terminate evil and all those who refuse to let it go, but not before every opportunity has been given to avoid this fate. Countries exert power over people, placing some in control and most under their influence. With power concentrated on the few, the natural tendency is to do whatever is required to maintain that power. Thus corruption enters the equation. It is considered rare to find an “honest” politician. And honesty seems to be the least harmful weakness we find in those who wield great power over others.
Still, Christ does not advocate revolution by force. Instead He advocated revolution by example. Living a life of love and service to others will have more effect than elaborate speeches and absent deeds. Learning to accept all our neighbors and love them as ourselves will make more of a direct impact on making the world a better place than will passing laws to attempt to limit what they believe or how they express it. Satan’s methods of control simply do not work and are not sustainable. If they did work, he would be in control and Christ would have lost. Christ won. Game over. Love conquers all, not because love has more ability to constrain, but because love has the only ability to liberate. Liberty can only be found in the expression of love from one to another. It is only in freedom from evil that true freedom is discovered. Freedom is not merely an abstract concept men die for in wars with other nations. Freedom is a reality found when submission to Christ results in the removal of evil from our desires and our actions. This is not something any government can offer or require.
I submit that when we learn to love as Christ loves, our nationality becomes far less important to us. We care much less whose flag flies over us, and more about whose light dwells in us. I can accept my brothers from Iran, Saudi Arabia, China, Germany, Italy, and Japan – NOT because they believe as I do. But rather because we share the same Father God, who loves each of us as the family we all are to Him. It is His banner alone that matters not our territorial ideologies, political persuasions, or cultural differences. It is Heaven that unites us all, for ALL of us will walk the same streets in the same city, and no one will call it America. It will not be pictures of Chairman Mao that decorate the walls of heaven, but instead the beauty of love in each of its citizens. We will not pray on mats facing east, but send our petitions to our God face to face. Heaven has a way of melting all the ideas of nation we cling to so firmly here as being completely unimportant. Heaven will be the true melting pot of humanity when every barrier we erect now disappears entirely. I doubt any of the redeemed will identify themselves as being from their former nations, but instead as being personally saved by His grace.
Let us love our countries most by seeking His reformation in our hearts and minds. Let us live lives of love and service to others as He did. In this we give our countries of origin a gift like no other. In this we show our patriotism steeped in TRUE Christian values, not ones you just hear about on TV. Let us protect vigorously the rights of those who disagree with us while giving them an example of a life lived without the self-inflicted pain of evil. A life of love is a compelling thing. It is hard to ignore and harder to find fault with. It is an argument that stands without equal. Were we to learn to love as our Lord, we would influence the halls of power more so than any reflection of our votes, or in taking up arms. Gandhi brought about reform through peaceful civil disobedience. Perhaps Christians could bring about an eternal kingdom of God, by simply taking Him up on His offer to save us from the evil that so infects our minds. This might be the greatest form of nation building a Christian could ever engage in, one that has eternal ramifications.
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