God and patriotism
By: mkfox
Published On: 6/23/2006 2:46:59 AM
God is not a Democrat. God is not a Republican. God is the ultimate independent. Patriotism depends not on your party, social or religious affilation or ideas.
God is not a Democrat. God is not a Republican. God is the ultimate independent. "The Almight has His own purposes," Abe Lincoln reminds us. "God cannot be for and against the same thing at the same time." It's foolish and arrogant to say that "God is on our side" or "we're God's chosen people" because as mortal, fallable beings, we can't know what God's judgement is. We can certainly hope He's on our side but because the word "America" is missing from Scripture, we cannot know for sure. God does not serve our purposes, we serve His purposes, and we cannot even begin to understand what those purposes are. Ultimately, whatever the source of our wisdom is, we must rely on our own best judgement. We -- all Americans -- are the greatest caretakers of our nation's integrity and moral fortitude.
Patriotism depends not on your partisan, social or religious affilation or ideas. Wrapping yourself in Old Glory and shouting "God Bless America" at the top of your lungs doesn't make you anymore of a patriot either; it helps no one. A patriot is an exemplary citizen: one who votes in regular elections, one who serves jury duty when called upon to do so and is able to, one who participates in local political dialogue, one who performs regular acts of charity and/or community service, one who stays informed and educated about the most important social, political and economic issues of his day.
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