A question for the religious right
"Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven."
-- Philippians 3:19-20
Those words of the apostle Paul were meant to remind the Christian residents of Philippi to rejoice in their shared religious identity, not in their identity as citizens of the magnificent Roman empire.
Somewhat in that vein, the motto of a conservative Christian university such as the local Azusa Pacific University is "God First." As such, I wonder if many persons of such a bent would see a tension between that and John McCain's "Country First" slogan. Couldn't that be a nationalistic form of idolatry? Especially when McCain spoke last night about how his country (not Jesus) "saved" him?
But I'm suspecting that many of the people chanting "USA, USA" last night think that, in the final analysis, it's hair-splitting to distinguish between love of God and love of country. And there are no Pauls in latter-day Christendom to correct them.
That explains much of the toxic, "good vs. evil" posturing in modern American politics.
Can we please, please, keep religion out of politics?, for God's sake all Americans are not Christian!
Great question Rob! My loyalty is not to my country. My loyalty is to my creator. My loyalty to my creator requires me to think, act, and vote, in ways that are best for my country. Like you, the chanting makes me uneasy.
BTW, when has good versus evil not been part of political posturing in any country?