Patriotism - good or bad?

[NonEntity]

In another thread the idea of patriotism was brought up. I thought I'd throw out my thoughts on the subject.

To me being a Patriot is similar to being a Racist.

Why is it a good thing to support those who live in the same geographic area as you while denigrating those who do not? If it is fine for me as a resident of Kansas City, Missouri to hire a plumber from Kansas City, Kansas, why then shouldn't it be just the same for me to hire a plumber from Tijauana if I lived in San Diego?

If it is okay for me to drive from Omaha to Boston without showing papers and getting permission from some "authority," then why does this same logic not apply if I want to drive from Omaha to Montreal?

The entire concept of Patriotism is exclusion. If not, then what makes a Patriot? One must build a wall to define what is included and what is excluded.

This is a GOOD thing?

I think not.

[theghost]

NonEntity,

Patriotism USED to be a term that was equated with honor, and love of country. It was an honor to be called a patriot, and had nothing to do with exclusion. That is why it makes me sick that the terms "Patriot Myth" and "Patriot Whacko" and so many others have evolved into such a total degradation of the concept of an American patriot, which used to be a good thing. Although I will admit, that today my concept of country and state are very different than what they were a year ago. Regardless, to love ones' country (the land, the people) is not a bad thing. Things were good before the civil war, before the "government" became an insatiable monster, even though I never needed a "government" to survive. To be honest, I no longer know how I feel about the term. If construed to mean a love and support of our fellow men and women in America, then it's still a good thing, and shouldn't have to be equated with racism, after all, what other country on the planet has more races than this one?

[NonEntity]

My apologies. I obviously did not make myself clear.
I was not "equating" patriotism with racism, I was using "racism" metaphorically. Both are focusing on one group to the exclusion of others. This is not a function of place or time in history, it is a function inherent in the concept. It is a concept of Us and Them.

Read my post again with this in mind and see if it makes more sense in this light.

You said, " If construed to mean a love and support of our fellow men and women in America, then it's still a good thing, and shouldn't have to be equated with racism, after all, what other country on the planet has more races than this one?"

Why should I love and support men and women in America differently than those in Mexico? If I should, should I then NOT support a Mexican who has moved to America? Afterall when he was across the border he was not within the area that I was loving and supporting, but now he has moved, does this make him different somehow?

If I move to Austria am I less worthy of your "love and support?"

I wish to love and support all who are worthy and to be wary of those whose conduct warrants that, regardless of the label on his passport. Without patriotism would the idea of a passport even make sense?

Think "divide and conquer."

[kevin]

I too have had many sacred cows smashed in the past decade.

I have come to believe that the "labels" to which people hold in high esteem, such as patriot, have been perverted to the extreme.

The word patriot for one nation never carried the same meaning for any/all nations. One nation would think of patriot as one who holds to righteousness while another country accepted patriot as one who fought for their country's beliefs - whether good or bad...."Just following Orders" kind've mindset.

I would say anytime one accepts the word patriot to mean "tresspassing upon another" and doing so in an offensive (non-defensive manner) then you have perverted the word to mean something it was never intended to be. As a result the word patriot becomes an idol...something you worship (so much for the "thou shalt have no other gods before me commandment).

Nowadays the word patriot has been perverted and slandered at the same time. Anyone who chooses to be righteous when it is inconvienent for the government gets slandered as one of those crazies, while anyone who "just follows orders" at the detriment of another when the government so orders is all of a sudden a "Patriot": yee-haw, get out your plastic Chinese made Amerikan flag and wave your heart out.

These labels when followed w/out question become idols. Idolatry leads us straight into governments "problem-reaction-solution" and sets the stage for manipulating current events.

In the end days good will be bad and bad will be good - I believe, with all the political correctness being shoved down our throats, we are in the beginning of the end days where good is bad and bad is good.

FWIW: I no longer believe that being an "American" is what God wants of us - rather we are suppose to love our neighbors as ourselves. How can we love our neighbors as ourselves when "We" think we are better than "Them" because they live on the other side of the Country Line, State Line, County Line, or merely the Other Side of the Railroad Tracks?

It all begins with idolizing labels.

The bottom line, regardless of your nation's posturing on "Patriotism" is that NO ONE has the right to inforce their opinion on someone else. Even God gives us the right to go to hell - he gives us a choice of life or death: please choose life.

We always have a choice - it is our choice to make for ourselves....not our choice to make for someone else. Our job is to present our opinion (hopefully unbiased facts) and plant the seed in their minds - then allow them to make their own choices.

Patriotism no longer means standing up for someone else - it now means whatever the government wants it to mean (just follow orders and you are a patriot).

A time is coming soon where we will have to be a patriot for God: and those choices we make may be the last time, for our souls, where we have the opportunity to choose life.

IMHO, I equate "Labels" with "Graven Images" simply because of how easy the lemmings are swayed by said labels nowadays.

In other words, the governement or Corp.Amerika, creates a label - then they prop it up and worship it/or the demonize it and anyone who does/doesnt fall into line either gets worshiped by the attached label or they get demonized by the label - either way it is idolatry.

The opposite end of idolatry (negative idolatry if you will) is our, humanity's nature, to get offended when someone attaches a label to us. Getting offended means we are loosing control of the faculties of our mind. When we are out of control then we are being manipulated: so when we are out of control are we "Spiritually-Politically-Economically" being manipulated? When do the lines of Spirituality, Politics, Economics cross within our state of being out of control?

Signs, Signs - everwhere Signs.

Kevin,

[sagas4]

Patriot - it depends upon your point of view and what abstract concepts one uses to define the word.

Were the founding fathers patriots??

Many shows on the history channel claim they were, but how about from the point of view of the king?

To the british they were not patriots, they were rebels, traitors, etc. Why, they were in open rebelion to the "lawful gubmint" of the time, if there is such a thing.