|
|
|
|
Arthur Vaeni
Since Sept. 11, the idea has been
espoused that our nation has become more patriotic. While that might be true,
generally what I have witnessed is an upsurge of pseudo-patriotism. In religious
terms, it could be called the false idol of patriotism.
The idea of patriotism seems fairly simple. My Webster's Dictionary defines
a patriot as "a person who loves, supports and defends his or her country."
But what does it mean to love, support and defend one's country? If we were
being invaded by a hostile force, the patriotic response would be clear, but
as we are defending ourselves against terrorist attacks, the truly patriotic
response may not be as apparent.
In times of crises, it's natural to seek unity and to show support for our nation's leaders. Maintaining a democracy, however, calls for tension to exist between the desire for unity and the need to honor differing perspectives. Danger occurs when we lapse into pseudo-patriotism in which love of country becomes equated with unquestioning support for the direction charted by our leaders.
It seems extraordinary, for example, that the President and his administration have been considering plans to invade Iraq, yet there has been little public debate about it.
I am unaware of Congress raising serious questions about such an action. The one official body to voice concerns is our nation's military leaders. Whether or not we agree with the wisdom of invading Iraq, citizens who value our democratic ideals will insist that such a significant proposed action calls for national debate.
Pseudo-patriots believe such a debate would be unpatriotic and unnecessary, for our nation can do no wrong. For them, our country has become the standard against which right and wrong are measured. Doing so, they make our nation a false idol. We create false idols whenever we treat that which is less than ultimate as if it were ultimate. From that perspective, whatever our nation does to further its fight against terrorism is right to do.
One of religion's important roles is to help us become oriented to that which is truly ultimate. It provides us with a way of understanding life that takes us beyond ourselves, our families, our society and our country. It points us toward the possibility of perceiving life's larger truth, which some name as God.
Obviously, given all the harm that's done in the name of religion, it's not foolproof. If we believe our religion's version of truth is the only valid one, then we have effectively circumscribed our God, making it just another false idol. Nonetheless, while religion is neither foolproof nor does it offer the only the way for discerning truth, it can be most helpful in orienting people's lives toward life's larger truth.
With such an orientation, we realize that to truly love our country is to love that which is best about our country: the freedom to create a healthy society; the justice that ensures people's rights are honored; the compassion that opens our hearts to those in need; the responsibilities we share as citizens, such as voting, speaking out when we disagree with our leadership, and respecting our differences.
Such an orientation also helps us realize we can love our country without making it a false idol. Then we can accept that our country is fallible and does not always do what is right. Then we can appreciate that our nation is one among a family of nations and that our well-being and security will most aptly be realized through the recognition of our interdependence with all other nations and with all other beings on Earth.
This week's Pastor's Perspective was written by The Rev. Arthur Vaeni, pastor of the Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation.
Perspective is coordinated by Associated
Ministries in cooperation with The Olympian. The views expressed are those of
the author and are not necessarily endorsed by Associated Ministries or The
Olympian.
©2002 The Olympian
|
|
