Patriotism

MON., JULY 9, 1984, 5:10 AM
FARM, STUDY

The celebration of your nation’s birthday was this last week, but it became more vivid yesterday, with the sermon and the music, that it had been on the actual 4th… when the rain fell fiercely. You wonder what I think of patriotism, and now, o son, you shall know, in part, at least.

Patriotism is essentially the love of and the pride in your country, including its actions in the family of nations and toward its own citizens. I put love first, because I certainly know that it is possible, even desirable, to love someone when that one is far from loveable and when it is difficult to feel pride in his actions. Likewise, you can love your country even as you wish it could act differently, more lovingly, toward other nations and toward many of its poorer and less able people.

It is also possible, and desirable, to let love help you focus on the positive attributes of your nation rather than continuously being influenced by the negative imperfections. The Durants were right when they wrote of the everlasting rivalry between freedom and equality, which is much like mercy and justice, for which there can be no final perfect balance. Hear, o son, that I purposed the earth to have these conflicts, which are a stimulus to spiritual growth.

Yes, nations can grow spiritually, which then becomes a climate for the spiritual flowering of individual humans. If your nation were one that persecuted those who heard My voice and called upon Me as a constant source in life, then the climate for your doing what you are doing now would be most unfavorable. Now if you should be one who persisted, as did Daniel, then you would become a spiritual hero, particularly if I rescued you from the justice of your nation. You, however, would be less likely to persist, and your spiritual flowering would be thwarted.

Duane read and preached from the text of Samuel’s description of a kin’s probable actions with his people. If people want a king, or a nation, to supply them with necessities and with “goodies”, that nation must first extract the means from that people. It is justice that some who have little, too little, shall be given more. It also is justice that a man shall retain what he earns and shall not have it extracted from him for the many causes a government must support.

Now if a nation were truly free and spiritually advanced that freedom would be exercised to provide for the needs of all. Taxes would be paid willingly so that services could be rendered. There would be much philanthropy and much sharing of means and resources. Without spiritual maturity, however, greed is present to dominate and direct. As Jesus, I could have said, “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God those that are God’s… and resist the temptation to take care of yourself first.” And “take care of yourself” can be rationalized, as income rises, so that there is a continuing reluctance to give to God and pay the taxes that government needs. The great spiritual challenge of wealth is to consider the needs of others, that can be met directly or through agencies of government, before automatically “upping” your own needs so that it takes ever-more to maintain your self.