03 February 2008
"I don’t believe in God. My god is patriotism. Teach a man to be a good citizen and you have solved the problem of life."
Andrew Carnegie
(found via Atheistic View)
The world is full of fascinating things that have nothing to do with politics
4 Comments:
I find this quote alarming. Blind devotion to anything is always bad.
Sigh. Why do some people think that patriotism in all cases has to be "blind"?
I don't think patriotism has to be blind. I'm not comfortable, however, with the idea that patriotism should be elevated to god-like status. Generally speaking, gods don't take kindly to scrutiny and criticism. Good citizens need to examine their societies, governments, etc., with clear thinking and be willing to change course when they've erred. Gods don't generally like course changes. Clear-headed patriotism is a great value. Clear-headed patriotism precludes worship of the state.
Chaplain, thanks for the clarification. Your first comment actually did sound like you were saying patriotism in general is blind, but I find nothing to disagree with in your second one.
Always remember that patriotism does not at all equate to worship of the government or blind loyalty to it. Some of the best manifestations of patriotism take the form of resistance to one's country's government.
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