HabitableZone

Flame » in reply to Re: Whatever

"I think you just want to argue with me"
robert — (archived)

Well, yeah, this is the Flame board. You're making me work for it, and that's not sporting.

So you're "more liberal than the wildest liberal and more conservative than the staunchest conservative"? Sounds like the definition of the ultimate extremism: Whatever it is, you'll take it far beyond reason and sense and sensibility.

To get (more) serious, the point about patriotism isn't a meaningless one. Applying the term "patriot" to a Muslim or other strict monotheist reveals a deep lack of understanding of their beliefs. The idea of a secular government is repugnant to people who believe that the only law is God's law, and thus, expressions of loyalty to a secular government are logically seen as idolatry, the worship of a competing abstraction.

American Christian fanatics who tend to gravitate to rightwing politics should take note of that theological point. It's not just Muslim theologians who look askance at patriotism.

Maybe a simpler way to view is to recognize that patriotism is a Western concept that can only exist in a milieu that includes Western-style nation-states which maintain separation between church-n-state. You can be devout in a theocracy, but you can't be patriotic.

Log in or register to post.

The whole thread (56 posts)

Related discussions