Christians, Check Your Patriotism

I am proud to be an American. My heart warms when I see flags flying, or hear our national anthem playing before a ball game, and especially at the Olympics. I tear up every time American Soldier comes on the radio, and I turn up the volume every time I hear Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue.
 I do believe there is something special about America and Americans, about our history and about our future.

Yet despite my immense patriotism, I fully support the NFL protesters. As a Catholic, I must.

Moments like this in our country remind me to check my patriotism. When people begin to defend the flag, the national anthem, and the traditions that surround them, with the zeal with which they would defend their faith, we have a problem. This country, as wonderful as it may be, is not our god, and though God may bless it, it is no Zion, no Holy Land, no Beautiful City on a Hill. By constantly attaching religious fervor to patriotism, Christians begin to have a god above God, and create icons out of memorabilia and nostalgia. Those first two of the Ten Commandments, which seem so easy to keep, are suddenly the most difficult.

The United States flag and traditions have no inherent or holy value, but United States citizens do. Each and every person is created by God. As Christians, our primary commandments are to love God and love our neighbor. By ignoring and shaming those who fight against injustice, we do a poor job at both. We cannot let our admiration for a flag, or a song, or our very country get in the way of caring for our fellow man. Rather, we should listen to our neighbor, and work to make this country safe and free for all.

In moments like this, patriots seem to forget that what makes a country and its symbols mean anything at all is the people, and not just the ones who are long dead. These symbols must stand for the rights of all: the founders who bravely rebelled and the immigrants now shaping our culture; the soldiers who died fighting on foreign land and the farmers tilling our own soil; the enslaved persons who redefined freedom and the football players challenging the status quo. The flag and freedom are for all these and more. As such, each person has a right to fight for his or her freedom, even if it means kneeling during the national anthem.

So Christian Americans, fly your flags and blast your songs - let freedom ring! - but remember, you are Christians first, Americans second. So act like it.