tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22980286.post7263717713962321105..comments2024-03-28T10:26:20.408-04:00Comments on Ponderings on a Faith Journey: Memorials and War -- A ReflectionRobert Cornwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581876323110725024noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22980286.post-78534477555431990572015-05-28T07:30:41.134-04:002015-05-28T07:30:41.134-04:00I think humans are sociologically, if not patholog...I think humans are sociologically, if not pathological in their tribalism. We feel an instinctive compulsion to belong, and not just to the "great multitude," but to something unique and set apart. That being said, as we watch other families (tribes) from within the emotional safety our own families (tribes) it's not unusual for us to pray for the health and well-being of the "other". And Scripture teaches us to care for the outside/foreigner as one of our own. That Scripture speaks to this ought to suggest that such care for the "other" does not come automatically, but requires effort, education and accountability, from generation to generation.<br /><br />I too wince at the confederate flag wavers. It seems to me that they harken to past glory days which were, for them and their ancestors, likely not all that glory-filled. Most likely their ancestors, if they were actually from the Old South, were not a whole lot better off than the slaves which were freed through the struggle of the Civil War. In the Old South the 'one percenters' were far fewer than one percent.John McCauslinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22980286.post-80669050701617620992015-05-25T17:20:55.207-04:002015-05-25T17:20:55.207-04:00The alternative is to provide a counter-cultural c...The alternative is to provide a counter-cultural community opposing all violent answers to problems. It's how the early Christians overcame Rome and it's still the only way. <br /><br />What does it mean to "love your [tribe] country?" I want nothing more for it than I do any other nation or peoples. Perhaps the best form of love here is to admonish it and seek correctives that will keep it from mistreating its own and others.Steve Kindlenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22980286.post-17544610670778299732015-05-25T16:22:57.060-04:002015-05-25T16:22:57.060-04:00I don't think that war and love of country are...I don't think that war and love of country are so entangled that we can't have one without the other. Nation-states might be a more sophisticated form of tribe, and they are surely not ultimate in any sense, but I'm not sure what the alternative is. Even if I can envision a United Federation of Planets, there is still conflict within the Federation and the Federation is itself caught up in conflict. So, the question seems to be how we live in cooperation rather than competition in our groupings. Of course this might all be a dream!<br /><br /><br />Hopefully the reflection shows my own conflictedness. I love my country, but that's not ultimate. I also know that God loves other nations and other peoples as well. <br /><br /><br />Of course, I find it difficult to understand how you can fly a Confederate flag and call yourself a lover of America!Robert Cornwallhttp://bobcornwall.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22980286.post-88402869441213109302015-05-25T16:15:52.641-04:002015-05-25T16:15:52.641-04:00Bob, I wonder if you can have it both ways; that i...Bob, I wonder if you can have it both ways; that is, can you revere your<br /> country and hope for a time when war will cease? Nation-states are <br />nothing more than a sophisticated tribalism, and tribalism is the bane <br />of civilization. In my view, as long as nation-states exist, with their<br /> sole commitment to their own self-interests, we will continue to have <br />war.Steve Kindlenoreply@blogger.com