It seems to me that the mixing of patriotic and religious symbols is more prevalent in the United States than in other countries. For example, if I search Google Images for “Bible and flag,” I mainly get pictures of the Bible surrounded by the Stars and Stripes. That’s even true if I do my best to search in other languages. (The flag of the Dominican Republic has a Bible in the middle of it; that’s about the only flag of another country that shows up in such searches)
Am I wrong about that? What seems normal in the U.S. seems to be viewed as unusual in other countries.
I’ll admit that it makes me uncomfortable. I might feel more comfortable if I saw that this was the norm in other places. Or not. Either way, I’d love for you to help me find other examples of this mix between nationalism and Christianity. Thanks!
I don’t have any examples but they are probably numerous. Of course, our culture always takes things things to the extreme. Flag clothing, flag tableware, flag furniture, flag art, etc. Obviously people not realising the oneness we are to have in Christ and the source of that oneness allows other things to come in which divide or for sure we cannot be one in.
I agree.i, too, am uncomfortable with all the talk of ‘God & Country’ – especially in the context of the exaltation of the Military of the USA as the Savior of our nation. In our congregation, few worship services pass without thanks for ‘our military that protects our freedom to worship’ with little attention to how Christian freedom of conscience is being eroded in our nation.
I cannot get past 2 passages of Scripture: ‘Our citizenship is in heaven’ and ‘Some trust in horses and some in chariots, but we trust in the LORD our God.’ I fear too many of us have forgotten these – if we ever really knew them.