The churches in America are frighteningly infected with unthinking nationalism
A hallway filled with American flags. Posters of the troops. Even a scheduled evening celebration that consisted of a 5-minute trailer with theatrical music meant to drive up your emotional state and give you goose bumps. Charged words flashed across the screen: Honor, Country, Freedom.
No, I wasn’t at a military recruitment event. It wasn’t even a government building or a movie theater, which often serve as fertile environments for statist propaganda.
Nope, all of this happened at church last Sunday. A place where, according to the cornerstone of the entire religion, we are to treat others how we want to be treated.
Yet there I was, sitting in the auditorium, reflecting on a very sad truth:The Abuse of American Soldiers. The oligarchs treat them as pawns, the general population convinces them of nonsense like they are fighting for our freedoms, and politicians parade them around like props in a theatrical show every few years to get votes. In reality, these young 20-year-olds are sent off to kill people they have no quarrel with. To defend not our freedoms, but corporatism. The elites in this country have turned the American solider into both a victim and a bully.
Anyone reading this probably has a fairly good grasp of the unification of government and big business in this country. But what about churches? Whether you believe in God or not, the churches in America are frighteningly infected with unthinking nationalism.
As I walked down the church hallway, staring at the poster that advertised a Tuesday worship service to honor the troops, I thought to myself, “maybe I should just give in.” The oligarchs have infiltrated every aspect of our lives with their worldview. Mass media, Hollywood, public schools, the economy, even our places of religious worship. Heck, they are even able to frame the perception of what it means to be a “normal” human being. Perhaps that’s at the root of many problems I face when raising my children.
Raising kids to be sovereign thinkers in this world is akin to an ant trying to climb a mountain during an avalanche. Essentially, I’ve taken on a task that is proving to be even more difficult as time goes on and the kids age.
On a personal level, I wanted to introduce my children to the teachings of Christ. Unfortunately, I can’t even do that the “normal” way by going to a church. Instead, I will likely have to do that at home in a similar spirit to our homeschooling.
Balancing my role as a father, and making sure my kids are thinking for themselves, will ultimately be my greatest achievement. In the end, I don’t want to be the designer of my children’s thoughts. I don’t want to replace the state. I just want to allow them to be raised in an environment where they think for themselves. It’s a lot harder than it sounds.
I think I’ll start by approaching the pastor this week with my children, and having an honest conversation with him about the state worship I witnessed. Maybe that will be the solution. For me to put myself in awkward conversations with everyone who has Stockholm syndrome. On second thought, maybe not…
– Daniel Ameduri aka The Dissident Dad