Patriotism: Love God, love England

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#006633" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="001d6c00ddvuru.jpg"> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Walmer Baptist Church</B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#333399" FACE="Arial" >    </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > |     </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Walmer Baptist Church"><U><U><IMG SRC="01a581f0.gif" border=0 width="88" height="31" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></U></A></FONT></div> <div>                                                   </div> <div> Patriotism: Love God, love England</div> <div> By Revd Sean Michael Carter<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> © Copyright Revd Sean Michael Carter. This article may not be reproduced without written permission. </div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0a64b320.gif" border=0 width="75" height="50" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> Posted on 22nd May 2005</div> <bR> <div>  As St George's day is the day of our patron saint, let us make this a day when we celebrate what it means to be English for the following reasons.</div> <bR> <div> There is no British culture, the word British is that which defines the political unification of the English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh. We do have English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh cultures that are unique and different but not a collective British culture despite our somewhat shared histories as races. In contemporarty society, in order to conform to political correctness, I believe the English sense of culture and identity is slowly being eroded away.</div> <bR> <div> The fourth commandment of the Decalogue obliges us to honour our father and mother. We must honour our parents because for us they represent God the creator in that in giving us life, they shared in the mystery of our own creation. The spiritual patrimony which we acquire from our native land is given to us from our mother and father. </div> <bR> <div> Patriotism as it is often portrayed actually has nothing to do with racism, bigotry or ignorance. Patriotism is a love for everything to do with our native land: its history, its traditions, its language, its natural features. This love extends to an admiration for the genius of our ancestors whose fruits we enjoy. To be patriotic is not to degrade or insult other cultures or nation states, it is merely saying this is who I am, that I celebrate and am proud of my own race, culture and heritage. The English need to be proud of being English.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> On the other hand, Nationalism can involve pursuing the good of one's nation alone without any regard for the rights of other nations. History is littered with examples of this, but true patriotism in the biblical sense is a love of one's native land that also accords and desires the same equal rights to other nations as is claimed and wanted for one's own. Patriotism leads to a properly ordered social love in the world.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Patriotism is that love for our nation demonstrated when we confront every danger that threatens the overall good of our land. The duty of all citizens is to love their native land and to seek its welfare. Our history teaches us that the English have always been willing to make great sacrifices to preserve the good of England, or to regain it. The many cemeteries of English soldiers around the world testify to this.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> The native land is a complex reality where social, cultural, ethnic and political structures have evolved and continue to do so from primitive tribal traditions. The issue today, and the issue of Europe, poses the question whether the nation state has reached its final goal. The twentieth century witnessed a widespread tendency to move towards supranational structures and internationalism resulting in smaller weaker nations becoming absorbed into larger political structures. In this current trend, there are many trying to shape the new world order who believe that a national sense of cultural identity is a hindrance to their plans and hence the many attempts to erode and drown such an identity. </div> <bR> <div> Although I oppose any further moves towards Europe, that is a matter for debate and not the topic here. The issue I am highlighting is that as English people it is time we stopped apologizing for our country and our history and stand up and be proud of being English. This is not a popular view today. We live in the shadow of a politically correct establishment which denigrates our past. We have an academic establishment that is mostly embarrassed by our former Empire and our wider history. It is no wonder that stories fill our newspapers that nine out of ten children have never heard of the ten commandments, that many children had no idea there were two World wars, that an Anglican Bishop refused a wedding couple the hymn 'I Vow to Thee My Country.' In schools children are taught to empathize with a Roman slave rather than finding out about Boadicea. They learn about the hardship of a kitchen scullion rather than the deeds of Richard the Lionheart. The English flag is banned during sporting tournaments by some councils.</div> <bR> <div> The Greeks described barbarians as people with no memories and no concern for their history. Many young English people today are not taught the history of their people, it is no wonder they have lost a sense of identity and now seek to find this in large gangs, in drugs, drink and hedonism or by turning to fanatical political beliefs that offer them this much needed identity. </div> <bR> <div> Despite the politically correct and academic establishments trying to reduce Englishness , a thirst for knowledge about our history and Imperial heyday is alive and well. Many of us love this country, we always have and always will. We are patriots. This does not mean we hate or dislike foreigners. If you want proof of this, my own wife is from the Philippines. I met her there whilst doing missions work. Other countries have their virtues and sources of pride and openly celebrate them. The English people have a lot to be proud of in our history and heritage and we should be proud and celebrate this as well.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> The politicians and even some of the media think they know what is best for us. They hope that people will become barbarians according to the Greek definition, not caring about their history or viewing it with indifference and even outright shame. Perhaps they think that people no longer care enough to object so that their European goals will be realized albeit at the cost of the loss of the English sense of identity and nationhood.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> The fourth commandment obliges us to honour our father and mother. This embraces a love for our ancestry which cannot be separated from the people and land we are born into. As a nation, we also have a responsibility to our children to teach them the wonderful heritage of their birthright, what it means to be English with all of its rich history and culture. </div> <bR> <div> On a final note. Patriotism, loving England, is not hating or disrespecting others. It is about saying who we are, where we have come from. My two children were born in England. I am an Englishman, my wife is Filipino. That makes my children mixed race. To label somebody racist, as some do, solely because they happen to love England, the English people and English history, simply cannot stand up to the facts. My call to all English Christians and all English people, is love this country and be proud to be English. In doing so, we obey the fourth commandment in the wider sense. As St George's day is the day of our patron saint, let us make this a day when we celebrate what it means to be English.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Inspirational and Spirituality Section"><U><IMG SRC="019581f0.gif" border=0 width="88" height="31" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Walmer Baptist Church"><U><IMG SRC="01a581f0.gif" border=0 width="88" height="31" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>