who comes up with these things?
We have a controversy going on in our community about Independence Day being celebrated on Saturday, July 3rd instead of Sunday, July 4th. It is getting fairly heated and there are debates going on in the newspapers, on TV, on Facebook, on city web pages, at the grocery store…pretty much all over the area people are talking about this issue.
In one of the online discussions about this issue, a man has commented repeatedly with statements opposing the celebration being on the 3rd. He paints himself as a logical, scientific, educated man who is able to see all sides of this issue. I was able to disregard a lot of what he said, but this statement of his stopped me in my tracks.
“Choosing God over Country is like choosing friends over family.”
What?????????????
Does he believe people should actually be more loyal to their country than they are to their God?
This I don’t understand. Not in any way, shape, or form.
If a person chooses their country over their God (whichever and whatever God they choose to worship) how can that be a good thing? How can a fallible country be a better allegiance than a God? How can anyone think that it would be?
Please, enlighten me here. Please explain to me how this could be a rational rule to live by.
Because I simply don’t get it.
I love America. Love, love, love America. I cried this week at America’s Hope practice as the children sang songs about this great country. I cried tonight at the rodeo as we sang the Star-Spangled Banner. I volunteer as much as I can to help make this country a better place. I research issues, I stand up for principles of freedom, I study the Constitution, I write and call my elected officials. I am a good citizen who is trying her darndest to help America be the land of the free and the home of the brave.
But choosing country, even a country as divinely instituted as America is, over God makes no sense to me at all. It’s like choosing a fingernail over the miracle of the human body, choosing the index over the author of the book, choosing a rain drop over the water cycle.
I’m with C.S. Lewis – religion is the most logical concept out there and I am sticking with it.
I'm Tracy, a mama with big dreams, crazy ideas, loads of laughter, an insatiable desire to learn, and enormous piles of laundry.
Tracy this is fabulous! One of your best blog entries ever. I had James read it and he agreed – the perfect combination of truth and humor that gives us all a lot to think about! Thank you!
Ooooh! High praise from you! My blog has been suffering lately from my busy schedule and I would like to have some food for thought to offer to my readers on a more regular basis. I’m glad that my midnight ravings blessed your life!
I would have to wonder about this man’s family life. It may be quite deficient and void of the fulfillment we enjoy from God and family. Sad, really, sad.
I haven’t followed this. I just heard about it the other day. But it is my understanding that during the Founder’s era, if the 4th fell on a Sunday they celebrated it on the 3rd. At one time it was “American” to observe the Sabbath. EVERYONE did it. Unfortunately, today most of Christianity doesn’t observe it as described in Exodus.
The thing that makes me crazy is that the guy who pays tens of thousands of his own personal dollars, a private citizen, to put on an amazing fireworks show for this community every year, chooses to observe the Sabbath, and people in this community are complaining that the FREE fireworks show isn’t when they think it should be. And to top it all off, he has offered to match the funds of anyone who wants to hold their own fireworks show on Sunday! UNbelievable. And they are still complaining.
Now, like I said, I haven’t really followed this story because I don’t have time to spend my life being angry at unreasonable people, so please correct me if I have the details wrong on this one.
Bottom line… every day I see logical, scientific, educated people forgetting their God and I wonder how much longer His anger will be kindled.