I love humanity. I don't care what citizenship a person holds; that person is my sibling. And, no matter how G-d has constituted that person (tall or short, young or old, left- or right-handed, dark or light, male or female, gay/lesbian or straight, etc., etc.), I will stand in support of that person's natural human rights, and stand opposed to those arrogating lying bigots who would take those rights away.
My personal view is that if one truly loves a people, then one can find sufficient motivation to want the best for them, to see them rise to their highest potential - and one important way to do that - the human right of loyal opposition - is to critique that people's government when it goes astray from its proper ideals and function.
Some accuse me of "attacking the United States" or some other country - or, for that matter, of attacking Christianity, or some other religion.
Let me state this clearly: I am a retired Christian clergyperson who served several churches as pastor. And I am an American citizen living abroad - because I cannot afford to live in my own country as a retiree.
I want to see both that religion and that country (and all others) rise to their potential, and I will not help them reach that potential if I keep my mouth shut in the face of evil, arrogation, hypocrisy, and cruelty. Therefore, I speak out. I find it distasteful for some people to criticize those who speak out from altruism and loyalty to the best in humanity, and moreover declare them guilty of the very evil and hypocrisy that they decry simply because they decry evil and hypocrisy.
Some people take that love-of-country too far, and act like it has some preeminence over the others, and can jolly well do what it likes. There should be no competition among countries - rather, cooperation. I don't care if a person is from the USA, Iran, Lesotho, Haiti, or whatever. That person deserves the SAME rights and opportunities as any and all others.
"My country right or wrong" is foolishness twice over. If my country is wrong, it is my duty as a citizen, as one of those who employs its public servants, to correct that wrong! Moreover, countries should not be competitors. We are on this planet together. Countries come and go, and the borders between them are evanescent political realities only.
Like you, I love what is best in humanity and thus, whether I agree with you or not, I respect you for your courage when you state eloquently how you feel.
Jesus was relentless. Mohammed was relentless. Gandhi was relentless. Martin Luther King Jr. was relentless. Relentlessness in the truth, motivated by love, is a virtue, not a sin.
The greatest and wisest members of our species yearned for humanity to reach its fullest potential and did not hesitate to condemn those who opposed that potential. Jesus, for example, harshly condemned Pharisees and Romans and even his own disciples when they abrogated their responsibility to be truly good. He was "unfailingly critical" of the boot of Rome grinding down on Israel, as he had to be.
And yet, when a Roman Centurion, probably a member of the Mithraist religion, asked him humbly to heal his dying son, Jesus did that and, what is more, praised the Centurion for his faith. Jesus clearly did not hate Romans as a class - he hated the evil that was being perpetrated by its government and army.
Today, no less, we must do the same: speak out when governments, armies, religions, and multinational corporations do evil. And we must be relentless.
As a preacher for 35 years, the pressure was always on to tell the parishioners what they wanted to hear - to tell them that their lifestyle is just fine, and so what if there are homeless people starving and cold in the inner cities and co...untryside. But I insisted that THEY were not my boss, but G-d, and that I had to say what G-d commanded me to say.
Sadly, most Americans are ignorant of what is happening in the world other than what the vapid entertainment-driven media tell them about this or that movie star or singer. More sadly, most Americans are no longer being truly educated in the classics, and taught discernment, the ability to think for themselves, and not just believe the oft-repeated lies dished out on Fox News. Sadly - I speak as a career journalist - real journalism, investigative journalism, has given way to faux news shocks and titillates but does not inform.
What is more, political leaders in the United States evidence a penchant for outright, outrageous lying, and the people show an equally sad willingness to accept these lies at face value. Gone, it seems, is the ability to ask good questions and demand good answers, to loyally challenge, to demand service.
And we should do the same - serve all our sisters and brothers - not just those in our country, not just those with the same skin color, not just those who worship as we do or vote as we do or dress the same as us, but ALL our sisters and brothers. And to demand the same of those we trust with custodianship of the public good.
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