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Opening Arguments

Godless patriots

I don't get this at all:

 

A Massachusetts elementary school has dropped plans for students to sing songs at a school presentation after parents objected to a change in the lyrics of a popular patriotic song.

Parents tell WFXT-TV (http://bit.ly/HfR02t) that children at Stall Brook Elementary in Bellingham were taught to sing “We love the USA” instead of “God Bless the USA” during the chorus of the popular 1984 Lee Greenwood song.

Oh, I get that a group of Massachusetts liberals (if I may be redundant) would be nervous about God -- mentioning him might offend someone somewhere, heaven forbid. But why choose a song like Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" in the first place? Even rendered Godless, it remains an enthusiastic anthem of unapologetic patriotism. Aren't people who object to God also offended by that? Why didn't they pick some tame little unoffensive tribute to America like "America the Beautiful"? Oh, wait. God shed his grace on thee. Check.

I confess here I'm not that crazy about Greenwood's song, either. I think patriotism is a complex emotion and relationship, and that song simplifies the concept too much for my taste. It puts patriotism sonewhere at the level of "We're gonna win this football game because God is on our side." But guess what? I wouldn't have chosen that song and mangled it.

Comments

littlejohn
Sun, 04/08/2012 - 11:29am

This will come as no surprise, but I dislike public displays of piety AND patriotism. I am especially confused by the tendency of right-wingers to conflate the two, especially since they have no obvious connection.

Patriotism is simply the irrational (and almost certainly false) belief that the country you were born in is the best because you were born there. Had you been born in, say, Switzerland, I presume you would feel equally patriotic.

Likewise, had the most enthusiastic American Christians been born in India, today they would be exceptionally devout Hindus.

But (and with all that off my chest) I agree it's silly to get worked up of songs that mention god. It's kind of like some of my fellow atheists who scrawl out "In God We Trust" from paper currency before spending it. These are trivial things.

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