The 1st and 2nd Commandments, and worship of the flag (and state) (middle east, generations)
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A lot of the conservatives on this forum and elsewhere claim to be Christians, but what many of them are clearly engaging in, in addition to their supposed Christian faith, is worship of the US flag - and by extension, the state (the US, of course). And undoubtedly also Donald Trump, since some of the language some are using here is clearly cult-like in its reverence.
1st Commandment "You shall have no other gods before me."
2nd Commandment "You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments."
The First Commandment clearly instructs one to not worship anything or anyone else other than God - He who cannot be seen, heard, smelled or felt. You should have no devotion to anything or anyone else other than God. Not your nation, not your state, not your football team, nothing. If you're even kinda-sorta venerating something other than God, you are skirting perilously close to blasphemy.
The Second Commandment follows from the first: You should not create any image, idols or any physical item which you worship or venerate. It is clear that many here are doing this to the US flag: The flag has become such a sacred item to some people, so beyond reproach, that they are offended beyond words that anyone might want to "disrespect" it ... let alone burn it, rip it up, or whatever. This is beyond any doubt a case of idol worship. If you are offended that someone might want to "disrespect" or burn a material, physical flag, then clearly you venerate the flag to the point of worship. Once again, this is a clear and blatant case of idolatry. The flag is a material object, and should not be worshiped.
Many of these conservatives also seem to somehow equate: Flag = Country. That is, they somehow seem to think that if you "disrespect" the flag, you're also disrespecting the country. By this token, since these same people are clearly worshiping the flag, they are also worshiping the state.
Sadly, so many of these people seem to be so caught up in this clear and obvious instance of idolatry they are unable to see it. They are caught in an idolatrous cult and cannot recognize it.
Now, to be fair, though aggressively tacky, I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with a Christian flag hanging in our sanctuaries. After all, it reminds us where our true allegiance lies. But it’s that reminder of allegiance that makes the other flag so profoundly out of place. That other flag, the one with the stars and stripes, capped by the same bronze eagle that once was the icon of the Roman empire, demands our allegiance, even the lives of some of our brothers and sisters, and yet we worship a God who asks the same of each and every one of us.
We can’t have it both ways. We can’t fully serve two masters.
But boy do we try.
And it is in that trying, that we often end up losing our focus on Christ and finding a new object of worship: patriotism.
A lot of the conservatives on this forum and elsewhere claim to be Christians, but what many of them are clearly engaging in, in addition to their supposed Christian faith, is worship of the US flag - and by extension, the state (the US, of course). And undoubtedly also Donald Trump, since some of the language some are using here is clearly cult-like in its reverence.
1st Commandment "You shall have no other gods before me."
2nd Commandment "You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments."
The First Commandment clearly instructs one to not worship anything or anyone else other than God - He who cannot be seen, heard, smelled or felt. You should have no devotion to anything or anyone else other than God. Not your nation, not your state, not your football team, nothing. If you're even kinda-sorta venerating something other than God, you are skirting perilously close to blasphemy.
The Second Commandment follows from the first: You should not create any image, idols or any physical item which you worship or venerate. It is clear that many here are doing this to the US flag: The flag has become such a sacred item to some people, so beyond reproach, that they are offended beyond words that anyone might want to "disrespect" it ... let alone burn it, rip it up, or whatever. This is beyond any doubt a case of idol worship. If you are offended that someone might want to "disrespect" or burn a material, physical flag, then clearly you venerate the flag to the point of worship. Once again, this is a clear and blatant case of idolatry. The flag is a material object, and should not be worshiped.
Many of these conservatives also seem to somehow equate: Flag = Country. That is, they somehow seem to think that if you "disrespect" the flag, you're also disrespecting the country. By this token, since these same people are clearly worshiping the flag, they are also worshiping the state.
Sadly, so many of these people seem to be so caught up in this clear and obvious instance of idolatry they are unable to see it. They are caught in an idolatrous cult and cannot recognize it.
Why are people always ready to blame America? This country is amazing and that is why we have so many people breaking our immigration laws to get in.
What is wrong with having a love for your God and a love for country? We see this reverence for both in the Middle East with people who are willing to die for their faith while protecting their country. Talk about a group that loves their God Country and Guns.
The funny thing is you mention that conservative Christians have a conundrum with the way they worship country and Trump but the more Liberals I meet the more I realize that liberals think America is the problem and anyone that doesn't worship Hillary is narrow minded or worse .
Why are we trying to put everyone in a box that is one way or another ? It is possible to love both God and Country.
A lot of the conservatives on this forum and elsewhere claim to be Christians, but what many of them are clearly engaging in, in addition to their supposed Christian faith, is worship of the US flag - and by extension, the state (the US, of course). And undoubtedly also Donald Trump, since some of the language some are using here is clearly cult-like in its reverence.
1st Commandment "You shall have no other gods before me."
2nd Commandment "You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments."
The First Commandment clearly instructs one to not worship anything or anyone else other than God - He who cannot be seen, heard, smelled or felt. You should have no devotion to anything or anyone else other than God. Not your nation, not your state, not your football team, nothing. If you're even kinda-sorta venerating something other than God, you are skirting perilously close to blasphemy.
The Second Commandment follows from the first: You should not create any image, idols or any physical item which you worship or venerate. It is clear that many here are doing this to the US flag: The flag has become such a sacred item to some people, so beyond reproach, that they are offended beyond words that anyone might want to "disrespect" it ... let alone burn it, rip it up, or whatever. This is beyond any doubt a case of idol worship. If you are offended that someone might want to "disrespect" or burn a material, physical flag, then clearly you venerate the flag to the point of worship. Once again, this is a clear and blatant case of idolatry. The flag is a material object, and should not be worshiped.
Many of these conservatives also seem to somehow equate: Flag = Country. That is, they somehow seem to think that if you "disrespect" the flag, you're also disrespecting the country. By this token, since these same people are clearly worshiping the flag, they are also worshiping the state.
Sadly, so many of these people seem to be so caught up in this clear and obvious instance of idolatry they are unable to see it. They are caught in an idolatrous cult and cannot recognize it.
But only one comes first and loved more or you're a sinner and are condemned to roast in hell for an eternity. Brutal? Indeed. But that's the rule Christians are supposed to follow or is optional?
Location: 23.7 million to 162 million miles North of Venus
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kajo13
I doubt you'll get a lot of responses. However, what a conundrum they find themselves in - country or faith?
Sorry to disappoint, but it's not a conundrum.
One can love God, their country, the flag, their kids, their pets, their cars, or anything else in their life, but God always comes first.
If God tells a person to give up their country, a believer will give up their country.
If a country tells a person to give up God, a believer will tell the country no.
Why are people always ready to blame America? This country is amazing and that is why we have so many people breaking our immigration laws to get in.
What is wrong with having a love for your God and a love for country? We see this reverence for both in the Middle East with people who are willing to die for their faith while protecting their country. Talk about a group that loves their God Country and Guns.
The funny thing is you mention that conservative Christians have a conundrum with the way they worship country and Trump but the more Liberals I meet the more I realize that liberals think America is the problem and anyone that doesn't worship Hillary is narrow minded or worse .
Why are we trying to put everyone in a box that is one way or another ? It is possible to love both God and Country.
you make some good points here;
and few more for the OP to consider;
1: read the language again, the first commandment says thou shalt have no other gods BEFORE me. that does not mean we cant worship other gods, just that we have to recognize that the christian god is number one. also note the wording of the pledge of aliegiance, it says one nation UNDER GOD. that means we are still recognizing the god is the one we worship first.
2: it also countermands your argument that the flag is a graven image that we worship, it isnt. it is a representation of the country that we live in and pay respect to, but still it is a nation UNDER GOD.
so OP does this mean that if you are married, you can no longer have any love for anyone else in the world? including your children? and wouldnt that then be a violation of the first commandment of worshiping god? so that would mean in your mind that the only pereson christians can love is god, and they can hate everyone else?
As a Christian, I agree with this. I stand in respect for the flag but generally do not pledge allegiance to it. The obsession with the U.S. flag is idolatry, imho.
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