Nationalism as Idolatry

My "high-level Baptist standards"? Are you familiar at all with what I mean by "the Baptist distinctives"? They are not my standards, they are standards commonly accepted by all convinced Baptists.

 

I gave you Scripture, and it's a perfect example of idolatry. I don't need you to do a cheer in order to validate that. It is what it is. You choose to ignore it or hold to a different meaning. Good luck with that.

 

Or would you have me believe that you are the sole authority on what is and is not acceptable scripture in a given topic?

 

Well, it is no longer a discussion or a debate. Sure, why not shut it down? :BangHead:

But ABCJim, you have a gracious manner and seem to know the Scriptures. No need to leave.

God bless.

 

Well, hey, this thread is still open and I have a couple of minutes, so I'll say why Matthew 6:24 is not referring to idolatry. There are at least two Greek words for "serve." One, latreuo, means to serve as worship. It is occasionally translated as "worship."

The other word, douleuo, is the one used in Matthew 6:24, and it means to serve as a slave, be in bondage to, do service for. It is a cognate of the word for slave, doulos. Therefore, Matthew 6:24 is not talking about worship/service at all. So IMO this verse cannot be used to prove that nationalism is idol worship--though some may continue to try.

My two yen worth. :smilewinkgrin:

God bless.

 

In other words, we are not to be slaves to money. Simple, yet profound, but certainly not the meaning some think means nationalism.

Something else occurred to me, too. God is the author of nationalism - the OT nation of Israel was very nationalistic, each tribe had flags with their colors, even.

 

Good point! And that gets me thinking, what about the Tower of Babel? God created the separate languages, and it might be argued that language is the lifeblood of the separate nations and cultures, the thing that keeps us from uniting except in such a very imperfect manner as the U. N. And that was the reason God created separate languages, and thus separate nations--to stop the one-worlders of the day!

 

A few years ago I did a study on the word ‘idol’ and its meaning within the biblical context. What I found is that an Idol while generally something visible actually was an expression of something ideological. Most saw that the paying of respect or the offering of worship to the idol was beneficial to them in a tangible way. They became enwrapped or entwined to and with their ideas of what the idol represented. It was more than a simple acknowledgement in fact those who worshipped idols came to depend on the idols blessings for a multitude of things ranging from fertility, to crop harvests, husbandry etc.

In Judges Gideon asked where are the miracles that my fathers told me about, essentially God responded that there would be no miracles until the altars (groves and high places) were destroyed.

After reading through the posts I would say that socialism is closer to idolatry than nationalism, that those who are perpetually on welfare would be considered idolaters before soldiers and that love of country has nothing to do with idolatry but is akin to nationalism in that we as Americans, speaking here of those born in America, will sacrifice our lives for a country that we love. I would not die for my church except on an exchange basis, but I would die for my Lord, my family or my country freely and with no reservations and in that regard I am a nationalist. I believe it was John F Kennedy who admonished us that it is “not what your country can do for you (idolatry) but what you can do for your country (nationalism).


thjplgvp

 

sorry double post

 

Well, it may have been a double post at one time, but it was a good one. :applause:

 

It doesn't say "believe on your country and flag and thou shalt be saved".....

I am thankful, however, that I was born in the USA!

 

thank you

thjplgvp