The Liberal Patriot

The Liberal Patriot

Casey is a writer and blogger best known for her bluntly honest opinions and assessments as they relate to American life and culture. (Written 10/16/2020)

From a young age, I had the understanding that I was born into a country of privilege, and that privilege was due to pure, dumb luck. No one asks to be born into poverty in a developing country, just as no one asks to be born in what is supposedly a world leader nation. Not only was I blessed to be born in the United States, but I was also similarly fortunate to be born in the great state of California. As a 5th generation Californian, I was raised with certain values that I thought were common to the United States as a whole; we lauded kindness, intelligence, science, morality, inclusivity, and service to those in need. 

I have always considered myself a patriot. I love my country and what it stands for. I learned that what made the United States so great is that we were founded on the basis of freedom, and the idea that anyone can be whatever they want to be, despite the family, country, or caste they were born into. 

In school, I meant the words I spoke as I recited the Pledge of Allegiance. The song “Proud to be an American” used to bring tears to my eyes until the Trumpists corralled it into a message of white nationalism. Even when we had presidents and politicians  that I disagreed with politically, I still defended America and what it means to be an American. After all, most of us were taught a rosy, white-washed version of American history where the pilgrims came and saved the savages that they encountered here, bringing them clothing and sophistication. While slavery was discussed, it was never mentioned how deeply the roots of slavery impacted the formation of our early country, and how “liberty and justice for all” really only applied to white men at the time. Despite our turbulent beginnings, we were taught that America was the best in the world. 

It is easy to become disillusioned with the America we are faced with today. Many people saw the election of our first Black president as a beautiful turning point in our country- where all the deep seeded racism was no more, and we could all really believe that we had reached a true sense of equality and freedom.

How naive we were. It turns out, while half the country thought we were moving forward, the other half viewed their way of life as under assault. To be clear, this “way of life” benefited a lot of white Christians, who lived near a lot of other white Christians. There seemed to be a very odd understanding of equality and rights that was analogous to a pie. This group of people seems to think that equality, justice, and freedom are like a pie in that if another group gets more, that inherently means they get less. 

I am perplexed, but also nearly impressed that this group of people can so deftly cherry-pick parts of the constitution and the Bible to suit their narrative, while completely ignoring the parts that do not. Religious freedom is one of those issues. While many churches do well for their communities in the form of  food banks and charity, we have reached a point where we must ask if religious influence is doing more harm than good. Candidates with strong Christian beliefs have been elevated through the ranks of our democracy while pushing “conservative values.”   Although “under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office,” we can see right-wing Christian beliefs being pushed to the forefront of policy. 

This is where I tend to get completely flabbergasted. Yes, this country was founded on religious liberty, but there was a clear distinction of the separation of church and state. How is it that an entity that escapes paying into the American system to help all Americans can use money and power to influence politicians that represent all Americans? Religious liberty is the idea that you can legally practice what faith you choose. It was also specifically designed to keep religious  groups from imposing their will on the rest of the country, and yet, this is the exact dilemma that the United States currently faces. According to a Pew Research study, “Americans are divided on the extent to which the country’s laws should reflect Bible teachings. Roughly half of U.S. adults say the Bible should influence U.S. laws either a great deal (23%) or some (26%), and more than a quarter (28%) say the Bible should prevail over the will of the people if the two are at odds, according to the February [2020] survey.”

  We are in a battle to keep a religious majority from imparting their beliefs on the rest of the country that collectively believed the United States was a refuge from a religious oligarchy. I fervently believe that if you do not believe in abortion, you do not have to get one. If you do not believe that your religion supports gay marriage, don’t attend one. There are plenty of Christians who believe in kindness and loving your neighbor- the “Mister Rogers” kind of Christian who was a trailblazer cultural progression, as demonstrated by his iconic moment of inviting a Black character to join him and dip his feet in a kiddie pool to cool down on a hot day in a time of of de facto pool segregation (Kettler).

This beautiful country was founded on the basis of freedom. It is deeply concerning that the same people screaming about their rights and the constitution have a very narrow understanding of what our forefathers saw for the future of the nation. The fact that nearly half of the United States population believes that the Bible should be used to guide policy is deeply troubling, especially due to the increasing diversity in race and religion in the United States. 

I look forward to a time when being a patriot is not equivalent with hatred, racism, bigotry, or violence. The country is changing, and this liberal is yearning to feel patriotic once again. 

Works cited

Fahmy, Dalia. “8 Facts about Religion and Government in the United States.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 20 Aug. 2020, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/07/16/8-facts-about-religion-and-government-in-the-united-states/. 

Kettler, Sara. “Fred Rogers Took a Stand Against Racial Inequality When He Invited a Black Character to Join Him in a Pool.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 24 June 2020, www.biography.com/news/mister-rogers-officer-clemmons-pool. 

“The Restriction of Political Campaign Intervention by Section 501(c)(3) Tax-Exempt Organizations.” Internal Revenue Service, www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/charitable-organizations/the-restriction-of-political-campaign-intervention-by-section-501c3-tax-exempt-organizations.