What Do We Honor?

For those who believed, served, and died. I will honor the memories of you today.

I ask that we look closely at what is served by spilling blood in the "sacrifice" of our own kin. I cannot justify in my own being a "Nation Under God" that chooses to ignore the simple Commandment set forth under God's Law #VI. Particularly when that blood serves to enhance the material world in some fashion. While trying to understand war, sacrifice, power, and the material things including territory that people kill each other over, I came upon a work that helped in understanding. Here is an excerpt:

http://www.asc.upenn.edu/USR/fcm/jaar.htm

Blood Sacrifice And The Nation: Revisiting Civil Religion:

"Americans live in a culture that is as religious as any that exists. In this article we contend that nationalism is the most powerful religion in the United States, and perhaps in many other countries.(1) Structurally speaking, nationalism mirrors sectarian belief systems such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam and others that are more conventionally labeled as religious. It happens that nationalism also satisfies many traditional definitions of religion, but citizens of nation-states have religious reasons for denying it."

"We argue that both sectarian and national religions organize killing energy by committing devotees to sacrifice themselves to the group.(2) We also explore the ritual role of media in propagating national religion. Media are not the most important ritual vehicles for nationalism, but they matter. Though based in empirical observation, our claims are theoretical in nature. Their value lies in re-thinking certain empirical phenomena in relation to notions of nationalism and religion in the contemporary world. Although our examples come mostly from the United States and its majority sectarian faith, and although generalization is risky, the principles we describe are broadly applicable to other enduring groups, defined as groups for which members are willing to give their lives."