On Patriotism

Patriotism is a dangerous, and I think, rather stupid thing. It is the act of being proud of of one's country. Any degree of patriotism is dangerous, as the next step is nationalism. Patriotism in America specifically is synonymous with nationalism. When we reach this level of patriotism we assume or imply that our country is superior to that of others', and our citizens are superior to those of other countries for living in our country. It is an arrogant and ignorant idea to possess. Perhaps this is why America is disliked so much- our arrogance and ignorance stemming from our strong patriotism. When we see ourselves, society, and state (gov't) as superior we lose touch with the rest of humanity. We separate ourselves. We become selfish as a nation and people.
Besides, why should I be proud of or adopt the idea of patriotism simply because I was born in America- inside of an invisible line on a map. Maybe we feel entitled to patriotism because we helped build this nation, or because we are a part of its government. The reality is that when we become proud of our government or country we become proud of all its actions, including the the wrong ones. Patriotism, especially that put forth by the government, threatens individuality by attempting to unite us behind everything the government does. Without individuality we are nothing but sheep. The strength of a country should not be decided by how strong of a following the government has but by how much the people can think for themselves and decide if what the government is doing is right or wrong.
Many, especially the far right, become patriotic about an idea of America that does not even exist. As far as America goes, we are not the best off nor are we even the most free. I will not be the patriot of a country that continues to deny the rights of minorities, women, homosexuals, and the poor, through its legislation, courts, and economics. I will not be the patriot of a country that allows the growth of the wealthy at the expense of the poor, the world, and the environment, through laws and war profiteering. I will not be the patriot of a country where in many places the beliefs of one religion govern and represent everybody, spreading bigotry and ignorance.
Only in a society that cares for the equality of all and is built by all and recognizes that we are just people inside lines, humans like the rest, can we be truly proud. This pride, however, is not patriotism but humanism. So rather than be a patriot blinded by rhetoric and empty phrases, be a humanist. Be someone that calls out the evils of the government and political organizations- of the system itself. Be someone that realizes we should not be supporting the superiority of our government or people but the humanity of it. We are all just humans living in lines. We may have different cultures, but in the end we are humans who are all equal.
One major step we can take to achieve this is to change how we perceive our own government. As Noam Chomsky said, the best way to approach our own government is with the principle of universality. We must apply to ourselves (our gov't and society), the same standards we apply to others. Our system is based too much on rhetoric and meaningless phrases, used to gather quick support. The people become blinded by this rhetoric, which leads to blind patriotism. If we assume that our government is naturally more ethical than others we are choosing to live in a world of illusion. To break this we must look at the evidence for what our government actually does and apply the same ethical principles that we apply to other governments, to our own. In other words, don't be hypocritical.
Some of the previously stated blind rhetoric comes into play when talking about the military, war, and the troops. I support the troops for their necessary commitment to the country, but our government's rhetoric has led to several misconceptions about our soldiers. First of all, the troops are not fighting for our freedom, and they haven't since the Civil War. (This does not mean there have not been good reasons to go to war, for example the World Wars were to protect the safety and freedom of Europe). The only people threatening our freedom are politicians, with laws that hurt women, gays, the poor, minorities, non-Christians, and the environment. A second misconception is that the troops are defending our country. Defending our country does not mean going to other countries to kill people. That's called avenging, and it has only done more harm than good (this is not the troops fault however). Only when troops are fighting enemies on our soil, or to keep them out of America is it defending. Do not misconstrue my words though. The military is necessary for defense, and I thank the troops for their willingness to defend us when that time does come. Finally I also support the troops for all they do. They are not the ones sending themselves to foreign countries to fight or die. It is the rhetoric politicians use to try to equate support of the troops with support of the war that is horribly wrong and deceptive.
In conclusion, patriotism should be abandonded and replaced with humanism. Only then can people open their eyes to deception and inequality. If we rid ourselves of the notion that our country is superior to or separate from another we can better help those in need and start acting as humans rather than patriots.

Religious Violence

When we think about religion, we think about the charity, peacekeeping, and preaching. We might think about the variety of beliefs each religion encompasses, including Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Unfortunately we are also reminded that charity and peacekeeping are not always valued by religions. When we read about events in history books and watch the news at night, we see the problems religious fanaticism can cause. Though the violence may be not be faithful to the core beliefs and values of the religions involved, it is still there nonetheless. Examples of religious violence can be found throughout history, and it ranges on the scale of small events to all-out war.
The first instances date back thousands of years to the persecutions of Jews and Christians for not adhering to the religion of the Roman Empire. Thousands were persecuted and executed over the course of several hundred years. The fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of the Christian Church brought a new persecution, against a fairly new religion though, Islam. Muslims who had migrated into Europe, specifically the Iberian Peninsula, faced harsh treatment and violence for hundred of years. Christians were told to burn and destroy Muslim villages and buildings. This eventually culminated in the expulsion of Muslims from the region.
Hostility toward Muslims did not end there, though. One of the most famous examples of religious violence started during the 11th century and spanned nearly three hundred years. The Crusades were a series of invasions by the Christians to conquer Jerusalem which was controlled by the Muslims. Christians felt it was rightfully theirs, so they led a series of invasions to retake the city and once again force the Muslims out. The Christian Crusades were ultimately unsuccessful and many soldiers were imprisoned and executed by the victorious Muslims.
The next act of violence caused by religion was the infamous Inquisition. It was a 12th century event started by the Roman Catholic Church, whose goal was to fight heresy. They did this by finding and arresting anyone suspected of blasphemy or opposition to the Church. The victim was then tortured until he either died or admitted he had committed heresy. The Inquisition could target anyone, including women and children. This even included pregnant women, whose children were stolen after birth. The mother would often die during childbirth. Imprisonment and torture could last for years. Unfortunately thousands of people were often wrongly accused 
and innocent.
Not as well known but just as deadly were small religious wars and acts of persecution following the Reformation. The numerous splits in Christianity created heated tensions throughout Europe. Germany especially was torn by war between the new Protestants and the Catholics. Places like England and Switzerland used strict religious laws to enforce their respective churches. For example, Switzerland, which was Calvinist, used "morality police" to persecute and "correct" those who did not act according to the Calvinist rules. This period was also plagued by strong corruption in the Catholic Church. Several popes were fighting for the papacy, nepotism was rampant, and greed went uncontrolled (unfortunately greed and hypocrisy is something we still see in the Church today.) All told the Reformation caused the death and persecution of millions... all over minor discrepancies such as the Eucharist and the afterlife.
 Persecution continued for the next several hundred years and is still evident in modern times, including the last hundred years or so. The Holocaust, which caused the extermination of 11 million people, stemmed from Adolf Hitler’s warped religious beliefs, the main one being that God had created the Aryan race superior to others, and that the Jews were the cause of the world’s problems.
Even more examples can be found continuing to this day. The Middle East has seemed to be in continuous conflict since the 1950’s. The Jewish state of Israel and the Palestinian states have been at war for years. Meanwhile, radical Islamic movements have been growing. America has felt this violence in the form of 9/11, when a group of radical Muslims led by Osama bin-Laden attacked several American buildings. This radicalism has been felt across the globe from various terrorist attacks. 
Another issue that is unfortunately virtually ignored is the constant turmoil in Africa. Civil wars and violence envelop many of the developing nations, and has for decades. These clashes stem from differing ethnicity and local religious views, and cause the deaths of millions every year. So called "mercy killings" are also an unfortunate side effect of Islam.
Religions not only are the cause of violence and war, but also the force behind social injustices such as racism and bigotry, specifically against women,homosexuals, and the non religious. This is evident in America today, where the Conservatives are constantly trying to implement their own religious beliefs into the government through legislation. One can also see this overseas where the hatred and degradation of women and gays is much more violent, specifically in the Muslim culture, but also Africa, and even Russia. Putin is now using the state Church to enforce hateful laws and ethics, specifically against gays.
Religion, which should send a message of peace and unity, has been the catalyst of violence, persecution, and wars throughout history. One may say that peace and unity are at its core, and that said violence and bigotry goes against the religion, but this is wrong. One has to wonder why the most hateful in a religious group are called the fundamentalists. These groups adhere to the strict interpretation of their respective religions- to the fundamentals. One only has to read the Bible or Koran to see this.

I'd also like to debunk several horribly inaccurate beliefs regarding atheism throughout history. Many strongly religious people would counter this essay by pointing to the tens of millions of people killed by atheist leaders and dictators, such as Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, and Mao Zedong. First of all, Hitler was not and never was an atheist. He is quoted several times saying that he believed in a "Supreme Power" called God which had Christian values. This God wanted a world where the Aryan was the dominant race.

Secondly, Stalin, Pol Pot, and Mao did not kill for atheism. Atheism has no doctrine at all, and therefore nothing to kill for. These horrible people killed for political power, even killing fellow party members (including atheists).

I'd also like to point out that though religion has been quite the cancer to humanity it has done some good things. Though it ultimately caused the dark ages, it did play a part in the revitalization of science (specifically the Muslims) as well as the growth of universities. I highly recommend the book Galileo Goes to Jail: And Other Myths About Science and Religion. [This essay is not however, a summarization of the book. The bulk of research done for this essay was done prior to reading it.]