A day in the life of my mind...

Today on my way to Yoga I noticed the billboard for the Lutherine church. It read "God Bless England". Of course, I don't believe in this shit anyway so it's really none of my business - afterall, how could God be an ethnocentric nationalist? Or for that matter, anthropomorphic and arbitrary? But for a moment a tossed this aside and looked at how such a proclamation made me react.

No doubt it was in reaction to the latest debacle: the terrorist attacks on England. So there's some comfort knowing that these people, this collective that identifies itself as Protestant Christian Lutherine, are at least socially aware enough to recognize that there is a world out there, and that there are other countries that can be nifty-cool besides America.

But on the other hand, why England? When terrorists attacked Spain, why not God Bless Spain? Maybe they did put that up, I dunno. Why not ever God Bless Afghanistan? Or God Bless Iraq? Those people have been through WAY more Hell than England has. Al Queda killed fifty-two Englanders in that attack. I'm sure Al Queda has killed WAY more Afghanis though, and all the people Saddam killed?

Why not God Bless Tibet? The Tibetans have been all driven out of their homes by the communist opressors. They have never harmed a fly, or done anything wrong, but the Chinese burned their whole town, desecrated their temples, drove them away. God Bless those poor Tibetans, not once did they fight back. Truely turning the other Cheek. Didn't some religious figure the Lutherines like talk about turning the other cheek? Why not God Bless Tibet?

Alright, so lets say they weren't saying God Bless England as a sort of comfort thing. Lets say it's because they agree with the English governing system. If that was the case, I'm sure they wouldn't ever say God Bless Iraq, because Iraq had, and still has, a pretty shabby government. But how come then we never hear any God Bless Canada? Or God Bless France? You know, their system of government is pretty much the same as England's, and yet America seems to just put the French and the Canadians down. God, it must suck to be French Canadian - in an American's eyes, that's like two strikes against you.

I'm still not sure how I feel about that. I mean, it borders on racism. It's like, these people don't give a damn if Brown Muslim People attack other Brown Muslim People, but when the Brown Muslim people attack the White English People, suddenly everybody's all upset. It also doesn't seem to hold very well to logic, because either way you look at it, God couldn't possibly ever bless England, because if you believe the Beatitudes that the poor are blessed, then God can't bless England because England's the wealthiest country in Europe. If you believe the gospel of wealth, that good times are a sign of God's blessing, then more than anything, this attack should be a sign that God obviously doesn't hold England in very high regard anymore. Finally, if you believe in an omnipresence unifying source God, then saying God Bless England is redundant, because God is present in everyone and everything, and therefore his blessing is availible to all who choose to see it - in which case, God Bless Us All!

On the other side, however, England is almost a thoroughly secular society, and it's really progressive to hold the sentiment that God can bless a secular society. Plus, I'm just glad it didn't say "God Bless America". I really hate that cliche.