TIMES of international tension naturally arouse in the human mind thoughts concerning the security and future welfare of one's country, the national state which claims one's duty and affection. A Christian Scientist knows that there is no human relationship about which this Science has not something helpful to teach him; and this is certainly the case with regard to patriotism. But Christian Science does not encourage blind emotion or reckless action.
It is natural to look first for some indication of the attitude of Christ Jesus in this matter. We know from the Gospels that he firmly resisted the temptation to head a national rising against the foreign masters of Palestine, and refused to declare it unlawful to pay tribute to the Roman emperor; he knew that the fierce passions which sway men can only lead to disaster. But no patriot has ever used more tender and poignant words than those of Jesus: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate." Jesus made it clear that his kingdom was not of this world.
When we inquire what we may learn from Christian Science on the subject of patriotism, we must remember in the first place that whatever is material is subject to decay and dissolution. "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away," said Jesus; and, in particular, he prophesied to his disciples the impending destruction of the splendid temple which seemed to them to embody the traditions and hopes of the Jewish nation. Even so, the physical face of our own country is always changing: ancient buildings crumble, the soil suffers erosion by sea, rain, and wind, and the population alters in number and racial composition. But, more than this, we know that from the only scientific standpoint, the standpoint of divine Mind, nothing material has real existence even now.
