Patriotism and Public Service
Citizenship, patriotism, public service: these words define the arena of ethical conduct beyond the level of family and friends. Society functions well when its citizens are active participants, volunteering for public duties and taking responsibility to solve problems in their neighborhoods and communities. Particularly in a democracy, which is government “of the people and by the people,” an attitude of public service is the defining characteristic of good citizens.
In times of peril, love of country calls forth sacrifice. Patriots are proud to offer themselves—their lives if necessary—in the service of their country. The biblical Esther pleads for her people at the risk of her life to save them from destruction. The Psalmist poignantly expresses love of the land in his lament “By the waters of Babylon.” We include a medieval Korean poem that pledges absolute loyalty to the sovereign; it is familiar to Unificationists who have adapted it as a hymn of dedication to God’s will. Here we supplement scripture with memorable words by modern patriots who set the example of sacrifice and dedication to their nations’ welfare and who led their people to victory in the face of tyranny. Among the heroes in that pantheon, Father Moon pays particular tribute to Yu Gwansoon, a young Korean girl whose death at the hands of the Japanese police inaugurated the Korean independence movement.
Father Moon teaches that a nation has three aspects: people, land and sovereignty. In a number of scripture passages, the requirement of submission to government authority even includes counsel to patiently endure tyrants, for the sake of the order and public safety their regimes maintain. However, Father Moon links loyalty and respect for the ruler with the prophetic duty to admonish and guide him to rule according to God’s will.
Father Moon teaches that love of country is one stage on the ladder of public love that begins with love of family and ends with love of humanity, the universe and God (see below, World Citizenship). He views these loves as in alignment, not in conflict, and tells parents to inculcate patriotism in the young.