Belief in the government is an act of faith.

Let's talk about the importance of faith. Without it, civilization would not be possible.

Faith is a set of beliefs you hold to be true in the absence of hard data. For example, no amount of evidence will convince a fundamentalist that the Bible/Torah/Koran/name-your-text is not the absolute authority on the will of God.

There is another type of faith that is so deeply ingrained within us, we tend to view it differently than churches and televangelists; even though it also requires an act of faith in order for it to exist.

I'm speaking about the government. After all, if you want to be technical - a government is nothing more than a collective mental construct.

There is no United States other than what exists in your mind. You can't point to "America" anymore than you could point to God, Allah or the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

It is true that you can experience the effects of the government in the form of roads, armies and taxes. However, you can also see the effects of Mickey Mouse, Elvis and Jesus. All three of them are are also nothing more than mental constructs, it doesn't mean they are alive or actually exist.

Just like the old Catholic church, the US government has a sacred text (The Constitution), a mythology (The Founding Fathers), and a zero-tolerance policy for up-start governments from within. (Google: US Civil War.)

Whether the faith in the religion of a government is a good thing or not is debatable. I happen to think it is, but I'm bias. My life and well-being depends upon the religion of the US government, and the same is true of most of the people reading this blog.

Political ideology is also an act of faith. For example, many Liberals take on faith ideals such as:

1. All people have inherent value.
2. Activism makes a difference.
3. The more democratic a government is, the more just it will be.
4. The rule of law is something worth fighting for.
5. Non-violent civil disobedience is the most effective way to to change a political structure which will not accept necessary reforms.

I sometimes wonder if religious and civic faith come from the same part of the human psyche?

Read counterpoint here.*

Tags: religion - faith - fundamentalism - government - civic duty - civics

LAST EDIT: 05/18/2006 @ 16:30 EST

* This is the closest thing to a counterpoint I could find for this entry. If you can find a better one, please post it in the comments.

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