So a fellow Xangan wrote a post where he mentioned me in my escapades as a stateless person/renounced US citizen -- stateless meaning I am not a citizen of any country. I figured it was due a response post, so here it is.
First off, I want to make it very clear that I do not see anything wrong with being a Christian and a citizen of a given nation. I don't believe that the Bible teaches against it. In fact, I believe that being a citizen of a country can make life easier in a lot of ways. If Mexico hadn't been a signatory of the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, I probably would not have been so bold as to renounce my American citizenship without first gaining citizenship in Mexico. However, they are, so there was no danger in me doing so, since as a signatory country, they are required to offer me all the rights, privileges, etc. of a legal alien provided I have the proper documentation -- which I got straightened out during the process of renouncing my citizenship/immigrating here.
That said, I was not a Christian at the time of my renunciation, and as such, the renunciation I know has no real spiritual effect one way or another. My renunciation of US citizenship was more or less a bold political/social statement.
It was a statement that I do not support:
- America's never ending thirst for imperialism
- A government that pulls inside jobs like 9/11 in order to give themselves the right to attack others and take their commodities
- A society that looks down on people of foreign nationalities
- The terroristic way in which the FDA, the FTC, the FAA, etc. micromanages everything
- A government that taxes income earned overseas
- A society that thinks it's OK to surgically alter infant males' genitals in the name of aesthetics and makes up bogus medical reasons for excuses to do so
- A theocratic society
- A society that treats LGBTs, non-Christians, etc. as second-class citizens
- A society that has a complete and total lack of appreciation for the arts
- A novel-length list of other things that I'd be here forever listing if I named them all
Feel free to label me "anti-America" if you will. It's the truth. I don't sugar-coat it or try to hide it, it's what I am. However, my anti-America stance is just because I don't like the culture or the way in which they govern themselves. It has nothing to do with Christianity at all.
I think healthy patriotism is perfectly fine, and I in fact encourage it. It's good to feel "at home" so to speak, and to be glad that you live where you do, and it's OK to say that you're glad to be a citizen of that country. If that country that you call home is America, then fine! I respect that you like America and enjoy living there. I just wish Americans would realize that their country is not a good fit for everyone (i.e. me), despite the fact that they like to think they're top dog and everywhere else is just some third-world country.
So yeah, having a citizenship is fine. Using it to your legal advantage is fine. That's not what I'm arguing against. In the end, what I really argue against is what I call "unhealthy patriotism" which could easily be dubbed "idolatrous patriotism." This is the type of patriotism that it seems most Americans have. This is where they're all about their country and by golly their country is the place to be. They virtually make their country and their citizenship idols, and we all know what the Bible says about having idols.
In the end, will I ever become a citizen of Mexico? Truth be told, probably not. With my protection guaranteed by the 1954 Convention, there's really no need for it. On top of that, the way I look at it, I already have citizenship anyway. I'm a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven, just temporarily living here until I'm called home. As Christians, that's where our true citizenship lies. Legal citizenship here is trivial in your spiritual walk, rather, it has more to do with a legal status.
Have you ever considered renouncing your citizenship? Do you consider yourself a citizen of your country? Does God call us to renounce our citizenship, or can we be both citizens of the kingdom and of our country?
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