Is nationalism a good or bad thing?

[VCR-2000]

I believe that nationalism strengthens individual countries and brings everyone in the nation closer together. Do you think that nationalism is good for a country's people or not?

 

[David Kent]

Well No.

Nationalisation has practically destroyed our country. After the war, The Labour Government nationalised most big industries, Road Transpot, Railways, Steel, Shipbuilding, Mining, Health Service, etc.

Most of these became inefficient and either practically went out of existence, like shipbiuding and coal mining, or were privitised. Labour want to renationalise Railways. I can remember how bad they were when they were nationalised. The unions always tried to run the nationlised indusrties and protected ntheir members right ot of a job. They are still doing that with our privitised railways, striking over driver only trains. The only success is the health service, but that has been starved of money.

 

[section9+1]

Nationalization is another topic. I believe in nationalism.

 

[VCR-2000]

I meant to say nationalism, I mean being supportive of your country and your fellow people.

 

[Sketcher]

Depends on the country's history and culture. I'd say in the US, it's a good thing because we are a nation of immigrants, there's a certain level of inclusivity and live-and-let-live built into our history and culture. Germany, on the other hand, demonstrated some problems with nationalism in the past hundred years.

 

[Shimshon]

No. Nationalism and progressivism go hand in hand. They are socialist and totalitarian at thier core. The Nazi's where such.

Patriotism is love and devotion to a particular place. Nationalism is the belief that ones country is Supreme above all others.

Nationalism, like communist socialism should be avoided at all costs. It is the death nail of any nation.

 

[Shimshon]

I meant to say nationalism, I mean being supportive of your country and your fellow people.

There is a world of difference between patriotism and nationalism.

 

[David Kent]

I meant to say nationalism, I mean being supportive of your country and your fellow people.

Sorry I misread your OP.

Nationalism, Patriotism is OK as long as it does not go too far as in the NAZI Master Race idea. If we think we are better than any other nation, we have gone too far.

 

[Tutorman]

I believe that nationalism strengthens individual countries and brings everyone in the nation closer together. Do you think that nationalism is good for a country's people or not?

I believe it is good

 

[Jonaitis]

Nationalism has that "dual loyalty" feel to it for the Christian, which is very uncomfortable for me. I am of the view that Christians can glorify God for the wonderful freedoms and blessings they enjoy in a country, but to be proud and boast in the country is another thing. Besides that, some who are for nationalism typically fixate their mission on something irrelevant to the gospel aim. I just imagine all the fathers before us centuries ago, I could not imagine that they would turn their attention to a vanity as being nationalistic about the kingdom or nation they temporally resided. They saw this world as a wilderness that we are pilgrimaging, not looking to what lies behind, but pressing for what lies ahead. Someday the United States will dissolve, and so will many other countries. Not my concern, I am here to proclaim Christ and live in Christ and then die to be ready for the new world with a resurrected body. There won't be countries, we will be one kingdom, one people, with one joy.

 

[VCR-2000]

Sorry I misread your OP.

Nationalism, Patriotism is OK as long as it does not go too far as in the NAZI Master Race idea. If we think we are better than any other nation, we have gone too far.

I wasn't endorsing NAZI stuff anyway.

 

[VCR-2000]

Nationalism has that "dual loyalty" feel to it for the Christian, which is very uncomfortable for me. I am of the view that Christians can glorify God for the wonderful freedoms and blessings they enjoy in a country, but to be proud and boast in the country is another thing. Besides that, some who are for nationalism typically fixate their mission on something irrelevant to the gospel aim. I just imagine all the fathers before us centuries ago, I could not imagine that they would turn their attention to a vanity as being nationalistic about the kingdom or nation they temporally resided. They saw this world as a wilderness that we are pilgrimaging, not looking to what lies behind, but pressing for what lies ahead. Someday the United States will dissolve, and so will many other countries. Not my concern, I am here to proclaim Christ and live in Christ and then die to be ready for the new world with a resurrected body. There won't be countries, we will be one kingdom, one people, with one joy.

I honestly identify as deist, but I still accept Jesus as a God anyway.

 

[EzekielsWheels]

I believe that nationalism strengthens individual countries and brings everyone in the nation closer together. Do you think that nationalism is good for a country's people or not?

Well I guess it means how you define "nationalism." The Bible specifically provides for the existence of nations and I believe advocates against globalism at least in the Babelian sense (yes I just made that word up). God wants diversity of peoples I believe but universalism of faith. So distinct cultures are good but this can lead to competition and ultimately war which is bad.

 

[zephcom]

I believe that nationalism strengthens individual countries and brings everyone in the nation closer together. Do you think that nationalism is good for a country's people or not?

I think that maybe some time in the past nationalism was a good thing. Back in the days when the world was much much larger and the wars much much less devastating.

Today the world is much smaller and everything is interconnected to the place nationalism causes more problems that it solves. The economies of nations...including America...rises and falls because of events that happen outside the nation.

Events in one part of the world easily affects other parts of the world. For instance, if America does not do its part in the battle against Global Warming, people from around the world will suffer more.

The success of the European Union demonstrates that when nations are willing to curb their nationalism and join together for the common good, success follows. It may be rocky at times but, honestly, Europe is in a much better place now than if each nation was stuck in the grips of nationalism. Should England actually succeed in withdrawing from the EU, the losses they will suffer will render them ineffectual with their closest neighbors.

As we pack more and more people onto this rock suspended in the vacuum of space, nationalism is a luxury humanity can't afford. Our weapons are too devastating to use in the defense of nationalism.

 

[zephcom]

I think that maybe some time in the past nationalism was a good thing. Back in the days when the world was much much larger and the wars much much less devastating.

Today the world is much smaller and everything is interconnected to the place nationalism causes more problems that it solves. The economies of nations...including America...rises and falls because of events that happen outside the nation.

Events in one part of the world easily affects other parts of the world. For instance, if America does not do its part in the battle against Global Warming, people from around the world will suffer more.

The success of the European Union demonstrates that when nations are willing to curb their nationalism and join together for the common good, success follows. It may be rocky at times but, honestly, Europe is in a much better place now than if each nation was stuck in the grips of nationalism. Should England actually succeed in withdrawing from the EU, the losses they will suffer will render them ineffectual with their closest neighbors.

As we pack more and more people onto this rock suspended in the vacuum of space, nationalism is a luxury humanity can't afford. Our weapons are too devastating to use in the defense of nationalism.

In fact, while I think about it, one could make an excellent case for a North American Union with Canada, USA and Mexico. Open borders with free travel and commerce. There would be only one land border to guard and that is on the southern part of Mexico. And that border is 1/3 the length of our border with Mexico.

More importantly, Russia is about to acquire something they have not had in modern times...an open Arctic Ocean which will provide the direct access to both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Canada will also have that, but Russia has that part of their country far more developed than Canada does. A North American Union would provide Canada with better resources to develop and the joint military of the Union access to the Arctic Ocean. All three nations would benefit from a North American Union.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Orwell's essay on nationalism makes a compelling case that it is not a good thing. But it's hard to put an exact definition to nationalism

By ‘nationalism’ I mean first of all the habit of assuming that human beings can be classified like insects and that whole blocks of millions or tens of millions of people can be confidently labelled ‘good’ or ‘bad’.[1] But secondly – and this is much more important – I mean the habit of identifying oneself with a single nation or other unit, placing it beyond good and evil and recognizing no other duty than that of advancing its interests. Nationalism is not to be confused with patriotism. Both words are normally used in so vague a way that any definition is liable to be challenged, but one must draw a distinction between them, since two different and even opposing ideas are involved. By ‘patriotism’ I mean devotion to a particular place and a particular way of life, which one believes to be the best in the world but has no wish to force on other people. Patriotism is of its nature defensive, both militarily and culturally. Nationalism, on the other hand, is inseparable from the desire for power. The abiding purpose of every nationalist is to secure more power and more prestige, not for himself but for the nation or other unit in which he has chosen to sink his own individuality.

Nationalism is power hunger tempered by self-deception. Every nationalist is capable of the most flagrant dishonesty, but he is also – since he is conscious of serving something bigger than himself – unshakeably certain of being in the right.

 

[PreviouslySeeking...]

Patriotism and nationalism are both negative to me. They are just tools used to manipulate people.

 

[ananda]

I believe that nationalism strengthens individual countries and brings everyone in the nation closer together. Do you think that nationalism is good for a country's people or not?

I vote for tribalism.

 

[Strathos]

Like most things, it's okay in moderation but bad if pushed to excess.

 

[Shempster]

I believe that nationalism strengthens individual countries and brings everyone in the nation closer together. Do you think that nationalism is good for a country's people or not?

It can help to keep a nation from falling apart, but in general it is detrimental.
It taps into the human tendency towards tribalism. It causes us to prop up our leaders as gods that we worship. And it creates a sense of "us vs. them" which leads to racism, oppression and ultimately violence.
It is not the way of God.