Why feel guilty about being American?

Upon my entrance to EMU as a freshman, I didn’t know a lot of things. Even with my ignorance, there were some things I did know, and many of them have been significantly challenged throughout my career here at EMU. Before attending this institution I would have argued (until I was blue in the face) that I was as true a Mennonite as there was. That is, that my beliefs were typical to Mennonites, and as such, I would have felt that my denomination represented me well. As I sit here now and write this article, I do not feel the same way. I feel a bit like the minority. I feel antagonized and frustrated. Sure I am a baptized member of a Mennonite church but if the predominant views I have seen at this school are representative of the larger Mennonite population, I have to question exactly what I am. The following issue is only one of many that continue to divide our body of believers.

The issue is that of guilt. It has been consistently drilled into me throughout my classes/discussions at EMU that it is a "duty" as a Mennonite to constantly question the U.S and our status as American citizens. Worldview is indeed an important part of our faith, but is it so integral? This apparent pre-requisite of my faith is something entirely new to me and something that I will admit does not sit well. I was not raised in a community that marched against the School of the Americas. I did not participate in Washington D.C marches against U.S policy nor did anyone I know refuse to pay his/her taxes. Nobody I knew referred to soldiers as criminals or to capitalism as the great evil. I was not told to feel guilty about shopping at Wal-Mart or buying an American-made SUV or truck. People did not tell me not to go hunting, nor did I feel guilty about owning firearms. Living in a suburban/rural area was not seen as negative nor was clinging to the traditions of my ancestors. I have encountered all of these opinions at EMU and have indeed learned a few valuable lessons from them. What I have to wonder, however, is how I, as a Mennonite, should define my faith when these viewpoints are present in the majority of those Mennonites I encounter outside of my community?

My question in this article is also the title- why must I/we feel guilty about being American to be a true Christian/Mennonite? My family, on both sides, arrived in North America in the late 1700’s. Surely we are American. I worship in a church that is over 200 years old and which George Washington once visited. My church possesses a cemetery containing the remains of General Nash (the namesake of Nashville Tennessee). I live 45 minutes away from the liberty bell and it was cracked (legend has it) on the road that runs right next my house. My ancestors labored decade after decade as farmers in this land to produce food for its citizens as well as those around the world. My family is, and has been, predominantly blue collar and has always had to work hard to prosper here in the U.S. I am proud of all these facts. Why should I have to be ashamed of this past to be a better Mennonite in the present?

I will admit that I love country music, the mountains of Pennsylvania, the beaches of South Carolina, western films, farming, rifles, trucks, hamburgers, fries, and most everything American. I am proud of the countless men/women who labor intensively every day to live here and support their families. These people are the heart and soul of America and I see no reason for them to feel guilty about their every day struggles. One may not agree with U.S foreign policy or Third World labor policies, but I will rebuke anyone who refuses to give some level of respect to their country that provides for them, or to their fellow Americans who keep the wheels of this country turning. The very fact that so many Mennonites remain in the America they openly chastise has me question whether they are truly serious or merely putting on an idealistic front. I would argue that many really do love America and that realization makes them very uneasy. But why does it have to? Why does loving the U.S remove one farther from God? Does our faith history cause many of us to feel anxious about being so comfortable here? I would argue that we need not be worried.

We can criticize and challenge authority and I myself partake from time to time. That luxury is part of the beauty of America. We have been given that right. It is for this reason that many of our ancestors chose this country in the first place. The views I described above may represent only a small minority at this ever increasingly liberal school; I really don’t know. I don’t want to paint an inaccurate picture of what some aspects of the Mennonite faith really are, but I can only comment on what I see around me. As such, I am still uncomfortable in a definition of my faith. Having opinions is completely fine, but I see many who are very impressionable when they come to an institution such as this and consequently are easy to mold through "radical" opinions. The full picture, both sides of the story, is not presented and thus the student gets overloaded from one viewpoint. Thus, the radical opinion becomes their center. It must be realized that every country has its flaws, even the champion symbol of some Mennonites’ hope: Canada.

I feel that I can be an American and be a Mennonite at the same time and be proud of both. I want to be conscious of those around me and compassionate toward their struggles. However, I need not feel personally responsible for my government’s mistakes in the present or the past. I did not commit such atrocities and those who did will be or have been held accountable. I only need to act for myself so as to positively influence those around me. Following Jesus is as possible here as it is everywhere in the world. My guilt about being an American does not help those around the world: only my actions do. We need not feel guilty to be Americans in order to be better Mennonites.

Ben Weaver’s e-mail address is benjamin.weaver@emu.edu.