This website specializes in outlining abuses by police. Police abuse people of all colors for breaking unjust laws or sometimes for doing nothing wrong at all (Freddie Gray). Collin Kaepernick, QB for the 49ers, has been attacked for not standing for the national anthem in the last week, and conservative claws have come out. I want to go over some of their inconsistencies, and I don’t necessarily want to defend Kaepernick, but I want to ask my conservative friends this question: What does this country have to do before you stop singing its praises and pledging your allegiance to it? I hope you’ll think about it and answer that question for yourself, because that time has come and gone for me.

So I’m going to post some of the arguments I’ve seen against Kaepernick’s actions and respond to them.

To answer the question, you’d have to ask whether the wars we’ve fought recently are just wars. My heart is broken over that fact that the war in Afghanistan and Iraq are unjust wars and they’re wars we’ve lost. Americans have died and bled and will be affected for the rest of their lives for an unjust, unbiblical war, and it’s all been a waste, because we’ve been defeated. Iraq and Afghanistan were better off in 2001, and millions of their lives have been lost. Since it is an unjust war, I believe their death was murder.  I take no pleasure in saying it. It’s terrible to think about, but I lay the blame at the feet of Christian pastors.

When we talk about just or unjust wars, we’re talking about justice. God determines what justice is. God’s law defines justice. Christians are the ones who have God’s law, and if they don’t teach what a just war is, then no one will know. Not only did they fail to teach what God requires for a just war, they were rooting for us to start those wars.

As far as how much money Kaepernick makes, that is completely irrelevant. Here’s what Bojidar Marinov had to say about that:

“Folks, most of the Founding Fathers were wealthy, and some were quite rich.

That didn’t stop them from saying that Americans were oppressed under the Crown, nor did it stop them from rebelling against that Crown . . . let alone from refusing to stand for “God Save the King.”

Just because a person is rich doesn’t mean they shouldn’t make any statements about justice.”

So, I don’t consider either Kaepernick or Glen Coffee to be a hero.

You obviously shouldn’t be bothered by someone praying, though many were. The problem for me with this meme is that it seems as though they’re saying that you should be bothered by Kaepernick and you shouldn’t be bothered by Tebow–as if standing for the national anthem is an equal duty to praying. If that’s what they’re saying, that would be blasphemy.

Here’s another argument I’ve seen (that doesn’t have a meme). Standing for the national anthem is our duty, because so many soldiers have died for our rights.

Did the soldiers die for our right to abort unborn babies? Did they die for our right to have the government steal from other people so that we can have Obamacare and public schooling and food stamps (socialistic redistribution of wealth)? At what point is standing for the flag an insult to their sacrifice on the battlefield?

Another argument I’ve seen over and over is if you don’t love America, leave it. There’s even a song about it:

It’s complete BS. Did George Washington love Great Britain or leave it? No. He threw off the shackles of his tyranny. Most of the founders were wealthy and powerful (like Kaepernick). They didn’t leave their country, but stood up for justice (which is a stand for what’s right and Godly). Who is saying the founding fathers are a bunch of wealthy crybabies? Shouldn’t they have just shut up and been grateful they lived in a country that allowed them to become wealthy?

Kaepernick says that black people are being abused by police. THEY ARE, and so are white people. It’s just that black people seem to be the only ones who care that they’re being murdered. Eric Garner was choked to death for selling loose cigarettes. The cops who murdered him faced no consequences. If that was the only instance of injustice, I’d be angry. But there are dozens of such instances of people of many colors.

There are some people who  have 2 Chronicles 7:14 yard signs in front of their house. It would be interesting to knock on their door and see what they think about Collin Kaepernick. Most of them would start ranting and raving and foaming at the mouth about how disrespectful Kaepernick is. Rather than humbling themselves, and praying and seeking God’s face and turning from their wicked ways, they will arrogantly ignore Kaepernick’s grievance. That is the opposite of what this country needs.

Here’s what 2 Chronicles 7:14 doesn’t say, but which does typify most reactions to Kaepernick I’ve seen. As long as this is the case–as long as Christians behave like a bunch of statist idolaters, God will not relent in bringing His judgment as the previous verse (verse 13) says.

If my people who are called by my name will arrogantly ignore criticism of their country and tell anyone with a grievance to get out, I will heal their land.