It is certainly curious, and probably dangerous, that there are political strains that seek to neglect and ignore our national story. The proposed policy arises because there are shameful elements (slavery, the japanese concentration camps in World War II, Chinese exclusion acts) which might cause one’s patriotism to flag. That is certainly not how the Bible operated. The Biblical authors were very conscious of the entire story of Israel — the good, the bad, and the ugly. “At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it.” Only by looking at the whole of one’s story is genuine repentance possible. In twelve step spirituality one needs to make a “fearless moral inventory” on the way to sanity and serenity. During Lent we are encourged to do an examination of conscience so that we will rely completely on God’s forgiveness and compassion.
