Post-Tribune |

Rutter: Goshen already figured out anthem righteousness

If you don’t know anything about little Goshen College just over the hill in Elkhart County, know its heart.

The 650 students there understand what energizes and feeds their souls and offer no apologies for faith.

It’s Mennonite.

It’s pacifist.

It calls members to undo racism with direct action as one of the faith’s seven pillars.

It’s different and proud of that. No one needs believe what they believe in order to respect non-violence.

The students, teachers, alumni and administration spent a year there thinking about whether the school should play “The Star-Spangled Banner” before its sports events like everyone else in the country. They decided that their brand was more peace than national uniformity.

So, no national anthem. But they also wanted to express hospitality to students who were not Mennonite because respect for minority sensibilities is Mennonite philosophy. So they settled, with some misgiving, on “America The Beautiful.” And they prayed.

The secular press howled that small-time and rather odd religious zealots had banned the anthem, but that was never true. They just chose a different anthem to reflect their values.

That was in 2011, long before pro quarterback Colin Kaepernick riled the nation, the NFL and civic sensibilities everywhere by refusing to stand for the pre-game “Star Spangled Banner.” He says there is something broken with justice in America and declining the large musical group hug is one way to illuminate our mixed record.

You have to pause to consider what America has become before you can start fixing it. So he was calling everyone to stop and think.

If he is kneeling on the sidelines as the “Banner” is played, perhaps he uses the solitude to consider meaningfully what the lyrics say, and don’t say about us and how far short of national hopes we have fallen.

He’s been reviled for that. We always hate protesters who point to the flag in protest. We hate them even if they turn out to be right. Muhammad Ali was right about the Vietnam War, and we battered him with prison, the loss of his boxing crown and our scorn.

But Kaepernick started this conversation — often with angered responses — that perhaps will produce a moment of national thoughtfulness. He’s not profiting or showboating, and is pointedly punished for having doubts, though we could use a little more honest self-doubt now.

But Goshen College already figured out what it believes.

Richard Aguirre, Goshen’s director of public relations, told the Goshen News the issue is not simple.

“I think some in the media … have framed it as a debate between those who love country, who honor the military and respect the sacrifice of those who served in the military, and America haters on the other side,” he said. “Not only is that an inaccurate framing of the issue, but it’s an offensive one to people who on this campus have in fact served in the military or had relatives who did, but for reasons of conscience don’t support playing the anthem.”

In fact, the national anthem was never meant to be played at sporting events and seldom was for 140 years. It was reserved for events at which the flag was raised.

That ended in 1942 when Major League Baseball realized it would soon produce a lousy brand of baseball (with players gone to fight the war) and needed all the marketing help it could get to divert customers. So they decided to start games by playing the anthem as a marketing tool. They used the anthem as commercial product placement.

Do you feel inspired and ennobled?

Speed dial to 2016. Now the Pentagon pays the National Football League — $ 8.8 million of your money so far — to stage televised patriotic family reunions.

In fact, the NFL has appropriated nationalism, militarism and the very concept of patriotism.

Patriotism showbiz is a wholly owned subsidiary of the NFL. Some of the richest sports franchise owners in the world now essentially own the anthem as a commercial theme song.

Loyalty to the nation commingles loyalty to the NFL for financial benefit.

Goshen College’s Mennonites have a different view. Their devotion to God and freedom doesn’t depend on singing a hymn devoted to the War of 1812.

They pray for peace and tolerance there. “The Star-Spangled Banner” celebrates a war.

But take care how you mistreat the anthem these days. The NFL owns it. They’ve put a franchise tag on it.

That, in itself, would be a reason to protest.

David Rutter was editor for 40 years at six newspapers.

David.Rutter@live.com