War Perverts Patriotism

"Warlike peoples pervert patriotism. We are a warlike people, easily distracted from our assignment of preparing for the coming of the Lord. When enemies rise up, we commit vast resources to the fabrication of gods of stone and steel - ships, planes, missiles, fortifications - and depend on them for protection and deliverance. When threatened, we become anti-enemy instead of pro-kingdom of God; we train a man in the art of war and call him a patriot, thus, in the manner of Satan's counterfeit of true patriotism, perverting the savior's teaching: 'Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that despitefully use you, and persecute you;' we forget that if we are righteous the Lord will either not suffer our enemies to come upon us - and this is the special promis to the inhabitants of the land of the Americas - or he will fight our battles for us."

- Spencer W. Kimball, Teaching of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 414-418