Civil War 2.0

I've written about this before but I'm more convinced than ever that while I am very happy to live in such a prosperous country, we are a nation that is teetering on the brink of a 2nd civil war. No, I don't think there will be armies at war with each other between regions or states, but we are a deeply divided country that has little tolerance for anyone who isn't a part of the far left or far right politically, theologically, or even patriotically. At times we've taken the slogan, "America, love it or leave it," to the extreme. Those who do not align with the tea party are deemed a threat to the American way of life (a way of life they define for themselves and everyone else) while those on the extreme left believe those on the right support tyranny. There is no room for middle ground which is why our government is so divided. There is no room for compromise, which is why our nation is in economic peril. I see this coming to life in a recent report that the economic disparity in America between whites and blacks continues to expand. It is because our nation tends to favor the haves over the have nots, the haves can influence legislation while the have nots can only look from the outside in. How long will it be before the have nots decide they will take what has been withheld from them.
The same philosophy seems to have invaded our churches. The division is between fundamentalists and liberals, those who say every letter of every word is infalible to those who believe the Bible is a collection of writings about a divine being. Those who are somewhere between those views are becoming fewer and fewer. The middle ground is disappearing. Why?
And it seems we are divided about what it means to be a patriot. Growing up in the 1950's and 60's I remember being proud to be an American. Let me explain that. I was proud because I wasn't Mexican, I wasn't French, I wasn't Russian, or I wasn't some other nationality. I was proud because I was told how much better it was to be American. The message that was sent and that I received was that I was better than other people in the world simply by reason of my place of birth. Later in life I began to see how arrogant I had become about my nationality.
I think this really came to the forefront in my mind during a church youth group meeting when I was an adult leader. We were talking about how much of the world doesn't have clean drinking water while we in America take it for granted and seldom try to conserve water. One of the kids said, "Why should we (Americans) worry about other people's water. We're smarter than they are or they would have clean water too. If they were smart like us they wouldn't live like they do." My heart broke when I heard that. The youth was only parroting what he had heard at home and elsewhere. I love this country, but I am not blind to its faults.
So we are a nation at odds with each other. At times I believe we literally believe that we are at war with anyone who doesn't agree with our political, theological, or patriotic point of view. We have started to see ourselves as enemies. A next door neighbor, a liberal, is not to be trusted. A co-worker, an evangelical fundamentalist, wants everyone brainwashed. A family member believes his version of America is the only way. All who disagree are enemies. If this is true then we are fighting Civil War 2.0.
I don't know where this will lead us. Maybe the destructive tendencies we have will lead us to a new and better world...but it won't happen until we start to listen to other people instead of doing all the talking.