Somebody posted here about those people who fail to understand what a concept is about, be it patriotism, religion, masculinity, etc. They are the ones who cling the most to the arbitrary and subjective symbols and ritual displays we have come to associate to these concepts: flags, crucifixes, guns, etc., without considering where those associations arose and why.

And the debate over Sweden about the pronoun and/or the symbol we use to refer to an abstract concept like God really highlights that.