BS”D
Look at what Rav Kook has produced compared to the legacy of, lehavdil, the Chazon Ish (or the Satmarer Rov). Only a deluded dreamer cannot see that the State is not anything remotely resembling reishis tzmichas geulaseinu; at best it is value neutral but too mired in corruption to do much to elevate; at worst it delays the redemption by keeping Jews away from Torah.
Criticizing Rav Kook is no different from criticizing neo-Carlebachians. He was not a kofer, but he was not one hundred per cent within the dalet amois of Torah either. In fact the more I read of Rav Kook, the less I want to read because his misplaced values and worship of the land sound like New Age distortions of the Torah that are all too common today.
And it is telling that today’s Religious Zionist youth follow a weird pick and choose mishmosh of a few quotes from Chabad sources, a bit of Likutei Moharan taken similarly out of context, some Carlebach and Rav Kook. Isolated teachings from Chabad (as I know all too well) and Breslov are very easily misinterpreted into pop New Age feel good philosophy, Carlebach is well, Carlebach, and then there is Rav Kook, whose worship of the state and land is a combination of European nationalism and failed back to the land movements of Eastern Europe, fits in perfectly.
In fact most Religious Zionists are Americans, a few of whom become Anglos, not really MO and not really RZ, when they do make it to EY and most of whom outgrow dreams of aliyah by the time they graduate from professional school.