Are Americans a Chosen People?

Sad as it is to hear Bush remark that God has chosen him to carry out these crusades to destroy vile terrorists from creating utter anarchy in this world, its even more pathetic to believe that some actualy believe that God has chosen him, and that the man truly will bring liberty and freedom to the Iraqi people.

To me freedom constitutes the active part of self-determination in every aspect of society, esp law making.

To Bush freedom is a word void of any philosophical regard.

This was an article some students read in my Political Philosophy class, very interesting and know that some members will esp enjoy the british bias.



Are Americans a Chosen People?

Andreas Whittam Smith recently penned an interesting analysis for the British newspaper Independent entitled, "Which British Politician Would Quote Isaiah?".

Smith mentions the relative "timidity of the average Brit in talking about religion," a reflection of the fact that most thoughtful Europeans have come to see one's relationship with God as an entirely personal affair. It is certainly not to be imposed on others as personal guidance or political philosophy, in keeping with the simple request Jefferson made to the citizens of all democracies.

Smith argues that the newly-emergent American "religiosity," brought into the Oval Office by the Bush administration, "suggests that in a way Americans consider themselves a chosen people. The British had the same delusion in the 19th century." In other words, the richest, most powerful frog in the western pond has always perceived itself in charge of the entire pond, this pond-wide authority coming with the full blessings of the God of All Frogs, one can be sure.

Being among the chosen is an easy rationalization for well-healed Americans because, after all, they believe their God's favor has made America into the richest and most powerful nation on earth, the world's only remaining "superpower." By assigning American wealth and power to the actions of God, many Americans find it easy to ignore the possibility that American wealth and power might be the result of having unleashed an army of aggressive businessmen to capitalize upon the world
and its resources for at least half a century.

Many Americans are able to see themselves as chosen people because America is number one in a wide range of areas. We are "number one in our use of the world's resources, number one in the production of pollution, number one in the gap between the rich and the poor, number one in deaths by gunfire, number one in teen pregnancy, number one in poverty among the elderly, number one in citizens without health coverage, number one in child poverty, number one in homeless veterans, and number one in citizens behind bars."

We are truly on a self-indulgent roll here, folks, and we can all be likewise proud that America is the world's number one debtor nation. To paraphrase Dr. Robert Bowman, we are number one in the creation of new billionaires, number one in school dropouts, number one in poverty, homelessness, hunger, divorce, suicide, and number one in military force, nuclear weapons, and military spending -almost as much as all the other nations in the world combined. As a result, we are also the number one object of fear and hatred and, therefore, the number one target of terrorism in the world. "We also lead the world in the number of hours worked per family, since it now takes two wage-earners and three jobs to provide the income earned with one 40 hour per week job in the 1950s." [click for source]

This unique cultural approach to "oneness" does beg a question. Are Americans number one in so many areas because Americans have been chosen by God, or are Americans chosen by God because they are number one in so many areas? Which comes first, being chosen by God or becoming number one by whatever means necessary?

In the first case, God is actively pro-American, guiding Smith's "invisible hand" and absolving Americans from all sin. In the second case, God is passive, leaving the dirty work entirely up to His children in their quest for His favor. In both cases, this connection to deity is entirely self-assumed and self-righteous to the extent that there is no need to consider the views from outside this exclusionary religious world.


Now, of course, the American people have never claimed to be chosen. It is more that we have recently become tolerant of leadership behaving as if that were the case. We are reborn on the assumptions of our newfound religiosity and our newfound relationships to Bush's active, protecting God. As pointed out by William Saletan, the problem comes down to two mutually exclusive views of God.

Following the 9-11 attacks and the World Trade Center tragedy, Bush prayed that the victims "will be comforted by a power greater than any of us," alluding to a passive God welcoming his children home. But in approaching his war on terrorism, Bush has invoked an active Judeo-Roman God who would "watch over the United States," a God out to protect his favorite children on earth. Saletan correctly observes that this absolutist, infallible version of an American War God has two dangerous implications. One implication of an old-fashioned, active God, is that those who would fight in service to God and country are not really taking risks or portraying courage because their fate is already sealed and in God's all-powerful hands. This, of course, is an utter denigration of human knowledge, choice and courage, and it does provide a powerful argument for being satisfied with a passive, personal God, as Jefferson intended.

The other implication, of an active God, is that the human tragedy of the war with Iraq is God's will. This, of course, is an utter denial of personal responsibility by those advocating and waging war war. It is also, unfortunately, in the tradition of Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, who suggested that the World Trade Center tragedy happened because an active God had removed his divine protection from an immoral United States.

This is precisely the kind of "religiosity" which the Bush administration hauled into the Oval Office and it does provide the supernatural assumptions upon which Americans might see themselves as chosen people destined not to civilize but to pacify the world. It also provides the assumptions which allow the American people to abide self-righteous, belligerent leadership in their names.

Until the American people can see their way around this neo-imperial example of religion at its worst, until the people can be content with a passive God who has already given them everything they need to choose peace in the world, it is clear that Bush's Falwellian God will rule the day. The result, of course, is a national belligerence that is seldom, if ever, seen on the streets and byways of America. No wonder our European allies have trouble seeing the world through the eyes of Bush's God, a God more akin to bin Laden's self-defined active God.

Americans would better understand the European position if they knew even a smattering of where their Deist Fathers were coming from and what they were hoping to accomplish with their clarion calls against absolutism, religious oppression and external authority. If Americans were familiar with their own roots, they would know that rejecting the old holier-than-thou Judeo-Roman mindset with its active God is part and parcel of the road to wellness, part and parcel of the road to Jeffersonian Democracy, part and parcel of the road to freedom.

It gets even better than that. Rejection of vengeance-based, absolutist religion is, and has been from the beginning, part and parcel of the road to nascent Christianity with its basis in compassion and forgiveness, an ethical morality, which, Jefferson felt, had not yet been implemented on earth, largely for religion's lack of trying. In Jefferson's view, "Those who labor in the earth are the chosen people of God, if ever He had a chosen people."

Deep

If you want to get religious here.

America could be or not a chosen "country"

Americans as individual could or not be chosen, depending on if you believe and walk in jesus' footsteps.

Apparantly if you are walking in Jesus' footsteps in America, God proclaims to get out before he comes and does away with it if it keeps going towards what it's going towards.

IE/ self indulgence - materialism - turning away from god and doing the opposite of what he wants - we are a fallen people.

The world's people are fallen, the only people who are chosen are the ones who believe and follow in jesus' foot steps, according to the bible.

So to ask the question are Americans a chosen people isn't what you really should be asking.


Ozzy Osborne's lyrics are so true:

One person conditioned to rule and control
The media sells it and you live the role
Millions of people living as foes....

Originally posted by TrueLies

turning away from god and doing the opposite of what he wants - we are a fallen people.

liberals im looking in your direction

Originally posted by KrazyIvan

Originally posted by TrueLies

turning away from god and doing the opposite of what he wants - we are a fallen people.

liberals im looking in your direction

ya what part of the bible involved 10,000 dead iraqi civilians???

im looking in your dierection conservatives

Obviously taking a vote about whether America go to war wasn't taken.

Bush took whatever course he wanted....
Just because conservatives are "religious" doesn't mean that conservatives wanted to go to war.

It was Bush's decision....
I personally don't understand what the hell politics has to do with it....

Apparantly religion and politics don't fit together 100% because you have liberals who are religious and conservatives who are religious, and both sides... well some are not....

So all I have to say is what a stupid comeback!!!

Or I should say... What a moronic generalization...
See what happens when you don't think further???

You fit into general liberalism, which is run by a bunch of "very deep thinkers"... (note the sarcasm)...
:shk:

[Edited on 20-5-2004 by TrueLies]

America is the last of a long line of empires/civilisations that have dominate the world. Previously it was the British, before that the Spanish, before that the Caliphate, and the list goes on to the dawn of time. Each one of these though themselve invincible and thought they were chosen. The next empires time will come sooner or later. Its just a repeating cycle involving a different civ everytime.

I think god would damn america before he ever "chose" us for anything...

Remember...Too god time isnt anything ,so therefore im sure he still remembers american indian genocide...slavery...jim crow laws..wars against inncocent countries.ect ect ect ect ect...

Doesnt really catch me as something god would congraulate unless of coarse your views on morality are complety self-centered and warped as is the case with about 90% of americans

[Edited on 20-5-2004 by McGotti]

What a load of BS, Don't you just love selective logic...
If the US was as bad as the poor writer purposed there is no way we could be number one period.
If we are number one in all the bad things why are we number one in people trying to get in to this terrible place

Jealousy is ugly.

V

There is only one reason people want to come to america and it has nothing to with or supposed freedom and so forth.....Its because they can come here and make money...PERIOD!the poorist people in america are rich compared to other countries and it has nothing to do with gods grace...its about selfish policies leaning towards american dominance over the rest of the world.

Thats it...that the only reason people want to come here...and maybe some refugees of a country we attacked or somehow caused their need to come here..

It has nothing to do with freedom or god or anything..

Being number one isnt about being good, germany were number one and they were pretty evil back then... Power generally stems from evil deeds more so than good deeds, coz to get powerful you gotta tread on other people to knock them down. America is not good by a long shot.

America isn�t the chosen country. America has at times been very proactive in moving the human race forward, but now its becoming thing else ..
I tell ya whenever a leader gets up on a soap box and says "God told me!," er ummm!!

Enjoy Voting in November