Re: Sacred tangent (was Re: just checking...)

On Fri, Jan 14, 2011 at 1:51 PM, Bruce Geerdes <[email protected]> wrote:
>> I haven't been keeping a catalogue, but FWIW, thinking the U.S. is God's
>> special gift to the Earth is a particular (and not uncommon) form of
>> "exceptionalism" (and Palin did make an explicitly pro-exceptionalism
>> statement or two in her statement), and to the degree that any of America's
>> less-desirable policies have been motivated or buttressed by a belief in
>> exceptionalism, there would seem to be some overlap there.
>
> Is this better or worse than your run-of-the-mill nationalism?

Worse.

As Peter said, it concerns our religion.  The US has many good things,
but is not without it's flaws.  Many people note that the
Republican/Democrat, Right/Left divide in the US often looks like a
Right/Right divide when looking at it from other countries, and
Christianity (particularly Evangelical Christianity) generally comes
across as having picked sides.  This, IMHO, is damaging to the Church
worldwide. Especially given the prominence of both your secular and
Christian media production, you have a larger and more developed media
industry than many countries and I would often cringe growing up when
American politics, or even just American praise would creep into study
materials.

One thing that pushed me away from all of the rapture/dispensations
based theology is how every book out there gave special prominence to
the USA and bashing Europe and other nations.

In mainstream media in Canada sometimes it seems like Christianity
gets lumped in with right-wing Republicans in the US.  Also, in
conversations I've had with people in Germany, the term "evangelical"
immediately brings to mind American politics. Your politicians tend to
tie religion and religious language into their public persona, and
they are expected to do so, but that isn't the case in a lot of other
countries.

I like that during the course of the liturgy we pray for the Queen,
PM, and the armed forces, but part of me really respects the
Mennonites for keeping all nationalism and any reference to
governments out of church.  Praying for them in a general sense is one
thing, but having flags in the church and hearing how great the nation
is from the pulpit just creeps me out.

Jeremy

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