Homeland Mythology: Biblical Narratives in American CulturePenn State Press, 10. sep. 2015 - 288 sider Since 9/11, America has presented itself to the world as a Christianist culture, no less antimodern and nostalgic for an idealized past than its Islamist foes. The master-narrative both sides share might sound like this: Once upon a time, the values of the righteous community coincided with those of the state. Home and land were harmoniously united under God. But through intellectual pride (read: science) and disobedience (read: human rights), this God-blessed homeland was lost and is now worth every drop of blood it takes, ours and others’, to recover. For Americans, the prime source for this once-and-future-kingdom myth is the Bible, with its many narratives of blessings gained, lost, and regained: the garden of Eden, the covenant with Abraham, the bondage in Egypt, the exodus under Moses, the glory of David and Solomon’s realm, the coming of the promised Messiah, his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension into heaven, his apocalyptic return at the end of history, and his establishment of the earthly kingdom of God. As Homeland Mythology shows, these biblical narratives have, over time, inspired a multitude of nationalist narratives, myths ingeniously spun out to justify a number of decidedly unchristian policies and institutions—from Indian genocide, the slave trade, and the exploitation of immigrant workers to Manifest Destiny, imperial expansionism, and, most recently, preemptive war. On March 25, 2001, George W. Bush shared a bit of political wisdom: “You can fool some of the people all of the time—and those are the ones you have to concentrate on.” The cynical use of religion to cloak criminal behavior is always worth exposing, but why our leaders lie to us is no longer a mystery. What does remain mysterious is why so many of us are disposed to believe their lies. The unexamined issue that this book addresses is, therefore, not the mendacity of the few, but the credulity of the many. |
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... president, I shelved this project on religio-political rhetoric and turned to other research. But after the events of 9/11, as the patriotic emotions of Americans began to be channeled into that old, exceptionalist rhetoric and into ...
... President Wilson had finally declared “The Star-Spangled Banner” the national anthem, a choice confirmed by Congress in 1931. Berlin's first two and last two lines put land and home together by a doubled apposition: America as land, and ...
... president can decide that, in the best interests of the nation, he can do something illegal, Richard Nixon answered, “Well, when the president does it, that means it is not illegal.” The clash between community-based traditional ...
... President Eisenhower then famously put it: “Our government makes no sense unless it is founded in a deeply felt religious faith—and I don't care what it is.” 23 Finally, by the end of that century, religionists of non-European origin ...
... President Dick Cheney began assuring Americans that the connection between the 9/11 hijackers and the Iraqi government was indisputable. The government was so successful in this “public diplomacy” that from fall 2002 through the war in ...
Indhold
Myths of Curses Myths of Blessings | |
Narratives of the Night | |
Abduction Narratives | |
Homeland Nostalgia and Holy | |
Secular Modernism Biblical Style | |
Notes | |
Bibliography | |
Index | |
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Homeland Mythology: Biblical Narratives in American Culture Christopher Collins Begrænset visning - 2010 |
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Homeland Mythology: Biblical Narratives in American Culture Christopher Collins Ingen forhåndsvisning - 2013 |