Now that I have lived in the United States for one full year, I have to pose a question I could keep at arm’s length when I was in Canada, but which is now in my face: Since when did God become American?
Over the millennia, many a culture has conceived a God in its own image, and it has even been said that if a triangle had a god, it would have three sides. Many races and nations have had their particular claim on God, fashioning their special status or justifying aggression. But America seems to have taken this to a whole new level, not only claiming that God is on our side, but that God is an avid supporter and defender of the American Way, the American Dream, the American Way of Life, as though the Almighty is a glorified cheerleader for the Dallas Cowboys, one with an I-phone, wears the latest designer clothes, and eats at fast food restaurants. In effect, it has put American patriotism and values above God, and assumes that God enthusiastically approves of every move made by the greatest nation the world has ever seen. Surely I am not the only one who sees danger in such hubris. Am I wrong about this?
I queried a Bahá’í scholar on this vexing scenario. He posited that God was woven into American culture right from the beginning, and it has grown from there. That is certainly true, but since this notion is unique in the world, there must be forces that maintain and propagate this position. On the one hand, early American documents and manifestos mention God (though, interestingly enough, not Jesus Christ) frequently, and even the cash we handle daily affirms that God is a bedrock of American life. In our current climate, it has even been claimed that anyone who is an atheist has a questionable right to American citizenship. Shortly before his death, the playwright Arthur Miller spoke of the patriotic overlay on religion, and that there is even a small but vocal segment of society that is “aching for an Ayatollah.” On the other hand, the separation of church and state was guaranteed from the outset, and Presidents Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Buchanan, and Lincoln were not church-goers and spoke out against religion both in public and even private life.
We mostly hear these attitudes in conjunction with Christianity, usually of the more fundamentalist stripe, and associated with Conservatism. But some of the followers of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi of Transcendental Meditation fame have made claims that America can become invincible through the collective energies of 2500 yogic flyers, and receive an annual $12 million grant from a private foundation to carry forward research in this area. Indian spiritual thought has embraced belief from the highest mysticism and philosophy to the wildest imaginations of cults and madmen, but I sincerely doubt that any holy personage or group ever conceived that yoga, meditation, or any other spiritual practice would lead to the invincibility of India as a nation or political entity. It seems to be a particular American genius.
It is easy sport to criticize the weaknesses and foibles of any group, and the strong and unique are easy prey. For all its visible shortcomings, any fair person would acknowledge that the United States of America is a major player in the world, that its culture has touched down in every other nation in the world, and that in its short history it has brought incalculable benefits to the human race. The Bahá’í Faith affirms its special status. Bahá’u’lláh addressed these words to the leaders of the American Republics, during the tenure of Ulysses Grant:
Bind ye the broken with the hands of justice, and crush the oppressor who flourisheth with the rod of the commandments of your Lord, the Ordainer, the All-Wise.
In 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá revealed this “Prayer for America”:
O Thou kind Lord! This gathering is turning to Thee. These hearts are radiant with Thy love. These minds and spirits are exhilarated by the message of Thy glad-tidings. O God! Let this American democracy become glorious in spiritual degrees even as it has aspired to material degrees, and render this just government victorious. Confirm this revered nation to upraise the standard of the oneness of humanity, to promulgate the Most Great Peace, to become thereby most glorious and praiseworthy among all the nations of the world. O God! This American nation is worthy of Thy favors and is deserving of Thy mercy. Make it precious and near to Thee through Thy bounty and bestowal.
And the Guardian of the Faith chose America to establish the Administrative Order, which would spread over the earth and usher in the Golden Age of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh. So its station and destiny, along with the responsibilities therein enshrined, are high indeed.
But if I just might add with my lone small voice, please make the nation under God, to make its future secure with divine guidance and truly spiritual forces and virtues.
Over the millennia, many a culture has conceived a God in its own image, and it has even been said that if a triangle had a god, it would have three sides. Many races and nations have had their particular claim on God, fashioning their special status or justifying aggression. But America seems to have taken this to a whole new level, not only claiming that God is on our side, but that God is an avid supporter and defender of the American Way, the American Dream, the American Way of Life, as though the Almighty is a glorified cheerleader for the Dallas Cowboys, one with an I-phone, wears the latest designer clothes, and eats at fast food restaurants. In effect, it has put American patriotism and values above God, and assumes that God enthusiastically approves of every move made by the greatest nation the world has ever seen. Surely I am not the only one who sees danger in such hubris. Am I wrong about this?
I queried a Bahá’í scholar on this vexing scenario. He posited that God was woven into American culture right from the beginning, and it has grown from there. That is certainly true, but since this notion is unique in the world, there must be forces that maintain and propagate this position. On the one hand, early American documents and manifestos mention God (though, interestingly enough, not Jesus Christ) frequently, and even the cash we handle daily affirms that God is a bedrock of American life. In our current climate, it has even been claimed that anyone who is an atheist has a questionable right to American citizenship. Shortly before his death, the playwright Arthur Miller spoke of the patriotic overlay on religion, and that there is even a small but vocal segment of society that is “aching for an Ayatollah.” On the other hand, the separation of church and state was guaranteed from the outset, and Presidents Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Buchanan, and Lincoln were not church-goers and spoke out against religion both in public and even private life.
We mostly hear these attitudes in conjunction with Christianity, usually of the more fundamentalist stripe, and associated with Conservatism. But some of the followers of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi of Transcendental Meditation fame have made claims that America can become invincible through the collective energies of 2500 yogic flyers, and receive an annual $12 million grant from a private foundation to carry forward research in this area. Indian spiritual thought has embraced belief from the highest mysticism and philosophy to the wildest imaginations of cults and madmen, but I sincerely doubt that any holy personage or group ever conceived that yoga, meditation, or any other spiritual practice would lead to the invincibility of India as a nation or political entity. It seems to be a particular American genius.
It is easy sport to criticize the weaknesses and foibles of any group, and the strong and unique are easy prey. For all its visible shortcomings, any fair person would acknowledge that the United States of America is a major player in the world, that its culture has touched down in every other nation in the world, and that in its short history it has brought incalculable benefits to the human race. The Bahá’í Faith affirms its special status. Bahá’u’lláh addressed these words to the leaders of the American Republics, during the tenure of Ulysses Grant:
Bind ye the broken with the hands of justice, and crush the oppressor who flourisheth with the rod of the commandments of your Lord, the Ordainer, the All-Wise.
In 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá revealed this “Prayer for America”:
O Thou kind Lord! This gathering is turning to Thee. These hearts are radiant with Thy love. These minds and spirits are exhilarated by the message of Thy glad-tidings. O God! Let this American democracy become glorious in spiritual degrees even as it has aspired to material degrees, and render this just government victorious. Confirm this revered nation to upraise the standard of the oneness of humanity, to promulgate the Most Great Peace, to become thereby most glorious and praiseworthy among all the nations of the world. O God! This American nation is worthy of Thy favors and is deserving of Thy mercy. Make it precious and near to Thee through Thy bounty and bestowal.
And the Guardian of the Faith chose America to establish the Administrative Order, which would spread over the earth and usher in the Golden Age of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh. So its station and destiny, along with the responsibilities therein enshrined, are high indeed.
But if I just might add with my lone small voice, please make the nation under God, to make its future secure with divine guidance and truly spiritual forces and virtues.
1 comment:
This is great Geza...
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