American exceptionalism: divine hall pass?

Washington Post political reporter Karen Tumulty wrote Monday about the growing use of the idea of "American exceptionalism" by political conservatives as a "battle cry from a new front in the ongoing culture wars."

Sarah Palin and many other prominent conservatives assert that "God has granted America a special role in human history." It is this belief about America's destiny that they say is "under attack" by liberals who downplay America's distinctiveness.

Are these leaders saying that America has a special relationship with God?

How do you interpret this?

The idea of American exceptionalism, that God has singled out the country for a special role in human history, goes back to the earliest English settlements on what is now American soil. While still onboard their ship the Arbella in 1630, John Winthrop delivered his well-known sermon to the Massachusetts Bay colonists, describing colonial destiny with biblical metaphor:

Now the only way to avoid this shipwreck, and to provide for our posterity, is to follow the counsel of Micah, to do justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God.... For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us.

In his famous Second Inaugural Address following the Civil War in which both sides claimed divine favor, Abraham Lincoln struggled to reconcile American exceptionalism with the legacy of slavery and the bloody facts on the ground. And modern presidents as diverse as John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan have hearkened back to Winthrop's biblical imagery.

But the idea of a special, even divine, role for America can be fairly slippery. At its best, it has inspired Americans to hold themselves to a high moral standard, serving as exemplar to other nations. At its worst, it becomes a license for rationalizing away morality itself. The former demands humility and responsibility and ties us to the moral human community, making our exceptionalism dependent upon how we treat not only our fellow citizens but our enemies. The latter breaks the bonds of moral solidarity, and turns exceptionalism into a political tool--a kind of divine hall pass that can be conveniently wielded for strategic advantage.

So how do Americans currently think about American exceptionalism? The general idea is alive and well in the American public. In our recent American Values Survey, Public Religion Research Institute found that nearly 6-in-10 (58%) Americans agree "God has granted America a special role in human history." Less than 4-in-10 (38%) disagree with this statement.

But there is evidence that the latter, divine-hall-pass version of American exceptionalism is holding sway in post-9/11 America, especially among white Americans. Among white Americans who say God has granted the U.S. a special role in history, a majority (52%) say the best way to ensure peace is through military strength rather than through diplomacy, a rate twice as high as among white Americans who do not affirm American exceptionalism. Similarly, a majority (55%) of white Americans who affirm American exceptionalism say torture can be justified in at least some cases, compared to 42% of white Americans who disagree that God has granted the U.S. a special role in human history.

Exceptionalism chart.png

The fact that the idea of American exceptionalism is alive and well among the general public is not so surprising given its longstanding presence in American cultural DNA. But the current dominance of the exceptionalism-as-divine-hall-pass should concern those who hold in high esteem Winthrop's conception, which made divine exceptionalism dependent upon the moral behavior of the nation rather than the other way around.

By Robert P. Jones  |  December 3, 2010; 12:36 PM ET  | Category:  ethics , politics , war and peace Save & Share:  Send E-mail   Facebook   Twitter   Digg   Yahoo Buzz   Del.icio.us   StumbleUpon   Technorati  
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Posted by: nuggerb | December 14, 2010 3:04 PM
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The comments by Winthrop should really be reviewed - they are NOT a declaration of privilege but of utter responsibility. Carrying out the commitment for a better world than they new in England and on the Continent, they did not see themselves as chosen so much as challenged.

The Puritans and other early settlers founded a society built entirely on principles of Moral Economy - prices, standards of production, markets were all highly regulated. The overall goal of the society was to promote the greatest self sufficiency for the greatest numbers of people. Property was not limited to real estate but included the tools of one's trade, and participation in the polity as well as economy was a duty, not a sinecure. There is no sense in Colonial writings in law, town records or any other resource that the colonial mind ever entertained the notion of privilege over much of anything at all.

In the 19th Century it was the departure from predestination, from moral economic practices, and from the general sense of absolute obligation to lead a good and Godly life that led to the disgusting sense of American Exceptionalism and Manifest Destiny. When capitalism was unleashed in the early federal period, it quickly became a "test" of godliness - proof you were better than your peers.

American Exceptionalism is thus a latter-day rationale for conquest, imperialism, exploitation of working people even children, and for the creation of massive class differences. It has no root in colonial America, in the Declaration or the Constitution, and was, in its way, the first advertising campaign.

For contemporary politicians to pretend otherwise is yet another effort to fool people. American Exceptionalism is very much class based and theocratic in some hands, and it has absolutely no relevance to the lives of ordinary Americans whose self sufficiency was subordinated to individual accumulation of the few. Ordinary people have been the source of profit, both in factories as workers and fields as slaves, and then cannon fodder to protect the privileged.

Appealing to a totally discredited PR campaign of 19th Century Robber Barons is evidence of the hollowness of today's ultra conservative economic and theocratic powermongers. It was never an ideal of the nation, only the few, and it deserves the scorn previous generations heaped upon it. Enough with the fantasies and fables about our nation.

Posted by: Churchlady1 | December 7, 2010 2:02 PM
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Revvi Hirschf & CO.

May "ECL{AT" (aka "IT") shine xtra-Photons on & Bless the great "SABRA-STATE" & or The "3rd-TEMPLE" of Today's SECULAR-[Made]-ISRAEL; So, To He{{{{ll With the "JEW-STATE" Of Israel.

Note: Best to kick-out All The European {IMPORTS] HEREDI/TEDI, ORTHODO, HASSIDIM/HASSIDIK, living in Israel Today into IRAN! Note: There are many of Them (90%) Who are ANTi-SABARA STATE of the modern State of ISRAEL/ERETZ! DEPORT THEM under a "Sedition" act or National Security Act!Or Send Them Back to POLAND, HUNGARY, RUSSIA or any Arab Country.PS: That Goes For The "LUBAVITCH"ER TOO! America Should do the Same Next! Anybody?

Mr. Big-Mouth 'OVADIA,' "JOSEF/YOSIF/YOSEF" the "King Of The Jew"s [aka God Players] and his alis-Yidishkites" followers should have been forced via Bayonets or Pushed or Systematically Dropped Into his-God/Made Inferno//forest "FIRE!" If i[WE] had me way i would have nailed him to a wooden Megan/Star-David or some tree and watched him burn to death eating a chocolate Covered Matza! And Then Lick me fingers when he stopped Screaming. Maybe Hitler was somewhat Right aye?

The Smell of him & Co, Burning would have made our day! Send Them All To Germany. Pay Fair-Market value for their Property; except if it's on Stolen-Land and Kick-Them All Out; Kids Too; NO EXCEPTIONS! This is how it should be done, Why Suffer?

It is anti "GOY" [aka Kafir] Bigots like him & Co., who caused the Fury & Provoked Adolf Hitler to Annihilate THEM [Heredi/Tedi/HASSIDIM], but also caused the Wrongful Death of MY-FAMILY (47 People) None-Heredi, None Hasidim, None Orthodox to Perish too (Because of their "Gods Chosen-People Sindrome & their Goys being 2nd Rate Humans [Kafirs, Out Caste's etc..]..

Them/They PRE-Apocalyptarians; Ju Heredi, Tadi, Orthodoxs, went around (Pre-www2) Europe, boasting in Germany et al (Via their new "Jewish-Yeddish" (A Language borrowed from German)Print, Papers etc.) that "GOD CREATED THE EARTH FOR JEWS" (Not For GOYS who are enjoying Life Here because of Them Jews; aka GODS Chosen People: INSTEAD Of [US; Apocalyptarians] whom are proudly "NATURALLY SELECTioned" zero gods Chosen, as if Naturally Selected! OYEvay!).

They are IMPORTED "Religio-Mafioso"s "J-E-W_s? Living Off The Necks of US (real-SECULARS) None-JU-Religious.

Note: i[WE] am a SABRA, and Now an "EX-JU"!

Our 1st Father, of OUR "3rd-TEMPLE", BEN GURION & Others {pbuh et al} was right about "JEW" or Being "JEWiSH": That Anyone calling him/Her self "JEWISH" is a MISHUGA [CRAZY; Dementia'd].

FACT: Me Father {pbuh etal} was in the Haganna and his friends from Palmuch, and Argun, {Pre-1948 Israels Fighters-of-Freedeom} Warned US of HEREDI Will suck-blood &Kill or Steal our SECULAR-Israel, Not Their Israel" [Similarly said]. Now Who's Right?

Vote: DEATH to all Theocracy & all Monarchy on OUR S.pace-S.hip Earth, not Theirs! NO EXCEPTIONS. It is time S-A-B-R-A-ites. Lets Kick Out OVADIA & CO. NOW, Not Morrow!

Posted by: momasan1 | December 7, 2010 10:05 AM
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A conference is a group of people who individually do nothing and collectively meet to agree nothing can be done. We need a conference on leaks. Put mirrors in the halls and charge $2,000 a person and more for sponsorships. Friend ships keep sailing on divine winds.

Posted by: jobandon | December 5, 2010 7:30 PM
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LET US, Come Together Now Not, to Pray, But to UNiTE (THIS Nebula-Built) Bless'th S.pace-S.hip Earth(of Many) That's worth Living-For, NOt dying for! Hark Man//Wom:
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FOOD
http://{J}
http://.{O}
http://...{Z}
http://......{E}
http://.........{V}
http://............{Z} (dot) US
HOME
http://................{J}
http://..................{O}
http://......................{Z}
http://.........................{E}
http://...........................{V}
http://..............................{Z} (do)t US
L♥VE
http://.................................{J}
http://....................................{O}
http://.......................................{Z}
http://..........................................{E}
http://.............................................{V}
http://................................................{Z} (dot) US
CLOTH
http://.....................................................{J}
http://.......................................................{O}
http://..........................................................{Z}
http://.............................................................{E}
http://................................................................{V}
http://...................................................................{Z} dot) US
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IMPORTANTO: Rich, Middle-class or Poor, If YE hath All these “4-Tetra-Needs“ (FOOD, SHELTER, COMANIONSHIP & CLOTHES (& Keep Busy while at it).then Ye hath No Worry’s on this Blesseth (never Sin'th nor ever Curs'th) Holyi Cosmic [Nebula-Built] S.pace-S.hip Planet EARTHs, aka S.S. GAiA, S.S. GEOiD, S.S. TELLUSng something & by manymany Names! PEACE to our ANCESTRY & Future-Bound & Space-Forth [MEME's] Posterity.
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BEHOLD: SEx is-not LOVE: LiFE iS! Nor is ANY Man-Made Religion(s)Systems is LOVE, Only HYPOCRITICRACY! "HOPE" is our Religion. And G-D (if Any) is an "IT" (never a HE/HiM/HiS nor HER/SHE incarnate)! O' Praise "IT", aka justly Being "iTSELF" in & out Of US-All; Hence "ETERNiTY AVOiDINING LONLiNESS" (for "IT"s own Survival Too)!
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iMAGiNE The "RELiGION OF Everything (Before Science of Everything) is today Upon Us but, only IF ye/Yo duly & Justly Seek “IT“!" iMAGINE: The Chumash/Bible, Quran/Koran, Geeta/Tripitakas, Kangyur/Tangyurs... Of the FUTURE?? YES YES YES As told & Forewarned YE/YO ALL so soo many times before on “ONFAiTH“. "IT"s Here! Made/Born & Bred out of "TRANS{FiNITY-MOUNTAIN" !

Hear Ye Hear Ye O' Sweet Sweet U.S. of A.eliens {ECLA{Ti-ON‘s}! The 'Made-In-America’ "MAHDi, the "MAITREYA", the "MESSIAH", The "PHOTON LiGHT BRiNGER OF THE APOCALYPSE" & The ‘Forefather of “GRiDARIAN DEMOCRACY” & APOCALYPTIC GOV’T” & More Good Tiding is cometh for [i] WE, Us YE , the Holyi Cosmic Built "O.U.R." [O.ne U.niversal R.eligion] via the "B.O.T" aka 'Book Of TRANS{FiNITY' aka the “ULTRAPARATESTAMENT" of The New-Song (born‘th From Old, Yea!).
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WHEREFORE: Uphold, Magnify & Make Honorable The O,ne U.niversal R.eligion (OUR)!

Posted by: wikileaks2 | December 4, 2010 11:39 AM
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Whank you.

We were special because we adhered so fervently to our ideals of freedom, justice, equality. We lose that specialness when we torture and try to justify it, when we demonize an entire faith based on the acts of a few.

Who are we but the bully with the big stick?

Posted by: amelia45 | December 3, 2010 5:37 PM
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