Video
Twitter
Facebook
RSS Feed
Inquisitorial exceptionalism
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 claim to American exceptionalism under God is not exceptional. Throughout history, various empires have claimed to be instruments of God's plan for the world. Put ancient Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans at the top of that list. In European history, Spain, France and England all identified themselves as empires doing God's will, and in confusing state interests in power with holy purpose, each of these empires crumbled. So it is entirely predictable that we should find claims that the United States is destined to impose God's will on the world. No less inevitable is the implosion of that pretense, just as in the case of past empires.
One should not be overly worried about Palinesque claims to American exceptionalism since in large measure they are targeted towards short-term political and partisan advantages. But the unexpressed premise of such prattle disguises a deeper and darker lust for power. Calling on the Divine to justify state interests is, of course, a form of idolatry because it places a false god of nationalism before true worship of the Lord. It is appealing, however, to absolve oneself of moral thinking by making national state interest automatically identical to heavenly sanction.
Today's right-wing call for state administered torture of Muslim prisoners, for their extra-legal imprisonment and for war upon Muslim nations does little to distinguish the United States from the Spanish Inquisition. Add to that the hatred spewed out against Latinos and Latinas which makes us "non-persons" without human rights or protection from the constitution and the picture of a redux Spanish Inquisition is complete. Mr. Beck and Mrs. Palin may have called for religious renewal but their supporters in the Tea-publican Party most definitely have fused their radical political agenda of "taking back the country" with God's purpose, justifying forms of violence, oppression and imperialism.
The difference between today's Nativist civil religion and the Inquisition of the 16th century is that Catholics learned centuries ago to back off from the confusion of state power with religious purity. Many of our Evangelicals have not learned this lesson. Sadder still is the submission of Catholic prelates like the new President of the USCCB, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, who signed the Manhattan Declaration that identified some Catholic political goals with those of these extremists.
Mercifully, that declaration has proven to be ephemeral, buried in part because most Catholics take seriously the Vatican's instruction of Dominus Jesus which clarifies that separated believers are truly separated and do not reflect the fullness of Christ's Church. Making alliances and coalitions with people of suspect theology will wound the Church by aligning it with the excesses of its bed-fellows. Catholicism has enough problems within itself and now is not the time to invite complications in serving the agenda of others. All Catholics, including its prelates, would do well to follow papal teaching and keep themselves apart from today's inquisitors.
By
Anthony M. Stevens-Arroyo
|
November 30, 2010; 11:39 AM ET
| Category:
Religious pluralism
,
politics
Save & Share:
Previous: Blessed are the meek |
Next: Blessed is the country that knows justice for all
Posted by: Elohist | December 2, 2010 11:15 AM
Report Offensive Comment
Well said, Mr. Stevens-Arroyo.
American exceptionalism is not rooted in our Christian roots, unless we acknowledge those roots from the period of the Enlightenment. One of the things our founders sought to do was to free us from the over-reaching intrusion of religious sects - Church of England, Catholics, Puritans, any of them - the intrusion of specific religious beliefs into the governance of a nation. Our exceptionalism is rooted in our adherence to a rule of law that is focuses on freedom, equality, and justice.
Our forefathers never once mentioned Jesus or the Bible in the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution or the Bill of Rights. Yes they were almost all Christians, but many of us would not have recognized Thomas Jefferson's brand of Christianity. And many of them were Mason's, whose faith in God included a respect for many faiths.
American's were gifted with the idea of how to form a government that gave the greatest ideals of freedom to it's citizens. But the gift was God's. It was not something in us, but something given to us. What is truly ironic is that we loose the gift God gave us if we again try to place God at the center of government. Did not Jesus say to "render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's..."? He really did mean that. He really did draw a line between that which is Caesar's and that which is God's.
The trick is to find how we keep on doing that and the lines are as murky as they have ever been.
Posted by: amelia45 | December 1, 2010 4:10 PM
Report Offensive Comment
"Today's right-wing call for state administered torture of Muslim prisoners, for their extra-legal imprisonment and for war upon Muslim nations does little to distinguish the United States from the Spanish Inquisition."
Visionfromafar takes issue with this statement, while I see it as the most insightful observation in a wonderfully insightful essay.
My mind does not "boggle" but instead applauds the clarity and accuracy with which Mr. Stevens-Arroyo spears the "American exceptionalism" myth and holds it up to the kind of careful scrutiny that it cannot transcend.
Posted by: haveaheart | December 1, 2010 2:01 PM
Report Offensive Comment
"Today's right-wing call for state administered torture of Muslim prisoners, for their extra-legal imprisonment and for war upon Muslim nations does little to distinguish the United States from the Spanish Inquisition."
There is so much wrong with your statement here that the mind boggles. The Spanish Inquisition focused primarily on citizens within it's own borders, and did not result in an international war. As for the torture and imprisonment, I fail to see why we should apply the Geneva Conventions, let alone our own genrous legal system to those who refuse to be part of any recognized national military and focus primarily on civillian targets. They get what they deserve, or rather they would if we would stop giving in to bleeding hearts like you, sir.
Posted by: VisionFromAfar | December 1, 2010 12:54 PM
Report Offensive Comment
American citizens who are Muslims have been captured and tortured by the US. Some have objected while others like Visionfromafar consider American citizenship irrelevant if the offender is Muslim.
BTW, there were no "citizens" during the Spanish Inquisition, only "vassals" and in fact an international war against Al-Andalus was waged beginning in 711 AD. Just thought the truth needed to be stated here.