A majority (58%) of Americans believe God has granted America a special role in human history. Members of the Tea Party (76%) and Republicans (75%) are much more likely to believe that God has a granted the U.S. a special role in human history than independents (54%) or Democrats (49%).
Americans who believe God has granted America a special role in history are significantly more likely to say military strength rather than diplomacy is the best way to ensure peace, and to say torture can be justified.
This from http://www.publicreligion.org/research/?id=428
Seeing as this comes from The Public Religion Research Institute, do you view the findings as credible? If you do, how does that make you feel? Does it add pertinence to the distinction more and more people are making between "Christian" and "Followers of Jesus"? I do.
It may be that those surveyed did not quite understand the question but rather understood it to say that the Americans have a special place in history NOW, which they do. By "now" I mean since WW II. They are the most powerful country in the world and perhaps they are crediting God with this instead of themselves. Being powerful carries with it special responsibility and so the USA has enormous responsibility to history which could be seen as having a special role in history. It really depends how you read the question.
ReplyDeleteI would have thought that most christians would think diplomacy is the best way to ensure peace and that military strength is sometimes justified. eg: Rwanda. In my opinion Torture should not be justified.
I have done some reading and thinking about the issue of war and have come to think that just as one sometimes needs to use force to restrain a child in a temper tantrum (forcibly holding them until they stop trying to hurt themselves or others) one sometimes needs to use force to stop a country from hurting it's own citizens or others.
-Lori
oh dear I have not been following and just noticed through email that there was a comment. This looks like an interesting topic but leider muss ich meine Karten/Briefe raus schicken. Perhaps I can catch up later? Maybe.
ReplyDeleteoh and that reminds me I missed a special aunt's birthday, gotta go send off a greeting.
I wholeheartedly believe in American exceptionalism and I think living in Germany has influenced my opinion.
ReplyDeleteExceptionalism though has little to do with military or special status granted by God but has everything to do with attitude.
As President Obama said in his State of the Union speech yesterday. " We are a nation that says, I might not have a lot of money, but I have this great idea for a new company... I might not come from a family of college graduates but I will be the first to get my degree.. we do big things".
Germans don't share this attitude, they don't have it in their blood as Americans do, to think positively or celebrate their drive.
Germans I dare to say are better educated than Americans, produce better quality products than Americans. They have one of the best social systems in the world, yet this and their huge government only stifles their potential, as does their long history of social classes, influence of religion and politics and their many rules and regulations. What they believe gives them security only chains them down. Look out if Germans only had the positive attitude of Americans.
The article also suggests that there is a division among Muslims and Christians in America. I don't see this to be true. Europe on the other hand has a great division. We can argue the issue of open borders, geographics, lack of integration etc. the problem is complex. Yet I think there is a simple difference in the attitude of the people that immigrate to America or Canada and those that arrive in Europe. I used to argue this but now I see it is true. They want to be Americans or Canadians. Becoming German or French is not such a burning desire. They know that they will have to work hard in Canada or USA. The outlook of their new country and their outlook towards their new country is more positive and a mutual effort to make it work.
I believe that what makes America exceptional and that is for people who have lived there for generations or people who seek to become Americans is that they believe in themselves, in their country and they are grateful for their blessings and freedom and acknowledge this to their God, if they are Christian, Jewish, Muslim or other.
I don't know if the Tea party members and the Republicans believe in the special status more than Democrats or Independents do but they would perhaps more readily acknowledge God's presence and influence than the latter does.