Don’t worry, god hates us all equally, just look around you, there is no spiritual law in effect on this planet.
All kidding aside, while I’ve never heard someone come out and say that God loves America “above all countries”, I’ve heard people dance all around the idea and come so close that you’d be justified in thinking that’s what they were really getting at. I’ve never had the chance to challenge one to “prove it”, but I’d love to.
Years ago, someone (probably the senior pastor but possibly the elders - an associate pastor whom I respect very much was a bit disgusted at the whole affair, but claimed not to know who was responsible) at my church invited Peter Marshall (not the game show host; the son of the former Senate chaplain and the woman who wrote the “Christy” books) to speak on the “Christian” heritage of the USA. Mr. Padma & I went to listen to the first of his lectures and didn’t go back. The man was either sadly delusional or deliberately lying. He made allegations such as that Christopher Columbus’ primary motivation for seeking out the route to the East that caused him to end up in the New World was a desire to evangelize the native peoples, due to a direct calling from God. Yeah, that’s why he had the natives of Hispaniola forced to produce a quota of gold per day or have their hand chopped off!! That’s why he threw a hissy fit over not being given the Governorship of the West Indies. I could go on, but you get the picture.
Anyway, as I said, I’d heard enough. Whenever I hear someone spout off on how this country was founded on Christian beliefs, etc, I shake my head and go the other way. There’s no reason to believe that this nation has a special directive or blessing from God; there’s no political entity that I believe can rightly make that claim - not even the present-day nation of Israel, IMHO.
I can’t agree with that point of view. You make it sound as if God should clean up the mess caused by humans.
Actually: I don’t believe that. Humans use their free will to abuse disturb and murder Creation (also the creation of their own species). It is up to the human kind to correct that behaviour.
And if you look a bit further then the view on humanity you posted above, you must recognize that there are a lot of humans who aren’t busy messing up the world, but on the contrary very occupied in trying to help the victims of those who have the arrogance to destroy Creation in a variety of ways.
If those people who try to do good, and try to repare or neutralize the wrong, are religious - in the sense religious people tend to interprete the word - or not: they are all very spiritual human beings in my mind.
Aldebaran.
Forgot to mention: My reply was to Bongmaster.
To Padmaraga and others:
I wonder where that whole idea comes from.
Could Bismarck take the Kasier in a fight?
Well, Aldebaran , my first thought is: wishful thinking and arrogance. Truly, I have no idea. But it’s not a new idea, is it? I mean, look at the song “America the Beautiful” (I do like the song, BTW, even if I could argue with some of its lyrics) - “American, America, God shed His grace on thee…”, etc. I mean, c’mon - no more so than He did on any other nation, right? But I think it’s not a uniquely American ideology, either. Many other nations have/do consider themselves to be uniquely blessed by whichever deity they revere (the Japanese come to mind, though I hear that Shintoism is dying out in the strictest sense).
I do have some Christian friends that border on jingoism, mostly those of the generation that fought in WWII, those who have never traveled outside the US, and/or have never gone to a university. Maybe it’s the fact that I have liberal parents and didn’t become a Christian until my mid-20’s, but I feel a bit embarrassed about such ideologies (as well as some others I can think of) being associated with Christianity, because to me they do smack of narrow- (or closed-) mindedness and ignorance.
Well, that makes one wonder what non religious Americans think of this.
I mean: patriotism - and believe me, non US’ers can hardly believe their eyes and ears when they witness the over-display of that in the USA - isn’t religiously inspired, yet this particular part of it certainly is. Do you have an idea how that comes across on those Americans who are patriots, yet aren’t religious or even anti-religion? It must cause some conflict of interests, don’t you think?
Aldebaran.
If there is a creative deity, he probably spends most of his time with head in hands, rubbing his eyes and moaning softly “what the fuck was I thinking?”
“Hate him back; it works for me.” - Martin Riggs in “Lethal Weapon”
But in the Old Testament God clearly has a special relationship with the nation of Israel. We can debate if the Bible is accurate in this account. But clearly God took his word to the Jewish people.
I understand “nation of Israel” to be the people of the tribes named “Israel” in the O.T.
Mentioning that they were the “chosen people” is merely pointing out that a prophet was chosen so that they could receive the Message of God. In that way they were of course “chosen people”.
But that didn’t exclude other “nations” (read: all kinds of humans beings) to receive this Message. The tribes Israel were only “chosen” at that particular moment in history to receive a prophet who brought them the Message of God.
During history of mankind prophets were chosen among people (read: nations) all over the globe to bring God’s message to them. They were all “chosen nations” on that particular moment.
That has nothing to do with “nations” = countries set up by humans and nothing with particular humans to be “chosen” by God above other humans.
Because even the prophets were not that “chosen” at all, when you look at it realistic and from a merely earthly point of view: They didn’t exactly have an easy life while bringing the Message, did they?
Aldebaran.
I always thought that part of the song was a request.