It never occurred to me until now that there isn’t a comma. I always assumed it was a simple request in command form, as in, “Dad, pass the potatoes.”
Huh.
If I sufficiently turn off my brain, I can almost understand what this post is about.
[hijack]
In WWI, a German propaganda catchphrase (apparently used as a greeting during that war like Heil Hitler[sup]1[/sup] was during the next) was Gott strafe England (May God punish England). This is the source of the word strafe in English.
[/hijack]
[sup]1[/sup]One wonders what Adolf Hitler said when he answered the phone… but perhaps that should be a separate thread.
I think it can be glossed as “America, be a blessing to God,” which in turn should be interpreted as parallel to constructions like “My children are a blessing to me” or “The large harvest was a real blessing to the town” etc.
So in other words: “America, be a significant and pleasing gift to God.”
-FrL-
I take it as a call/plea for Americans to turn back to God and change their wicked ways or else (implied) lose his blessing.
Dyslexic minister?
Could be. This is the same church, that every year puts out its annual message for the Kids Krusade on its sign outside.
So, after all these requests, HAS God blessed America yet?
It’s hard to tell. 
Do you remember Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure when the jock is giving his incoherent speech, runs out of things to say, and then yells “San Dimas football rules” to thundering applause. God Bless America is the same.
If you unsufficiently turn off your brain, can you almost understand what that post is about?
Naw, a dyslexic minister’s sign would say Dog bless America
One of the world’s wealthiest countries, undoubtedly the most powerful – I’d say yes. The harder and deeper question is: does America deserve it?
(My answer is generally, “Sometimes yes, sometimes no,” in case you wondered. Then again, I’m Canadian, so my answer probably doesn’t matter for much.)
I take it as a confirmation of the fact that God has blessed America, and also a hope that that blessing will continue. Nothing about it confuses me at all.
I say “nit-picker” to the OP.
I dunno about that. Ye cannot serve both God and Mammon, or so I’ve heard on relatively good authority (Matthew 6:24). On similarly good authority is that Satan is in charge of doling out worldly political power and riches, not God: And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it (Luke 4:5-6). (Of course, as the saying goes, consider the source – it is just possible that the devil was, well, lying.)
IANAC, but in a country where most invocations of “God” comes from Christians, I do find prayers for power and influence like this oddly hypocritical. I’d prefer something like America The Beautiful, which invokes “God’s grace” on the country, which to my ear implies forgiveness and understanding, whereas “blessing” implies permission and empowerment.
Thanking God for Earthly riches is not the same as serving Earthly riches –indeed, being thankful for what one has is a counterbalance against materialistic selfishness, is it not?
Anyway, I suspect that “God bless America” is as much a prayer for guidance and protection as anything – “God bless America with more ethical leadership” would be a perfectly valid prayer, donchaknow.
The Kristian Kids Krusade?
To me God Bless America( Or any thing, or one) implies that America is not yet Blessed and as was stated in an earlier thread with out the Comma it is meaningless. If one says,"God,please bless America(etc.) one is asking God to do something that he has already done. Like a person that says to a Parent,“feed your child”. when the child already has been fed a good meal.Why should anyone tell God what to do? And one could ask,"why hasn’t God blessed America (etc.) the saying has been out for many, many years,by many ,many people. I would think if America isn’t blessed by now it never will be.
Even the word Bless could have many meanings.
Monavis
Technically speaking it’s the optative subjunctive, which is used to express a wish for something the speaker has no control over: a more modern equivalent would be “May God bless America.” Balthisar’s “May The Force Be With You” is an excellent analogue.
It’s not the imperative, since one presumably cannot give God orders {and in any case that would require a comma and possibly an exclamation mark: “God, bless America!”}. It isn’t a declarative statement either, since that would need the subject and verb to agree: “God blesses America”.
It’s a fairly outdated construction, but the optative subjuctive does tend to be found in older national anthems which contain divine exhortations: “God Save The Queen” and “God Defend New Zealand” spring to mind.
Timed out on the edit: “Live long and prosper” is another good contemporary example of this construction.
Whazzahoozit? Why does blessing America have to be a one-time, all-or-nothing deal?