Book: “American Exceptionalism as Religion”
A Religious Basis for Nationalism
By Mohammad Ali Salih — Washington
Published just last month, the latest book about American Exceptionalism connects it to religion, a different approach from many earlier books that related the concept to foreign policy, history and social factors.
Titles of some of those books included: “American Exceptionalism: An Experiment in History;” “American Exceptionalism: A New History of an Old Idea;” “American Exceptionalism in the Age of Obama;” “American Exceptionalism in the Age of Globalization;” “American Exceptionalism and Civil Religion;” “American Exceptionalism Reconsidered: U.S. Foreign Policy, Human Rights, and World Order;” and, “The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism.”
As the last two book titles show, a few books were critical of the concept, and some were outright opposed to it.
This new book, “American Exceptionalism as Religion,” follows the steps of an earlier book that was published in 2015, “American Exceptionalism and Civil Religion,” which was written by John Wilsey, a Professor of Religion at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Wilsey wrote other religion-oriented books such as: “One Nation Under God” and “God’s Cold Warrior.” The last one was about John Foster Dulles, U.S. Secretary of State during the early 1950’s, who was considered the father of the anti-Communist Cold War policies, and mostly because of his strong religious beliefs. He was quoted saying that religion was needed “not merely to save souls, but, also, to solve the practical problems of international affairs.”
This new book, “American Exceptionalism as Religion,” was written by Jordan Carson, a Professor of Religion at Baylor University, Texas, and his major contribution is arguing that the word “religion” should not necessarily mean the established religious institutions, but, rather, a person’s spirituality that could stand by itself or supported by a higher spiritual authority.
The author argues that secular writer’s definition of “religion” has distorted the ideal of American Exceptionalism which is based on American religious roots. Ideas like those of Puritan John Winthrop, who wrote about a “City upon a Hill” in 1630 when religious beliefs — and deeds — were predominant.
As in the book about “American Exceptionalism and Civil Religion,” “civil religion” is defined in this book as more about a country than about God. It is a “political religion” with public rituals, symbols, national flag, heritage, monuments and historical battlefields.
However, as has become clear, disassociating God from these major aspects of life has been difficult — if not impossible. An example is the phrase “In God We Trust,” the official motto of the U.S., which has been on currency, postal stamps, public schools, car license plates, and in the oaths for taking a government office.
While the U.S. Constitution does not mention God, nearly all state constitutions reference either God or the divine. God also appears in the Declaration of Independence, the Pledge of Allegiance and the citizenship oath. Christmas Day is a federal holiday as well as a religious one.
On the other side, while there are no federal laws which forbid “religious insult” or “hate speech,” some states have blasphemy statutes that penalize such acts.
Recent public polls have shown a variety of reactions among the Americans about the role of religion:
Religion should be kept separate from the government: 73 percent agreed.
The Church and other houses of worship should stay out of politics: 70 percent agreed.
Teachers should lead students in a form of prayer: 35 percent agreed.
Religious values should influence American laws: 51 percent agreed.
The U.S. should be a Christian nation: 45 percent agreed.
In his book, the author argues that American Exceptionalism “is a religion that shapes its adherents’ spiritual and political identities. But because many people view this exceptionalism as a political ideology, rather than a religion — or spiritual — one, many are blind to its powerful effects.”
The author adds that there should be a better definition of American Exceptionalism so as to avoid the secular “pernicious” effects. He calls for a spiritual definition that both avoids religious definitions and, at the same time, continues the centuries-old attempts to build the world-wide ideal — the exceptional American creed.
The second part of the book’s title, “Postmodern Discontent,” refers to the interaction between nationalism and religion as shown in contemporary American literature.
The author argues that nationalist ideologies intersect with religious ones in contemporary literature, and have distorted the “purity” of American exceptionalism because they confuse the meaning of “religion.”
The author offers spiritual power as the basis of government, society and morality. He argues that defining religion according to secularist criteria has insulated both secular and religious ideas from public scrutiny.
The received definition of “religion” relates it to a “belief in a supernatural controlling power,” but there are differences in details — God or god? God or self? Organized or personal? Positive or negative (implying Satan)?
Moreover, a generally agreed definition of “spirituality” covers “religion” and beyond, meaning a person’s inner feelings that might not be rational or scientific — and might not be religious, just “secular.”
Recent neuroscientific discovery of brain functions during spiritual experience showed the presence of unconscious thinking, and opened the door for more exploration in the relation between the conscious and the unconscious.
Using these definitions, “American Exceptionalism” could be a religious belief connected to God, or a personal spiritual experience. But, like religions, it has its critics, as shown in one of the above-mentioned books: “The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism.”
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Book: “American Exceptionalism as Religion: Postmodern Discontent”
Author: Jordan Carson
Publisher: Ohio State University Press
Paper pages: 234
Paper: $34.95
Kindle: $29.95
