Homeland Mythology: Biblical Narratives in American CulturePenn State Press, 10 սեպ, 2015 թ. - 288 էջ Since 9/11, America has presented itself to the world as a Christianist culture, no less antimodern and nostalgic for an idealized past than its Islamist foes. The master-narrative both sides share might sound like this: Once upon a time, the values of the righteous community coincided with those of the state. Home and land were harmoniously united under God. But through intellectual pride (read: science) and disobedience (read: human rights), this God-blessed homeland was lost and is now worth every drop of blood it takes, ours and others’, to recover. For Americans, the prime source for this once-and-future-kingdom myth is the Bible, with its many narratives of blessings gained, lost, and regained: the garden of Eden, the covenant with Abraham, the bondage in Egypt, the exodus under Moses, the glory of David and Solomon’s realm, the coming of the promised Messiah, his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension into heaven, his apocalyptic return at the end of history, and his establishment of the earthly kingdom of God. As Homeland Mythology shows, these biblical narratives have, over time, inspired a multitude of nationalist narratives, myths ingeniously spun out to justify a number of decidedly unchristian policies and institutions—from Indian genocide, the slave trade, and the exploitation of immigrant workers to Manifest Destiny, imperial expansionism, and, most recently, preemptive war. On March 25, 2001, George W. Bush shared a bit of political wisdom: “You can fool some of the people all of the time—and those are the ones you have to concentrate on.” The cynical use of religion to cloak criminal behavior is always worth exposing, but why our leaders lie to us is no longer a mystery. What does remain mysterious is why so many of us are disposed to believe their lies. The unexamined issue that this book addresses is, therefore, not the mendacity of the few, but the credulity of the many. |
From inside the book
Արդյունքներ 42–ի 6-ից 10-ը:
... According to Freud, civilization seeks to impose from above an altruistic ideal upon humans, who, left to themselves, are fundamentally aggressive and pleasureseeking animals. He illustrates this view of the cultural id run amok by ...
... According to Freud, neurosis is caused by various extreme imbalances, an overassertive superego producing anxiety and, when the superego is under-assertive, an overassertive id 29 producing narcissism. As the equally large lower arrows in.
... According to this widely accepted contrast, we in the West inherit from biblical prophets our belief that history is a meaningful process of change, and from classical philosophers our belief that the universe is an intelligible ...
... According to the Christian apostles (especially Paul) and the church fathers of the first three centuries, the Jews were never able to interpret their entire history as the profoundly detailed shadow-play that it was. The word “type ...
... According to the historian Josephus, the Essenes lived communally, observed unanimity of belief and uniformity of dress, adopted children whom they educated in their strict form of Judaism, renounced pleasures and amusements as evil ...
Բովանդակություն
Myths of Curses Myths of Blessings | |
Narratives of the Night | |
Abduction Narratives | |
Homeland Nostalgia and Holy | |
Secular Modernism Biblical Style | |
Notes | |
Bibliography | |
Index | |
Այլ խմբագրություններ - View all
Homeland Mythology: Biblical Narratives in American Culture Christopher Collins Դիտել հնարավոր չէ - 2013 |