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 61–ի 6-ից 10-ը:
... power transcended that of this world's rulers. We are now most familiar with the prophets of the Hebrew Bible, but this movement was international in scope and comprised all manner of seers, shamans, sibyls, and mages, their.
... prophets our belief that history is a meaningful process of change, and from classical philosophers our belief that the universe is an intelligible structure of elements. While these generalizations may be true, the assumption that each ...
... prophets such as Elijah, Hosea, Amos, and Micah.2 Having agreed to consolidate themselves under Saul's central command, the tribes, under David and Solomon, accepted Jerusalem as their capital. These kings' reigns were militarily ...
... prophets of old, were men whom God had favored with his presence. This storied past, though as unreachable as the invisible Yahweh, was nonetheless radiant with his living spirit and powerful enough to draw every completed day at ...
... prophets dreamt dreams and saw visions of what they called the Day of the Lord (the Day of Yahweh), when he would turn on the foreign armies that had been his instruments and utterly destroy them (Isa. 49:22–26). He would also turn ...
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 |