ERIC MICHAEL JOHNSON
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"If the misery of the poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sin."
- Charles Darwin
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Oct 1, 2007

The Theology of American Empire

Foreign policy and the globalization of original sin



Ira Chemus, Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Colorado (Boulder) has a fascinating essay entitled "The Theology of American Empire" posted at Foreign Policy in Focus. He argues that our current administration's foreign policy blunders stem from a deeply flawed sense of moral righteousness based on the views of theologian Reinhold Niebuhr:

American foreign policy is built on a deep foundation of Christian theology. Drawing from the teachings of Reinhold Niebuhr, which applied the notion of original sin to the conduct of foreign relations, neoconservative thinkers believe that organized religion is the most effective institution in promoting moral absolutes and self-control and staving off a rising tide of moral relativism that is breaking down the bulwarks of social order.

Inspired by this neoconservative philosophy, the Bush administration ranks the world's nations according to a moral hierarchy with irrational, sinful enemies at the bottom and the United States at the top in a class by itself because its national motives are somehow untainted by original sin.

How is it then that so many Republican stalwarts in this “New Moral Order” are being arrested for criminal misconduct?

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3 comments:

Bora Zivkovic said...

You may like this post and links within.

Anonymous said...

How amusing. You weak-minded fool. Power is handed to you on a silver platter and you spit upon it and throw in the givers face.

You don't deserve your life.

Chemical Flux said...

Anonymous: How is it that you have been blessed with the gift to decide who is deserving of life and who isn't?

Have you ever really thought of where the power is? Maybe you are the weak-minded one - moooing with the rest of the cattle - Assuming the power still resides in the hands of the people when it hasn't since the Civil War.

Read up on some of the nation's history and reserve judgment for God during the Rapture please.

Here is a good place to start:

http://www.lysanderspooner.org/notreason.htm