Why the god and country mix?

[worldlystone]

Christanity is a death cult centered around blood sacrifice.Innocent human blood sacrifice to be specific......

[alanpgoodwin]

I think you hit the nail on the head at feudalistic influences. The "elite" positions in society are tenuous and dangerous to hold absent societal control. Since civilisation arose, those who murdered more peasants rose to power through fear. When fear subsides, so does automatic, thoughtless deference to authority. Such deference is easy to maintain when the spectre of an omnipotent, omniscient being is ingrained from birth via the family unit and further via the education system.

[RichardRoy2]

Great video, SS. I agree that the Government, or it's controlers, saw a tremendous value in using propaganda to manipulate it's citizens in their direction. They saw the mind numbing effect of religion on them as well. They also saw that it would be easy if the religions got status by making it sound like their values founded this shiny thing we live on. Let the religions fight among themselves as to who. Even the founding fathers let people interpret "creator" as not nature, if they wanted.

[AndrewTheEternal]

All I can say, you'll find in "The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power" said better.

God isn't really God to these people. He's themselves writ large, scripture be damned.

[WorBlux]

Interventionism really started with the progressive era (Spanish American war and onwards) It's just that any sort of effective opposition (voices of reason) died out by the end of the oppression.

Both of them are taken pride in un-earned characteristics. Nationality is never a matter of choice and religion rarely is. Most Christians born in the U.S. Would have been Muslims if born into a Muslim family.

[asperin]

God and country. Or better yet. God and the State.

Both existing ideologically.

One to save you from hell, the other one to save you from chaos, but both don't do anything but decrease your human potential and leave you as a dependent idiot.

[Silveracity]

In countries where there isnt religious freedom, people wouldnt be able to practice their religion and be patriotic at the same time.

[artemisfair]

God does not support their constitutional rights.

[OkamiNinja7]

No arguments here, Swordsage. A lot of good points in here.

[Macrochenia]

Real Patriots... Question the Government!

[asperin]

Patriotism is arbitrary, just as religion is.

It is an economic barrier dividing people and preventing free trade.

The State profits at the borders, it taxes people within, and keeps the borders because fools feel pride about the place they happened to be born.

[AbdultheImpailler]

Perhaps the fundie xtians like to say America is god's country because according to the old testament the jews (Isrealites) are supposed to be god's chosen people???

[bobble12221]

4G is a complete tool.

[wonderpope]

The internet is not just for porn? Ok, not "just" but mainly ;o)

To a more serious note: what I wonder about is, when exactly did the "chosen people"-mentality start developping in christian communities in america. Was that during the beginning of the cold-war? That's something I always found interesting and ridiculous at the same time. I remember watching steven king's "the stand" and thinking: how up your own ass is this?

[Macrochenia]

@wonderpope- No, it's older than that- I think it dates all the way back to the Puritans; all the minority groups who were "God's Chosen People" who came over to America to escape persecution in Europe. However, it is certainly true that there was a dramatic rise in such sentiments after the start of the Cold War, as a counter to the godlessness of the Soviets (who actually had a religion based of the State, rather than no religion).

[onlywhenprovoked]

What greater threat is there than an eternity of torture?

Humans will only take so much before they say "Go ahead and kill me, I don't care anymore." The afterlife scare is the only way to up the ante from there.

[onlywhenprovoked]

Religion is the original government. They go hand in hand in controlling the masses by subduing their free will.

Anyone who's proud of being born in a random location on the planet, can easily find that same pride in randomly being born into a family who believes religion # 67554655.

As far as - why do Christians so blatantly contradict the philosophy of Christ?... I have no fucking clue. lol

[tattooskin72]

Wealth is supposed to be bad... A christian should also leave things that are to "caesar to caesar"... Turning the cheek, supposed to do that too. Love thy neighbor, do unto others. blah blah blah. Religious zealots got their way after the powers that be thought we needed to show we were better than the evil communists. It's beyond stupid...

[WolfgangNightshadow]

Traditionally monarchs where seen as appointed by God. So the statement of "for king and country" is essentially the same as "for God and country"

I believe that the strongly anti-religious proclamations of communism also played a part in the process of making Christianity more and more integrated in U.S society

[xynth101088]

lol, I thought you were going to rag on country music that talks about god....

[NubianTribesman]

You make grate points in this video.

[WhirlingWolves]

I would tend to agree with you about the end of WW2 being the start of a militaristic christian outlook.

After all if we freedom loving americans had to stand against those godless commies and their evil dominoes then surely we are the agents of almighty god right?!

You see... in the end it does'nt matter what the bible actually preaches as long as the powers that be have an "evil empire" to point at for the incitement of fear.

The sheep will flock to the shepherd for protection.

[Georgebushpimps]

The fact most fundamentalist chistians forget is that it is up to God to judge who will go where, But they seem to think its up them to decide whos worthy and whos not, they often dont listen to what the bible says, or at the very least pick and chose, Im a christian against the bible go figure, and they say im goin to hell even though Im honest, I honor the lord and treat my fellow man with respect, but Im going to hell anyway according to them

[hgryphon]

They're rewriting the Bible, so it may soon be in there as kingdom come. ;)

[pfarabee]

One of the last couple videos of Andy Thompson on the richarddawkinsdotnet channel (maybe the one "We Few, We Happy Few") speaks very thoroughly on similar topics.

It is evolutionarily encoded to collect into groups, to demonize the "other" and to violently oppose influence from "outside".

Couple this with the devoutly held belief that "blessings" of the clerics and shamans before battle increase odds of success, and religion becomes closely bonded with government.

[PoliticalPisstake]

Fantastic video. I've got a bit to add on to your points. I think you can find an earlier insertion of God into American politics. In the mid-1800's(and even earlier), a few preachers and politicians caught on to the idea that there were comparisons to be made between the Israelites of the Old Testament and Americans...

[PoliticalPisstake]

...Fleeing persecution to a new, resource-rich, fertile land with pesky, godless natives and so on. And what did God tell the Israelites to do? Expand throughout the land and kill or convert(usually just kill) whoever got in their way. This concept catches on and grows into Manifest Destiny, which implies a God-ordained destiny for the US. This was pretty much official government policy for at least half a century...

[PoliticalPisstake]

...Many people then, and I'm sure millions today, believed that the United States was the new promised land and Americans, therefore, were the new chosen people. Beyond that, I think any person who finds true appeal in religion would find many things to appreciate in government, and vice versa. They are both very hierarchical institutions filled with ceremonies and rituals(especially in the military, and consider all the protocol surrounding how to handle a flag) that tell you what to do...

[PoliticalPisstake]

...I think something in the patriotic and religious individuals likes being told what to do and how to think in some way or another.

Sorry for filling your page up with comments, and like I said earlier, great vid.

[MrSuckmycube]

Religions were the first governments. Governments came into power because of the slave morality imposed by religion.

[slipcurve]

Excellent points.

[bamboo4tameshigiri]

It's not real patriotism; it's blind nationalism. Blind nationalism is a trait that's always hand in hand with the fascist mentality. They bundle their religion and ideology together by wrapping it in a flag. I think its psychological. Its symbolism and a flag is a symbol that fascist fagots can traditionally get behind.

[NermalsChannel]

It's not logical to finding any sense of truth.

It is however effective to spreading itself as an idea.

Poor reasoning encourages more of the same.

[EZkill25l7]

Ive always found it strange that a modern democracy based on the symbolism of liberty kneels to the authority of an eternal OWNER!

[Jimb0can]

Religion and politics should be seperate. These people don't understand that. That is what the founding fathers understood. People should have whatever freedoms they should have and be happy. They understood the concept of religion in state and how messed up it was. That is why they kept those seperate.