Tennesee Reverend Donald Sensing on the religious dimensions of American sanctions for warmaking...Many will find this quite interesting--others may simply find this confirms their view of Americans as "peculiar!" http://donaldsensing.com/2003_02_01_archive.html#90381145 (Drop down a few pages, posted 2/26) "The coming American Holy War" "'As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free.' The Battle Hymn of the Republic, by Julia Ward Howe, 1861. [SNIP!] "The religious motivations of the American way of war are covered with mantles springing from American secular institutions and values, such a constitutional rights and individual worth. Nonetheless, there are some deep layers of religion in American war making that give it a holy war dimension. [These layers are regional in origin, but now pervade the whole character of the American way of war; they are no longer exclusive to only one region.] "Holy War from the legacy of the American South is waged from an offense to the nation that is seen as a stain upon the national honor, or as vengeance for wrongs done to the nation. (Southern concern with honor was a major contributor toward both Southern secession and the attack on Fort Sumter, precipitating the worst war in our history.) Honor can be restored only by confronting the foe with great force. The foe's surrender or destruction restores the national honor. "Honor codes have not played a large role in shaping the Northern model of of Holy War. Instead, the Northern codes spring from ideas of the dignity of humankind, and deep notions of sin and judgment. From the Northern model, Americans readily answer the call to colors to liberate the oppressed and punish the oppressors, a combination that probably springs from the North's Puritan and Calvinistic founding. [Continues...]
