America took the notion of liberty and placed it in an economical framework, composed by Adam Smith in Wealth of Nations. Smith anticipated Marx by nearly a century when he focused on the nature of man and society in what amounted to a purely economical outlook. He views the violence that men do to one another and to themselves as stemming from an economical cause. The savage nations (hunters and gatherers) he states "are so miserably poor, that, from mere want, they are frequently reduced, or at least think themselves reduced, to the necessity sometimes of directly destroying, and sometimes of abandoning their infants, their old people, and those afflicted with lingering diseases, to perish with hunger, or to be devoured by wild beasts" (Smith 1x). The cause of violence, according to Smith, is want. For the Old World Church it was sin. For Rousseau and the Romantic/Enlightenment thinkers it was the suppression of naturalistic liberty. Smith's solution to the problem of violence was to place an economic restraint upon liberty. This economic restraint would serve to replace the religious (or moral) restraint in America. Savagery would be eradicated because man's economic needs would be satisfied -- so long as it followed Smith's economic advice.
How has it worked? One could easily measure the level of violence committed by America in its pursuit of capital gains around the world -- from the destabilization of foreign nations to the violent putting down of workers' strikes in domestic struggles. Smith's advice has not eradicated the problem of violence. As violence against self was replaced by violence against Church in Europe, violence against those in the way of capital gains became the calling card of America. America's commitment to an economic solution to the problem of liberty and violence has led to a system of governance every bit as totalitarian as the Church's in the medieval world or as the Revolutionaries' in Paris. The only difference between theirs and America's is the God at the top of the system. The Church's God was Christ. The Revolutionaries' God was Liberty. America's God is the Dollar and it rules with an iron fist.
John Stuart Mill saw tyranny as stemming from the exercise of "wrong mandates" (8). What he questioned was where to place the line between liberty and control, economic freedom and social responsibility. He saw the need for some sort of moral framework (which,...
Gustavo Gutierrez did just that in Latin America, employing Marxist analysis to interpret the Jesus' teachings in the Gospel. Gutierrez founded Liberation Theology, which is, essentially, the twentieth century take on Violence and the Cross. Christ is viewed less as Redeemer and more as Liberator. Evans discusses this same interpretation in black theology, which is, essentially, a continuation of Liberation Theology: "In spite of the ravages of their kidnapping and
God and Creation Has the concept of God well and truly woven itself into the very psyche of the average American citizen? What exactly does the average American think about God? As a matter of fact, each and every American must take some time to sit back and think deeply about these issues, and also pay close attention to the power and influence of God in the history of America. Perhaps
Anarchy in the 19th Century An Analysis of Merriman's Dynamite Club and Anarchy in the 19th Century John Merriman makes the point early in the Dynamite Club that there exists "a gossamer thread connecting…Islamist fundamentalists and Emile Henry's circle." Merriman goes on to define that connection as being one of "social inequalities." But more to the heart of the matter, however, is the difference in ideologies -- ideologies that transcended the economic, political,
America God Bless America (or is it still all right to say that?) The Limitation of Judeo-Christian Beliefs by Liberal Interpretations of the Law In the interests of preserving the civil rights of all Americans, legislation over the past few decades has mandated a conspicuous absence of Christian or Jewish symbols, prayers or teachings from public places: the classroom, the sports arena, the courts, public buildings of all sorts. Yet followers of these faiths make
" Owen maintains that it is not important that people engage in the particular actions Jesus engaged in, like washing another's feet, but instead that people strive to express their moral duty of brotherly love, in condescension and mutual helpfulness. The fourteenth question posed by Owen is, "May not the church find out, and appoint to be observed, such religious rites as being adjoined unto the celebration of God's instituted worship,
Bethany Moreton's "To serve God and Walmart: The making of Christian free enterprise." (Harvard University Press, 2009) Author Bethany Moreton's work provides an insight into Walmart's corporate history and its swift climb, within 50 years, from a little discount retail chain opened up by Sam Walton to an international retailing giant. The author goes beyond readers' expectations to include Walmart Country's religious, social, and cultural history (the term 'Walmart Country' would
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