Veritas et Sapientia-The Puritan Creation of “Homo Americanus”

Mandeville, LA – To decipher the intricacies of the American system, a student must look to the religious phenomenon of Puritanism. In the British context the strongest political standard bearer of Puritanism, Oliver Cromwell, was a transient figure who had no lasting political impact either on the United Kingdom or continental Europe. Yet Cromwell’s political legacy has had more effect on the American mentality than Lenin’s rhetoric had on Bolshevik Russia. Just as Cromwell used the Bible in order to justify the murder of King Charles and to defend his policies during the Commonwealth’s expeditions against the Scots and Irish, so his Puritan cousins in America used the Bible as a warrant for conquest and the basis for their polity.

A deep understanding of the Puritan mental framework is indispensable for anyone engaged in attempting to understand all its various secular transposi- tions in the American system. Simplifying their message by stripping their mode of Christianity of every pagan element, including the transcendental and the sacred, and reducing the biblical message to very basic utilitarian and moral- istic precepts of behavior conferred a distinct advantage on the evangelizing Puritans. To understand the psychology of homo americanus and in particular his irrational outbursts in foreign policy—under cover of a much vaunted “pragmatism”—one must study carefully all elements of Puritanism. First, Puritanism introduced a peculiar form of hypermoralism and a self-serving messianism into American behavior patterns.10 It is a political theology that finds its justification solely in Biblical precepts. Hence we discern the deeply rooted idea of “self-election” (self-chosenness) among American elites and these elites’ inherent belief in the democratic predestination of America. Regardless of the odds, homo americanus will pursue his foreign adventures in perfectly good conscience—adventures that will always be justified “for the greater glory of the Lord.” As a form of political theology, Americanism, with its Puritan derivatives, must always remain resistant to all criticism. – HOMO AMERICANUS, The Dissolution of American materialism – TOMISLAV SUNIC

TheKingDude

Host of the Mike Church Show on The Veritas Radio Network's CRUSADE Channel & Founder of the Veritas Radio Network. Formerly, of Sirius/XM's Patriot channel 125. The show began in March of 2003 exclusively on Sirius and remains "the longest running radio talk show in satellite radio history".

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