Okay, not really. While many of us cringe at the heavy doses of American exceptionalism (often in the most cheesy forms) within Mormon Culture, maybe there is something valuable in viewing American and Christianity as being intertwined. However, not intertwined in a positive sense, like a manifest destiny, but a destructive one. Not sure if I can fully articulate this at the moment, but I think that David Bowie (with some help from Trent Reznor) give an interesting, and very disturbing, interpretation of this mixture of religion and empire.
Your thoughts? Oh, Happy Independence Day!
Approaching Justice
Latter-day Saint Liberation Front 
so God was only created in 1776… good to know…
living outside utah, where the city fireworks and such happened on sunday, i’ve been interested to see how many people in my ward said they would not be participating, on the grounds that it would constitute a breach in sabbath day observance.
g.wesley, doesn’t the sabbath end at sundown? and don’t fireworks begin a bit after sundown? ergo, no problem, no breach. child’s play.
Not only is God an American, but he only cares about America and the Second Coming is predicated on what happens in America and not the rest of the world. Pass me the hot dogs.
Dan, while independece was declared in 1776, it was prophesized going back to Nephi in 600 B.C. So, America is a lot like Jesus.
g. wesley, if they are anything like me, they were just using the sabbath as an excuse to get out of going into crowds with children late at night (always a bad idea). I would also use it as an excure to buy my own (cannot wait to get to Wyoming…they sell just about anything and year round).
Jake, processed meat is very important to this American God.
According to Trent Reznor, God is dead and no one cares. If there is a hell he’ll see you there.
Peter: that is true (and a great album). But this Bowie song is after that. Maybe he is reconsidering. 🙂
doesn’t the sabbath end at sundown?
Yes, except when it falls on July 5th, in which case its beginning and end are delayed a few hours.
I dont agree with some of the things that have been mentioned. Though i firmly do believe that Gods hand was in the founding of this country and His hand will continue to direct us here, i do not believe we can make the judgement to what allows us to perform other things on the sabbath day. It is meant to be kept holy so lets keep it that way.
well i have to say that god gives use the ablty to make are owe destion what we can and cant do on the sabbath and going to the fireworks with my family is ok in my book
I think that God is an American, but He is also Asian and Hispanic etc. We are all His children. I don’t like Bowie’s video. Spending the majority of the video showing negative things about the American people and then at the end say “God is an American.” Almost implying that God is the author of all the bad. We make choices that screw up our own lives, and then when someone wants something to blame, they blame God.
God bless America!
I love that song. There’s a song Bowie does with Placebo from the 90’s whose name escapes me that I really dig as well.
i truly believe at God helped the founding fathers with every aspect of creating The United States of America. we have had such a huge impact on the world that is evident by the envy almost all other countries have towards us. we have changed so much to help the work of the Lord go forth.
John Doe,
I think he is saying that many bad things happen in both the name of America and God. I am pretty sure that he does not believe in America or God.
I think too many of us treat America like it is our God.
Clark,
Here you go (I think it will go good with Chocolate):
He is just afraid of old age and Trent Reznor …