Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post

rsl12 · 10-25-2005, 10:39 AM

Well, there are a couple arguments going around. The church/state separation argument has been done to death, so I'll ignore all of that. The 'seems arrogant if you're outside the US', however, is an interesting issue. Of course, a lot depends on interpretation/translation, but I don't think there's any need to be offended.

1. 'God Bless America', as some have mentioned, is basically a short prayer. When an English-speaking Christian goes to bed, it's not unusual for a prayer to include "God bless Mom and Dad and all my friends." Is this kind of prayer selfish, because it doesn't include a blessing for suffering North Koreans? Probably so, but not to any outrageous extent--it's quite normal to ask for blessings for those nearest to you. I can't quite see how this could be interpreted as arrogance unless there is a language/cultural barrier (which there very well may be). EDIT: On the other hand, consider a bumper sticker saying "God Bless America." Instead of being a personal plea to God, it's becomes, in that context, something quite different, like you're telling people "God Blesses America." I could see being offended by that. HOWEVER, also consider if you saw someone with a bumper sticker that said "God Bless Mom and Dad." Would you think that it meant "God Blesses Mom and Dad?" Probably not. You'd think it meant "I love Mom and Dad very much, bless them!" So the whole phrase is actually a strange one, open to many different interpretations:

*God, please bless America.
*God blesses America (over other countries, possibly).
*I love America, bless its heart!

2. "In God We Trust" to me seems like a prayer as well, but of a slightly different type. When someone boards a plane to go on a long journey, a typical way to send them off is to say "Godspeed", meaning basically, all sorts of crazy natural disasters could affect the journey, but I trust that God will see you through. I bet this is kind of meaning we can attribute to 'in God we trust.' America is going off on some uncharted path into the future (as are all countries), and so it's kind of acknowledging that all sorts of crazy disasters may be in store, but that God is in charge and has a long-term plan for everything. I have trouble seeing how this motto could be interpreted as arrogance under any circumstances.

10-25-2005, 10:39 AM	#108 (permalink)
rsl12 On the lam Location: northern va	Well, there are a couple arguments going around. The church/state separation argument has been done to death, so I'll ignore all of that. The 'seems arrogant if you're outside the US', however, is an interesting issue. Of course, a lot depends on interpretation/translation, but I don't think there's any need to be offended. 1. 'God Bless America', as some have mentioned, is basically a short prayer. When an English-speaking Christian goes to bed, it's not unusual for a prayer to include "God bless Mom and Dad and all my friends." Is this kind of prayer selfish, because it doesn't include a blessing for suffering North Koreans? Probably so, but not to any outrageous extent--it's quite normal to ask for blessings for those nearest to you. I can't quite see how this could be interpreted as arrogance unless there is a language/cultural barrier (which there very well may be). EDIT: On the other hand, consider a bumper sticker saying "God Bless America." Instead of being a personal plea to God, it's becomes, in that context, something quite different, like you're telling people "God Blesses America." I could see being offended by that. HOWEVER, also consider if you saw someone with a bumper sticker that said "God Bless Mom and Dad." Would you think that it meant "God Blesses Mom and Dad?" Probably not. You'd think it meant "I love Mom and Dad very much, bless them!" So the whole phrase is actually a strange one, open to many different interpretations: God, please bless America. God blesses America (over other countries, possibly). I love America, bless its heart! 2. "In God We Trust" to me seems like a prayer as well, but of a slightly different type. When someone boards a plane to go on a long journey, a typical way to send them off is to say "Godspeed", meaning basically, all sorts of crazy natural disasters could affect the journey, but I trust that God will see you through. I bet this is kind of meaning we can attribute to 'in God we trust.' America is going off on some uncharted path into the future (as are all countries), and so it's kind of acknowledging that all sorts of crazy disasters may be in store, but that God is in charge and has a long-term plan for everything. I have trouble seeing how this motto could be interpreted as arrogance under any circumstances. __________________ oh baby oh baby, i like gravy. Last edited by rsl12; 10-25-2005 at 05:37 PM..*