Republicans do believe it but most Americans know God did not Create America: part 12, The End?

                                     Conclusion: God created America?
The lie:  Most Americans Believe God Created America, Claims Mike Huckabee (Video): 

Our continued explanation of the truth about what and why Americans believe how America was made and by who:

From the outset I must say my intention of going through the period of the enlightenment was to show us exactly what the mood and level of morality was during the era of the founding of our country.

It absolutely backs up what we found in book one. However I am very surprised to find that it was the Colonists of the lower classes who led the way in the revolution.

They had experienced the enlightenment and its revival of morality and were driven to see the birth of a righteous nation. It was their religious fervour that actually took the first steps toward revolution.

The awakening itself made people feel that the process of redemption as described in the Bible had already begun. God, the people felt, was completely and firmly committed to the revolution.

Edwards gave the Trinity a political interpretation. The Son “was the deity generated by Gods understanding, and thus the blueprint for the new Commonwealth. The spirit, “the deity subsisting in act”,was the force that would accomplish this master plan in time.

In the new world of America, God would thus be able to contemplate his own actions on earth. The society would express the Excellencies of God himself. The New England would be a shining city on the hill. It would be a light unto the Gentiles.

  It would shine with a reflection of the glory of God upon it which shall be attractive and ravishing to all. The God of Jonathan Edwards would be incarnated in the Commonwealth, and Christ was seen as being embodied in a good society.

Other Calvinists were on the vanguard of progress. They introduced chemistry into the curriculum of America. Timothy Dwight, Edward’s grandson, saw scientific knowledge as a prelude to the final perfection of humanity.

In some respects the Calvinists were more adventurous in their thinking than the Liberals. The liberals were opposed their revivalism and preferred simple faith to the speculative, perplexing notions that disturbed them in the preachings of revivalists like Edwards.

*Edwards seems to be responsible for people thinking God created America. Well now you know the process of the people learning about God and what his role was in America's creation.

Born again Christians were given a God who was politicized and told that he created it for them. Born again Christians took the lead in fighting the British during the Revolution. However God did not found America we the people did.






James m joiner
Gardner, Ma
http://anaverageamericanpatriot.blogspot.com

Republicans do believe it but most Americans know God did not Create America: part 11

The lie:  Most Americans Believe God Created America, Claims Mike Huckabee (Video): 

Our continued explanation of the truth about what and why Americans believe how America was made and by who:


Jonathan Edwards(1703-1758). Edwards held his sermons in Northampton Connecticut. He described his parishioners there as being nothing out of the ordinary; they were sober, orderly, and good, but lacking in religious fervour.

They were no better or worse than the men and women living in the other colonies. That was until in 1734 when two young people died shockingly sudden deaths.

This all changed suddenly as the people were real nervous and concerned. This was reinforced by Edwards himself who was known for his hell fire and brimstone sermons.

Edwards plunged the town into a frenzy of religious fervor. Peoplecould talk of nothing but religion; they even stopped working inorder to spend the entire day reading the Bible.

In about 6 months there had been around 300 born again conversions in Northampton alone. They came from all classes of society. Edwards saw this craze as the direct work of God himself.

 He meant this quite literally as he repeatedly said that God seems to have gone out of his usual way of behaving in New England.

 He was real pleased to see that this was moving the people in a most marvelous and miraculous manner. It must be said however, that the Holy Spirit sometimes manifestedhimself in some rather disturbing ways.

 People would sink into deep despair thinking that God would not save them. This would be followed right away with an equally extreme feeling of elation when they all of a sudden felt saved.

 They would break out with laughter while weeping and tears streaming down their faces at the same time.Sometimes they would cry out in a loud voice expressing their love for God. We are obviously far from the calm control that was supposed to be the hallmark of true enlightenment.

These intensely emotional mood swings have continued to be the hallmark of religious revival in America. It was a rebirth attended by violent swings from anger and fear to instantaneous joy and laughter.

This was a new version of the western struggle with God.The awakening eventually spread like wild fire to encompass all of the colonies. Eventually emotions died down until after a couple of years things were pretty much back to normal.

The new birth of the awakening was an evangelical version of the enlightenments ideal of the pursuit of happiness. It represented an existential liberation. It liberated the people from a world in which everything awakens powerful feelings of apprehension.

The awakening occurred in the poorer colonies where people had few expectations of happiness in the world. This happened despite the hopes of the sophisticated enlightenment.

 The experience of being born again resulted in a feeling of joy. There was a perception of beauty that was quite different from any natural sensation. Therefore, during the awakening a God experience had made the enlightenment of the new world available to the poor as well as the successful people in the colonies.

*The God of Jonathan Edwards also contributed to the revolutionary enthusiasm of 1775. In the eyes of the revivalists England had lost the new light that had shown so brightly during the puritan revolution. To them England now seemed decadent and regressive.

It was Edwards and his colleagues who led Americans of the lower classes to take the first steps toward revolution. Edwards felt that human effort would hasten the coming of God’s kingdom. He believed that this was attainable and imminent in the new world.



James M Joiner
Gardner, Ma
http://anaverageamericanpatriot.blogspot.com 

Republicans do believe it but most Americans know God did not Create America: part 10

The lie:  Most Americans Believe God Created America, Claims Mike Huckabee (Video): 

Our continued explanation of the truth about what and why Americans believe how America was made and by who:

 The American scholar, Albert C. Outler points out that the new religion of the heart and the rationalism of the enlightenment was both anti-establishment. They both mistrusted external authority.

Rationalism and the enlightenment both allied themselves with the modernists against the ancients. They both shared a hatred of inhumanity, and an enthusiasm for philanthropy.

It seems that a radical religious devotion actually paved the way for the ideals of the enlightenment to take root among Jews as well as Christians. Many of these sects seemed to respond to the immense changes of the period by violating religious taboos. Some even appeared blasphemous.

 Of course some were dubbed atheistic. Puritans had left England and settled in New England during the 1620s. This as we know, was to pursue their religion in peace. This time also brought about the first Quakers. Quakers preached that all men and women could approach God directly.

There was an inner light within every person that only has to be discovered and nurtured. Once it had been discovered and nurtured everybody, regardless of class or stature, could achieve salvation here on earth. They also preached pacifism and non-violence. *********

The new born again Christianity that was beginning to appear in the west during the 17^th and 18^th centuries was frequently unhealthy. It was often characterized by violent and dangerous emotions and reversals.

 We can see this in the wave of religious fervour known as the Great Awakening that swept through New England during the 1730s.

*This is what America was developed and created under. In this context only can you say God created America.

This was inspired by the evangelical preaching of George Whitfield a colleague of the Wesley’s and the sermons of Jonathan Edwards(1703-1758). Edwards held his sermons in Northampton Connecticut.

 He described his parishioners there as being nothing out of the ordinary; they were sober, orderly, and good, but lacking in religious fervour.

They were no better or worse than the men and women living in the other colonies. That was until in 1734 when two young people died shockingly sudden deaths. This all changed suddenly as the people were real nervous and concerned. This was reinforced by Edwards himself who was known for his hell fire and brimstone sermons.

Edwards plunged the town into a frenzy of religious fervour. People could talk of nothing but religion; they even stopped working in order to spend the entire day reading the Bible.




James M Joiner
Gardner, Ma
http://anaverageamericanpatriot.blogspot.com 

Republicans do believe it but most Americans know God did not Create America: part 9

The lie:  Most Americans Believe God Created America, Claims Mike Huckabee (Video): 

Our continued explanation of the truth about what and why Americans believe how America was made and by who: We are getting closer to the truth!

John Wesley, (1703-1791), the founder of the Methodist Religion,had always been a fervent Christian. When he was a fellow at Lincoln College, Oxford, he and his brother Charles started a society known as, The Holy Club.

 It was strong on method and discipline. so its members became known as Methodists. In 1735 John and Charles sailed to the colony of Georgia in America as missionaries. John however  returned to England disconsolate two years later.

 This was because he felt he needed converting himself. During the voyage home he was impressed by some missionaries of the Moravian sect. He was impressed with the fact that they avoided all doctrine. He was agreeable to the thought that religion was simply an affair of the heart.

John underwent a conversion experience during a Moravian meeting.His conversion convinced him that he had received a direct mission from God. He believed that he had to preach this new kind of Christianity throughout England.

 The experience of being born againwas crucial. It was absolutely necessary to experience God continually breathing on the human soul. Experiencing God would fill the Christian with a continual, thankful Love of God.

This was consciously felt. Ultimately this made it natural, and even necessary to love every child of God with kindness and gentleness.

Doctrines about God they felt, were useless and could be damaging.The psychological effect of Christ’s words on the believer was thebest proof of the truth of Religion. An emotional experience ofreligion was the only proof of genuine faith and hence of salvation.

But as we know today, this mysticism can be dangerous. Mystics have always expressed the perils of the spiritual paths and warned against hysteria; peace and tranquillity were the signs of true mysticism.

 This born again Christianity could produce frenzied behavior. We know that so well today!



James M Joiner
Gardner, Ma
http://anaverageamericanpatriot.blogspot.com 

Republicans do believe it but most Americans know God did not Create America: part 8

The lie:  Most Americans Believe God Created America, Claims Mike Huckabee (Video): 

Our continued explanation of the truth about what and why Americans believe how America was made and by who:


Kant argued against the idea of a wise and omnipotent creator. Hefelt this could undermine scientific research. He thought it wouldlead to a lazy reliance on a god who fills in the gaps of ourknowledge.

It could also be a source of unnecessary mystification. He believed this would lead to bitter disputes such as those that have scarred the history of the churches.

Kant was not an atheist. His contemporaries described him as a devout man. He was believed to be profoundly aware of mans capacity for evil. This made the idea of God critical to him. Kant argued that in order for man to lead a moral life men, and women, needed a Governor.

 One who would reward virtue with happiness. I must agree with this in the majority of cases.However there are some of us are moral enough to govern ourselves.

In his perspective, God was simply tacked on to the ethical system as an afterthought. The center of religion was no longer the mystery of God, but man himself. God has become a strategy that enables us to function more efficiently and morally. He is no longer the center for all being.

It would not be long before some would take his ideal one step further. They would find it necessary to dispense with God altogether. Kant had been one of the first people in the west to doubt the validity of church traditions. He believed that they in fact proved nothing.

 They would never appear quite so convincing again. That was liberating to many Christians. They firmly believed that God had closed one path to faith only to open another.

A new type of religious devotion emerged alongside the rationalism of enlightenment; it was often referred to as the religion of the heart. This was because it was centered in the heart not the head.

* It urged people to abandon external proofs, and authorities. It urged people to discover the God that was in the heart of everyone. In steps the influence of God on the founding of the United States.

James M Joiner
Gardner, Ma
http://anaverageamericanpatriot.blogspot.com 

Republicans do believe it but most Americans know God did not Create America: part 7

The lie:  Most Americans Believe God Created America, Claims Mike Huckabee (Video): 

Our continued explanation of the truth about what and why Americans believe how America was made and by who:

The Churches had only themselves to blame for this defiance. Since for centuries they had burdened the faithful with an overwhelming amount of doctrine. Voltaire did argue however, that faith in one God was more natural and rational to humanity. Voltaire’s problem of course, was not God but the doctrines about him which offended the standard of reason.

German Philosopher, Moses Mendelssohn, (1729-1786), who opened the way for Jews to enter Modern Europe had this to say. The universal Religion of reason should lead to a respect for other ways of approaching God.

 Of course, it would be including Judaism, which the churches of Europe had persecuted for centuries.

Jews were less influenced by Mendelssohn than they were by another German philosopher, Immanuel Kant, (1724-1804). Kant has described the Enlightenment as man's exodus from his self imposed reliance on external authority.

He felt the only way to God led through the independent realm of moral conscience. He called this practical reason. He dismissed many of the trappings of Religion such as the dogmatic authority of the churches. He dismissed prayer and ritual.

These things all prevented people from relying on their own powers.It encouraged them to depend upon church doctrine. He was not opposed to the idea of God. However, he argued that the traditional arguments for the existence of God were useless.

This was primarily because our minds could only understand things that exist in space or time. He believed that man’s mind was not competent to consider realities that are beyond this category.

He allowed that man had a natural tendency to go beyond these limits. He believed we would seek a principle of unity. He felt that would give us a vision of reality as a believable whole.

 This was the idea of God. It was not possible to prove the existence of God logically. It wasn’t possible to disprove it either. The idea of God was essential to us.

 It represented the ideal limit that allowed us to achieve a comprehensive idea of the world. Therefore for Kant,God was merely a convenience.


James M Joiner
Gardner, Ma
http://anaverageamericanpatriot.blogspot.com 

The Enlightenment and its influence on the U.S. Installment 5

German Philosopher, Moses Mendelssohn, (1729-1786), who opened the way for Jews to enter Modern Europe had this to say. The universal Religion of reason should lead to a respect for other ways of approaching God. Of course, it would be including Judaism, which the churches of Europe had persecuted for centuries.

Jews were less influenced by Mendelssohn than they were by another German philosopher, Immanuel Kant, (1724-1804). Kant has described the Enlightenment as mans exodus from his self imposed reliance on external authority. 

He felt the only way to God led through the independent realm of moral conscience. He called this practical reason. He dismissed many of the trappings of Religion such as the dogmatic authority of the churches. He dismissed prayer and ritual. These things all prevented people from relying on their own powers.

 It encouraged them to depend upon church doctrine. He was not opposed to the idea of God. However, he argued that the traditional arguments for the existence of God were useless. This was primarily because our minds could only understand things that exist in space or time.

 He believed that man’s mind was not competent to consider realities that are beyond this category. He allowed that man had a natural tendency to go beyond these limits. He believed we would seek a principle of unity. He felt that would give us a vision of reality as a believable whole.

 This was the idea of God. It was not possible to prove the existence of God logically. It wasn’t possible to disprove it either. The idea of God was essential to us. It represented the ideal limit that allowed us to achieve a comprehensive idea of the world.

 Therefore for Kant, God was merely a convenience. Kant argued against the idea of a wise and omnipotent creator. He felt this could undermine scientific research. He thought it would lead to a lazy reliance on a god who fills in the gaps of our knowledge. It could also be a source of unnecessary mystification.

 He believed this would lead to bitter disputes such as those that have scarred the history of the churches. Kant was not an atheist. His contemporaries described him as a devout man. He was believed to be profoundly aware of mans capacity for evil. 

This made the idea of God critical to him. Kant argued that in order for man to lead a moral life men, and women, needed a Governor. One who would reward virtue with happiness. I must agree with this in the majority of cases. However there are some of us are moral enough to govern ourselves. 


In his perspective, God was simply tacked on to the ethical system as an afterthought. The center of religion was no longer the mystery of God, but man himself. God has become a strategy that enables us to function more efficiently and morally. He is no longer the center for all being.

 It would not be long before some would take his ideal one step further. They would find it necessary to dispense with God altogether. Kant had been one of the first people in the west to doubt the validity of church traditions. He believed that they in fact proved nothing. They would never appear quite so convincing again. That was liberating to many Christians. They firmly believed that God had closed one path to faith only to open another.  Life Today The Real Story "2005"




James Joiner
Gardner, Ma
http://anaverageamericanpatriot.blogspot.com