Politics and Religion in America--Post 9/11

Politics and Religion In America—Post 9/11

by

RICHARD W. BLUMBERG, Ph.D.

©2006 RICHARD W. BLUMBERG, Ph.D.. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 9/21/2006

ISBN: 1-4259-1984-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4678-0481-3 (eBook)

Printed in the United States of America

Bloomington, Indiana

Contents

FOREWORD

THE STATE OF

THE NATION TODAY

THE RISE OF RELIGION

AND THEOCRACY

JESUS FOR THE RECORD

LIBERALS, CONSERVATIVES AND PERSONALITIES

WHAT CAN WE DO NOW?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

FOREWORD

Some time ago I decided to put down some thoughts that I had long been formulating based on my many years of experience as a psychologist and psychotherapist. It seemed that those thoughts made up a philosophy that I had evolved, and I wanted to leave some printed record of that for whomever might be interested–sort of a morals will, to use the popular term for this exercise. Because I wanted it to retain a philosophical look and feel, I did not allow myself to veer into a discussion of politics or religion, although I had also given these issues a lot of thought over the years as well. When I finished with that first effort, I felt a rather strong urge to comment on these two other issues however, because I have rather strong feelings about them, and some serious concerns for the direction our nation is heading in. That in turn gave rise to the current work.

When one reads a work on politics and religion it is only natural to wonder about the political leanings of the author. Sometimes one has to read between the lines, or make inferences from one statement or another, but eventually one gets a feel for the party affiliation of the writer. I don’t want to be evasive or coy, so I will tell you up front that my political orientation is fairly consistently to the left of center. However, I also have a tendency to be more conservative fiscally than I am socially, so the issue is a bit complicated. Perhaps it is enough to say that I was quite happy with the bulk of the policy decisions of President Bill Clinton, and I miss his wise leadership of government, if not his character flaws and personal makeup. There probably never has been an ideal leader, so one must accept some compromises along the way.

All this is not to say that some Republican leaders have not earned my respect and admiration. It has always seemed to me that President Eisenhower was the right man for that difficult post-war period of our nation’s history, and although he has been often criticized for his inaction as much as for his action, I think history will increasingly admire his style and integrity as a stabilizing force for the country. At the very least his prescient warning of the dangers from the military-industrial complex should earn him a place of honor in our nation’s history. It is even more timely today than it was when originally issued. My all time personal favorite remains Barry Goldwater. Even though I often differed with his positions, I never doubted his sincerity or the strength of his convictions. His ability to change and evolve, rare in a strong conservative in my opinion, always impressed me. He truly defined the modern movement of conservatism in American politics, and I believe that with uncanny accuracy he also described its fall from purity with the recent intrusion of religious extremists. When I see the current crop of conservative political candidates, I miss him all the more. When I think back on men such as these two, I am reminded of what politics, even a politics that I didn’t always agree with, used to represent. Conservatism used to mean a clear and constant support for the traditional values specifically spelled out in our constitution–nothing more and nothing less. How far we have come from those humble concerns..

But more of this to follow. It’s why I wanted to write this all down.

THE STATE OF

THE NATION TODAY

I believe that this country is heading full speed in the wrong direction in virtually every way that can be meaningfully measured. I wish I did not see it that way, but no matter how hard I try I cannot change the sense that I have that if we do not change our ways dramatically and very soon, we will be destined to become one of the many cultures in the history of the world to come to prominence, flourish for our hour in the sun, and then decline. For those readers who do not like to hear bad news, or who prefer to concentrate on happier things, I suggest that you put this book down right now, and turn away. For the rest, I will try and share my observations fairly but squarely, without dilution or positive spin, and with all the honesty I have within me. Despite the somber tone, I do not feel completely hopeless, for I have seen this great country face difficult times in the past, and watched it turn around. My hope is that if enough good people are alert and vigilant, this will happen again. I am not entirely alone in my convictions any longer, and although our numbers are still few, we may be able to sound sufficient alarm and bring about the necessary changes in our national values and behavior.. Before I finish my presentation, I will share the ideas I have to effect such changes, and I hope that by enough people raising concerns we can stimulate others to suggest changes that may avert the crises I see looming on the horizon. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, and I am afraid that in so many areas we have let our vigilance slip away from us. Hopefully we can still turn ourselves around, and return to the core and true values that have made America such a special place in this world for more that two centuries.

In discussions with others, the question often arises about what is the most serious problem facing the country today. As I have just mentioned, I believe that many things are going wrong, but exactly what is the worst of these? After much thought, I have reached my own conclusion, and I will reveal my choice in due time. For now, I will begin by discussing the things that seem to have the current focus of the nation as a whole. The inevitable question also arises as to why these things are happening now–after years of relative progress and well-being, why are so many things going wrong all at once. To be honest, I am not sure that I know the answer to that. Sometimes I have ideas, as do most people, and I will share these ideas as we look at each problem, but as to the exact timing and cause, I confess to being often mystified. These are worthy questions to be sure, and as historians and philosophers begin to devote their attention to the events of the recent past, perhaps more light will be shed on causes, with further suggestions as to possible cures. That is my hope, anyway.

If we take our cues from the media, especially the television newscasts, it would seem that the majority of the discontent and worry in the nation today is due to two things, the war in Iraq and the economy. Obviously I share these concerns, and also have a long list of others that I would like to address. Wars are always problematic, to say the very least. To civilized men around the world they appear as essentially a failure on the part of human nature. It would seem that after millions of years of evolution mankind should have been able to work out better ways of settling disputes, but every so often our basest nature is revealed, and we declare war on someone. World history often seems to be organized around these catastrophic events because of their ability to upset the existing order of things, and reorganize the landscape and map for generations to come. In addition, there is the enormous economic and personal costs of these endeavors borne of our failures, and monuments are raised to justify the sacrifices of those whose lives were changed for ever more. In our times, novels are written and films and works of art are produced to glorify the endeavor, and these encourage and console the general population. But for those who have paid a terrible price for our wars, such efforts are often mute testimony to the suffering they experienced. Sometimes the art itself takes on a life of its own, and later generations can only guess at the awful sacrifices that inspired it. I have at the entrance to my home a copy of a beautiful bronze sculpture by the French artist Mercier of a dying man being carried aloft by a winged woman who wears an expression of the upmost compassion and grief. It is entitled GLORIA VICTIS, and an even better copy stands in the Smithsonian Museum of Art in Washington, D.C. I always admire it, and from time to time I have to remind myself that it was created by the artist to help his people overcome the tremendous grief and shame suffered by them following their defeat in the Franco-Prussian War.

While all wars are problematic by definition, some are more so than others. When I was a young officer in the US Army training program, I was taught the great importance of having widespread popular support in order to execute an effective war. At the time, the war in Vietnam was in the process of becoming wildly unpopular, so we all understood that lesson in the most immediate terms, and only needed to look at the nightly news for corroboration of our learning. Unfortunately, all wars tend to loose popular support as they grind on, and as more and more bad news comes from the front lines. As casualties mount, and the economic and emotional losses widen, war’s tremendous burdens begin to weigh more and more heavily on the population, and they become weary. It was the genius of great war time leaders like Lincoln, Churchill and Eisenhower to shore up support for their efforts when conditions looked most dire. That ability eventually lead to their being seen as national heroes. When conditions and leadership fail to provide that support, it is easy for popular support for wars to enter a free fall, to the detriment of the leaders and the war effort. To some extent, that seems to be happening today in our country regarding the war in Iraq.

Another crucial dimension to the execution of war is in the perceived importance of its being waged in the first place. Here the Iraq war has always been on a weak footing, for there was so much disagreement as to its necessity from the start. To compound things further, there is the ongoing debate over the veracity of the evidence that was presented to justify going to war. I will make no attempt to enter this debate and try to upstage the many hearings and inquiries that are ongoing as I write this. Hopefully at some point in the future the nation will be offered some clarity as to the intelligence and the use of that intelligence in determining the course of our entry into the war. Another issue that disturbs many is the conduct of the war and the initial planning that went into it. Of course strategists will always second guess each other in regards to the way a war is run. I remember in many of my military training classes having to study the troop movements and command decisions made in wars going back several centuries, and I suspect that the execution of the Iraq war will someday take its place among these debates, perhaps decades or even centuries from now. What presents itself currently is the anguish and hand-wringing of a nation that is no longer so sure it made a wise decision in going to war–a war that becomes more costly in lives and fortunes day by day. At least one retired General who previously commanded troops in Iraq is on record as saying that the Iraq war is the single greatest foreign policy mistake in the history of the United States. That’s a mouthful, and it cannot help but raise questions that will trouble this nation for a long time to come. No matter what the investigations and inquiries may suggest, this lingering doubt provides ample discontent for a large and growing sector of our population.

All this noise about the war inevitably grabs my attention, but it is not the root cause of the concern I most feel when I reflect on the situation we are in regarding Iraq. That concern is something more complex and difficult to put one’s finger on. The aforementioned topics are debatable, and to a great extent are characteristic of most wars. These things may or may not be resolved to most people’s satisfaction, but they will pass. Our nation has survived other controversial wars, and probably most wars are indeed destined to be controversial. What really bothers me about this one is more enigmatic. It has to do with a certain mood or state of mind of the leaders who got us into the war in the first place. It also has to do with the fact that I see this mood and state of mind reflected in a significant segment of the population at large. I must add here that I subscribe to the theory that no leader evolves in a vacuum. He or she always moves in a zeitgeist, a point in time and place that guides, supports and ultimately condones the behavior exhibited. For that reason I am not placated by simply venting my wrath toward president so and so, or secretary of state X. I am well aware that it is never just this one personality which sends the world out of kilter. We tend to vilify our Hitlers, Stalins, and Castros, and while they may be deplorable human beings, it is silly and naive to think