We in the United States of America, whether we now as individuals personally ascribe to a religious denominational Christian faith or not, the

nature of what was and is intrinsic to the American mythology has had an enormous impact on how we think and view the world. In other words, the dominant religious framework of the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries created what could be considered a unique in American mindset. And even as many have shunned the faith of former years elements of these still remain part of our American psyche. I listened to a university lecture series God and Mankind: Comparative Religions. Though most might have found it boring theres enough I garner from these that helps fill out a broader picture for me. The last lecture in this series is entitled Bringing it all back home. What was presented in this lecture concisely yet comprehensively put substance to many of the things that I have perceived concerning the collective American religious heritage for a long time but had perceived as a matter more of personal intimate involvement with the religious community. It was a matter of knowing the truth of something before ever having been taught it . I admit my own understanding of the splits and varying theologies of the early American denominations may be a personal advantage that I have in understanding some of the assertions that the lecturer, Dr. Oden, makes concerning Puritanism in Colonial America . And if theres question of these, I will answer questions. But what is more important is the fact that there was a religious vision that a very large number if not the majority of the early Americans had in relation to the founding of this nation. These are perspectives that we still contend with even now and on a much broader worldwide scale. The 2008 presidential election should be sufficient evidence of the religious influence and the apocalyptic zeal to dominate that exists not so far under the surface in American politics. A basic premise in going to war is to understand your enemy. There are many of us who see this religious passion as detrimental and intrusive into our own lives and freedom. I certainly am one. Yet if we are not willing to understand what has led to and sustains this religious dynamo that would roll over us, I think the best we can expect is to lay down and get ready to be crushed. Or, make the effort, learn the truth, educate those with open minds and change a few. Bitching about it wont get the job done. American identity of the United States is distinctly tied to its Puritan origins. There is repeated emphasis on America and Americans as "God's elect" and the constant parallels between America and ancient Israel, creating, in effect, an American civil religion whose basic themes include: * the "chosen" history of America * a strong notion of covenant, with America's fate emblematic of the world's * the idea that, in America, the ultimate sovereignty is not the people's, but God's. American identity derived directly from the Puritan tradition:

* an anti-intellectual favoring of individualism and experience over the collective and theory * a bias against ritual * the strongest fundamentalist tradition in the advanced industrialized world * a distinctly American anxiety over vocational and occupational calling not found elsewhere in the world.