I think I read the essay and came to a very different conclusion than the
one you found, Nick. I did not read that America's wealth is a sign of
God's favor. Rather, it is that our very secularism, our emphasis on
freedom and human dignity as a value that precedes all religious teaching
(and which permits multiple otherwise exclusionary religions to coexist),
indicates a deep "spirituality" that has nothing to do with regular church
attendance or formal belief systems, and that our wealth flows largely as
a consequence of human freedom--a riff on the basic premise of capitalism.
In other words, allowing people to run their own lives is, in itself, a
powerful and spiritual statement of trust in basic human goodness and
industry and worth, whatever else one thinks about consumerism or a
particular economic policy.
Ok, so he's a bit over the top -- he's gushing about a PTA meeting, for
pete's sake -- and he could stand to be more inclusive, perhaps focusing
on western civilization rather than just America, but he's an American
writing for Americans in this piece, and I don't think the message is so
bad at all.
Marvin Long
Austin, Texas
"If you will not grant me victory, then grant me vengeance!"
Conan the Barbarian
"Blessed are the peacemakers."
Jesus Christ
