Our religious heritage

Frank Ford sent me an article entitled "The American Ideology" by Samir Amin. It makes for interesting reading. I particularly want you to see the following paragraph:

The particular form of Protestantism that found its way to New England continues to shape American ideology to this day. First, it facilitated the conquest of the new continent by grounding its legitimacy in scriptural reference (biblical Israel's violent conquest of the promised land is a constantly reiterated theme in North American discourse). Later, the US extended its god- given mission to encompass the entire globe. Thus North Americans have come to regard themselves as the “chosen people” — in practice, a synonym for the Nazi term, Herrenvolk. This is the threat which we are facing today. And this is why American imperialism (not “Empire”) will be even more brutal than its predecessors, most of whom never claimed to have been invested with a divine mission.

Samir Amin is an Egyptian now living in Senegal who was educated in France. He has produced an impressive list of political writings.