How do you see the US historically and how do you see the US in terms of ideals?

[Lik3]

I live in a country where evil has happened and that cannot be forgotten. Evil should be confronted and defeated. Well, in the history of the United States, for every evil that has happened, there has been that same evil that has been confronted. We have learned that all are God's creation with unaliable rights, yet many have not lived up to that promise. I don't see America as an evil empire which exploited people, though exploitation and ignorance have occurred. I see an America as a great nation in which despite the evil in the world, there is goodness and light. There is justice, love, friendship, and a sense of spirituality. Most all Americans want to live up to the ideals that the Founders and Framers of the Constitution set forth.

I am not an expert in history, but I know this much. America is not only a nation of ideals but of people who lived by that ideals, failed those ideals, and strived to live by those ideals. I'm sure every country has those individuals. Realistically, all do. Our military fights for those ideals and they sacrifice much to make sure those ideals are still not only a reminder, but a reality. Our children needs to be educated on those ideals. Our legal system needs to render a decision by those ideals. Our country cannot survive without those ideals.

While there is evil in an evil world, being an American is about hope, freedom, and strength. I live in a nation where most realize that for a nation to survive, we must be spiritually as well as morally grounded. When a nation lose those grounds, we lose our ideals. The ideals that I refer to are life, liberty, freedom, integrity, loyalty, family, and of course faith. But all nations claim to have those ideals, no? I'm sure they do, but America is built on those ideals and then some. I admit that there are people in the nation who have lived up to those ideals in the past and up to today, but I believe in freedom, liberty, integrity, being loyal, and being faithful in God, family, and country.

 

[timf]

I can understand you passion and patriotism. I can understand how one might get defensive when seeing things start to unravel. I ran across an interesting perspective on history in general that also includes the US from the perspective of what Satan is trying to accomplish (insofar as he is allowed by God). it is a short pdf booklet.

http://christianpioneer.com/blogarchieve/corrupthumans.pdf

 

[Lik3]

I can understand you passion and patriotism. I can understand how one might get defensive when seeing things start to unravel. I ran across an interesting perspective on history in general that also includes the US from the perspective of what Satan is trying to accomplish (insofar as he is allowed by God). it is a short pdf booklet.

http://christianpioneer.com/blogarchieve/corrupthumans.pdf

I am thankful you have answered. I just have this belief that the United States can be better than it is now. It can be worse and for some, it has been. I believe that now, despite the injustices, including racism, there have been people who have made successes out of themselves despite having little support and have come up from poverty. That is just an example.

 

[Radrook]

The United states can only behave politically as determined by the people who are in power. So its history reflects those in power who might or might not feel bound by the ideals which the nation is supposed to represent. Those individuals in power might make the nation appear to be hypocritical because they themselves are hypocrites. Or selfish because they themselves are selfish. Or cruel because they themselves are cruel. The many treaties established and immediately broken with the USA Native Americans is a case in point. The lying scheming policies reflected their unscrupulous avarice and nothing more. The continued enslavement of African Americans even after the Declaration of Independence declared that all Men are created equal and entitled to liberty is another example of the hypocrisy of those in power and not of their ideals that demanded an immediate liberation of all persons held in bondage in accord with that noble declaration. In short, the United States is people in power and its history should be viewed from that perspective and in no other way.

 

[Lik3]

Agreed. Rad, I just wished that I had written or explained that earlier. If only I had written that earlier. For instance, despite all that I have written, I wished that US policy towards some immigrants were fairer to some that they have been in the past.

 

[Radrook]

Agreed. Rad, I just wished that I had written or explained that earlier. If only I had written that earlier. For instance, despite all that I have written, I wished that US policy towards some immigrants were fairer to some that they have been in the past.

Well, political policies in a democracy must take into consideration the desires of those who vote. If the opinions of voters isn't taken into account then the candidates lose constituents and subsequently the elections. The same applies to government policies once the candidates are elected to office. They are forced to keep an eye on popular opinion and respond accordingly in order to boost their standings in the polls and enhance their chances for re-election.

In the background, is of course, remain the ever-present national ideals expounded by the Founding Fathers. But given human nature-which do you think prevails? When Andrew Jackson flaunted his presidential power as if he had been a dictator in reference to Cherokee land, was any significantly compelling public outcry to have him impeached? Why not? Well, because he was providing free land to the non-Cherokee citizens, land that they had been coveting and therefore national ideals took a third row. The same applies repeatedly broken treaties with the Native Americans. There was land to be gained and gold to be found. etcetera.

True, there are noble ideals expressed very eloquently on paper. Unfortunately, as long as humans are in charge, such ideals will be ignored when convenient for the sake of material gain. I guess that is simply the way it will remain until God's Kingdom takes direct control of Earth's affairs and finally brings the insanity to a halt as the Bible promises.

Daniel 2:44