GOD & Apple Pie

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GOD & Apple Pie Christopher Buck Web Talk Sunday, May 3, 2015 20th Anniversary Wilmette Institute

Transcript of GOD & Apple Pie

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GOD & Apple Pie

Christopher Buck

Web Talk Sunday, May 3, 2015

20th Anniversary Wilmette Institute

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Journal of American History (June 2011): “Religious Myths and Visions of America has many strengths. The author has defended his thesis with solid research. He has also made an original contribution to American studies.” – Richard Kyle, Emeritus, Professor of History and Religion, Tabor College.

Nova Religio (February 2012): “This book, therefore, is not simply an analysis of ten different myths and visions of America but also provides an ideological map that accounts for faith-based understandings and actions in relation to the American presence globally. In this sense, this volume may be of interest to readers involved not only in Religious Studies, but also in Political Science, History, Intellectual History, American Studies, and Cultural Studies.” — Irén E. Annus (American Studies, University of Szeged, Hungary).

God & Apple Pie:

REVIEWS AS PREVIEW

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RODEF SHALOM SYNAGOGUE IN PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.FRONTISPIECE 3

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J. Gordon Melton: Distinguished Professor of American Religious History, Baylor University:

Far from being an interesting additional topic for the religious dilettante, the discussion, around the theological reality that is America, periodically bursts forth as an important item on the nation’s agenda, from the place of prayer services in the White House, to the issuance of an annual government report on religious persecution, to the rise of contemporary terrorism.

J. Gordon Melton:

INTRODUCTION

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“COLUMBIA”: THE SPIRIT OF AMERICA PERSONIFIED.FIGURE 1.1 5

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Chapter 1: America: Nation and Notion

Civil Myths of America and Civil Religion. Religious Myths and Visions of America.

Religions remythologize America. Religions reenvision America.

Racial Myths and Visions of America. The “central themes” of American religious history are pluralism, Puritanism, and the encounter of black and white. “Cursed be Canaan; a slave of slaves shall he be to his brothers” (Genesis 9:25). Ham was Noah’s youngest son, and Canaan was one of Ham’s sons. Most 19th-century Christians believed this myth!

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JOHN GAST’S “AMERICAN PROGRESS” (1872).FIGURE 1.2 7

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Protestant Christianity set a racial agenda during the colonial period. “Minority faiths” reacted to the problem of race in their own ways. The Nation of Islam racialized America, mythologizing Blacks as “original” and thus superior. Christian Identity racialized America, mythologizing Whites as racially “pure” and thus superior. Mormons racialized America, mythologizing Native Americans as transplanted Whites, and represented Blacks as once cursed. The Baha’i Faith has reacted to a racialized America by promoting “race amity” (interracial harmony) in an effort to deracialize America and provide redemption for “America’s original sin.”

Chapter 1:

RACIALIZING AMERICA

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2010 NATIVE AMERICAN $1 COIN (UNITED STATES MINT).FIGURE 2.1 9

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Chapter 2: Native American Myths and Visions of America

The Turtle Island Myth:

(1) The Sky World, (2) Uprooting of the Tree of Light; (3) Sky Woman Falls to Earth; (4) Animals Dive to Bring Earth to the Surface; (5) Earth Established on Turtle’s Back.

The Myth of “Mother Earth”

The Deganawida Legend

The Iroquois Influence Thesis: Myth or History?

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IDEALIZED STATUE OF “HIAWATHA,” CO-FOUNDER OF THE IROQUOIS CONFEDERACY.FIGURE 2.2 11

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Deganawida: The Good Message

Thereupon Tekanawita [Deganawida] stood up in the center of the gathering place, and then he said: First I will answer what it means to say, “Now it is arriving, the Good Message.” This, indeed, is what it means: When it stops, the slaughter of your own people who live here on earth, then everywhere peace will come about, by day and also by night, and it will come about that as one travels around, everyone will be related . . .

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Deganawida: The Power

Now again, secondly I say, “Now it is arriving, the Power,” and this means that the different nations, all of the nations, will become just a single one, and the Great Law will come into being, so that all now will be related to each other, and there will come to be just a single family, and in the future, in days to come, this family will continue on.

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Deganawida: The Peace

Now in turn, the other, my third saying, “Now it is arriving, the Peace,” this means that everyone will become related, men and also women, and also the young people and the children, and when all are relatives, every nation, then there will be peace. . . .

When they are functioning, the Good Message and also the Power and the Peace, these will be the principal things everybody will live by; these will be the great values among the people.

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Scholars who read and commented on this chapter:

Barbara A. Mann, Ph.D. (Native American, Ohio Bear Clan Seneca), Associate Professor, Honors College, University of Toledo.

Donald A. Grinde, Jr., Ph.D. (Native American, Yamassee), Professor, Department of Transnational Studies, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York.

Bruce E. Johansen, Ph.D., Jacob J. Isaacson University Research Professor, Communication and Native American Studies, University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Chapter 2:

HIGHLIGHTS

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FLAG AND CROSS ATOP PROTESTANT CHURCH IN LANSING, MICHIGAN. FIGURE 3.1. (PHOTO BY DAVID SMITH.) 16

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Chapter 3: Protestant Myths and Visions of America

The Puritan Myth of America.

The “Manifest Destiny” Myth.

The “Curse of Ham” Myth.

“Cursed be Canaan; a slave of slaves shall he be to his brothers” (Genesis 9:25).

Ham was Noah’s youngest son, and Canaan was one of Ham’s sons.

This verse was invoked as a proof text for Christian legitimation of slavery throughout the South.

The African American Exodus Counter-Myth.

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Native American visions of America were succeeded by Protestant visions of America. Turtle’s Back gave way to Plymouth Rock.

“Wee shall be as a Citty upon a Hill, the Eies of all people are uppon us.” — John Winthrop (1630)

“In the beginning was the word, “America,” and the word was in the Bible, and the word was made flesh in the Americans, this new breed of humans, destined to build a shining city upon a hill.” — Sacvan Bercovitch (1982).

The Protestant “mission” was to colonize, Christianize, and civilize—also contained the seeds of missionary expansion by conquest (“Manifest Destiny”).

Chapter 3:

THE PURITAN MASTER MYTH OF AMERICA

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“SINKING LIBERTY.” (PHOTO BY DAVID SMITH.)FIGURE 4.1 19

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Chapter 4: The Christian Right’s Myths and Visions of America

Paradoxes Inherent in the Christian Right.

The Antichrist/Rapture Myth.

The “Christian Nation” Myth.

The “City Upon A Hill” Myth.

The Christian Right’s Positive Visions of America.

The Christian Right’s Negative Visions of America.

The Christian Right: Conclusions.

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We cannot escape our destiny, nor should we try to do so. The leadership of the free world was thrust upon us two centuries ago in that little hall of Philadelphia. In the days following World War II, when the economic strength and power of America was all that stood between the world and the return to the dark ages, Pope Pius XII said, “The American people have a great genius for splendid and unselfish actions. Into the hands of America God has placed the destinies of an afflicted mankind.” We are indeed, and we are today, the last best hope of man on earth. — Governor Ronald Reagan (1974).

Chapter 4:

HIGHLIGHTS

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NATIONAL CATHEDRAL, WASHINGTON, DC. (PHOTO BY DAVID SMITH.)FIGURE 5.1 22

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Chapter 5: Catholic Myths and Visions of America

Papal Praise of America.

The Americanist Myth of America.

Papal Responses to the Americanist Myth of America.

Can the Americanist Myth of America Become a Reality?

Chapter 5 Update: Toward a Truly “Catholic” World.

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DEMON AND ANGEL PRAYING. (PHOTO BY DAVID SMITH.)FIGURE 5.2 (QUEEN OF ALL SAINTS PARISH CHURCH (ROMAN CATHOLIC), BROOKLYN.) 24

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Mr. President . . . I wish to extol the blessing and gifts that America has received from God and cultivated, and which have become the true values of the whole American experiment in the past two centuries. . . . The more powerful a nation is, the greater becomes its international responsibility, the greater also must be its commitment to the betterment of the lot of those whose very humanity is constantly being threatened by want and need. . . . America needs freedom to be herself and to fulfill her mission in the world.

— John Paul II, “Meeting with the President of the United States of America, Mr. Ronald Reagan. Address of John Paul II.” Vizcaya Museum, Miami. Thursday, September 10, 1987.

Chapter 5:

HIGHLIGHTS

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FIGURE 6.1CONGREGATION MICKVE ISRAEL, SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, FOUNDED IN 1733. 26

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Chapter 6: Jewish Myths and Visions of America

Jewish Visions of America as a Mirror of Jewish Ideologies. The Jewish Myth of America as “The Promised Land.” The Jewish “Myth of Columbus.” Jewish Prayers for America: Communal Visions of America. Orthodox Judaism’s Traditional Prayer for the Government. Conservative Judaism’s Vision of America. Reform Judaism’s Vision of America. Reconstructionist Judaism’s Vision of America. Jewish Americanism: The “Cult of Synthesis.” Chapter 6 Update: A Jewish Toast to America.

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TOURO SYNAGOGUE, NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND.FIGURE 6.2 (AMERICA’S OLDEST SYNAGOGUE, 1763.) 28

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Dr. J. Leonard Levy (Rabbi, Rodef Shalom1901–1917), prepared a special Passover haggadah that calls for placing an American flag on the seder (ritual and ceremonial dinner) table:

To us the United States of America stands as the foremost among nations, granting the greatest liberty to all who dwell here. Therefore we grace our table with the National flag. . . The immortal Declaration of Independence is the Great Charter announced before Pharaoh by Moses. The Abolitionists are the product of the Bible . . . The Fourth of July is the American Passover. Thanksgiving is the American Feast of Tabernacles.

Chapter 6:

HIGHLIGHTS

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CONFERENCE CENTER, CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.FIGURE 7.1 (SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.) 30

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Chapter 7: Mormon Myths and Visions of America

The Garden of Eden Myth.

The Lost Tribes Myth.

The Columbus Myth.

The Constitution Myth.

The Founding Fathers Myth.

The Theodemocracy Myth.

The America as Zion Myth.

The Mark of Cain Myth.

Chapter 7 Update: From American Zion to World Zion.

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THE MORMON TABERNACLE CHOIR FIGURE 7.2 (CALLED “AMERICA’S CHOIR” BY PRES. RONALD REAGAN (1981). 32

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We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory. — Joseph Smith (1842).

“I believe in my Mormon faith and I endeavor to live by it. My faith is the faith of my fathers . . . The founders proscribed the establishment of a state religion, but they did not countenance the elimination of religion from the public square.

We are a nation ‘Under God’ and in God, we do indeed trust. We should acknowledge the Creator as did the Founders—in ceremony and word.” — Mitt Romney (2007).

Chapter 7:

HIGHLIGHTS

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KU KLUX KLAN MEMBERS FOR BARRY GOLDWATER’S CAMPAIGN.FIGURE 8.1 (AFRICAN AMERICAN MAN PUSHES SIGNS BACK.) 34

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Chapter 8: Christian Identity Myths and Visions of America

The Two-Seed Myth.

The Mud Races Myth.

The Lost Tribes Myth.

The White Homeland Myth.

The Racial Holy War Myth.

Chapter 8 Update: “Christian Identity”: Label or Libel?

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SEN. THEODORE BILBO (1935–1947), KU KLUX KLAN.FIGURE 8.2 36

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Note how Identity is demonized by use of the phrase “diabolical mixture.” Note the false claim that a church that believes the Identity message necessarily teaches that: (1) Anglo-Saxons are Jews, (2) Jews are the descendants of Satan, and (3) Blacks and other minorities are inferior “mud people.” . . .

Again, my sermons, radio broadcasts, and writings of the past fifteen years have been and are available to the public, and I defy anyone to show where I teach that Jews and people of color are subhuman and are children of Satan, or that there is to be an apocalyptic battle. — Pastor Peter J. Peters (2001).

Chapter 8:

HIGHLIGHTS

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CAFE NEAR THE TOBACCO MARKET, DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINAFIGURE 9.1 (MAY 1940, DURING THE “JIM CROW ERA” OR “AMERICA’S APARTHEID.”) 38

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Chapter 9: Black Muslim Myths and Visions of America

The Yacub Myth.

The Mother Wheel Myth.

The Destruction of America Myth.

Chapter 9 Update: Separation, Not Integration.

The Honorable Elijah Muhammad is Alive Myth.

Vision of A Black Homeland.

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MALCOLM X, PROMINENT NATION OF ISLAM MINISTER.FIGURE 9.2 (MARTIN LUTHER KING PRESS CONFERENCE, MARCH 26, 1964.) 40

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“Separation,” a familiar concept to America that now must be applied to The Black Nation. We believe in “separation.” We believe that integration is a hypocritical trick to make us think that our 400-year-old enemy has all of a sudden become our “friend.” They’ll let you into the bedroom, and keep you right at the door of the boardroom.

– Louis Farrakhan, “Muhammad’s Economic Blueprint: Ending Poverty & Want (Part 3)—How Blacks Became A Consumer Nation, What We Must Do to Change and Why.” (Presented February 24, 2013; aired on August 17, 2013.) Part 32 of “The Time and What Must Be Done” series.

Chapter 9:

HIGHLIGHTS

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ISLAMIC CENTER OF AMERICA, DEARBORN, MICHIGAN.FIGURE 10.1 (LARGEST MOSQUE IN AMERICA. IT IS A SHI‘A, RATHER THAN SUNNI MOSQUE.) 42

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Chapter 10: Contemporary Islamic Myths and Visions of America

The “Great Satan” Myth.

The “Axis of Evil” Counter-Myth.

Efforts to Dispel the “Great Satan” Myth and to Minimize the Fallout from the “Axis of Evil” Myth.

Chapter 10 Update: Defending America, and Islam in America, from Radical Islamism.

Myth: America as “Crusader” Nation.

Counter Myth: “Islamic State” as the “Order Of Satan.”

An American Model of Islam.

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AMERICAN MUSLIM CHILDREN AT RALLY SUPPORTING PARK51.FIGURE 10.2 (“GROUND ZERO MOSQUE,” AUGUST 22, 2010.) 44

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“American ‘Muslim exceptionalists’ believe that God brought Muslims to America, the world’s richest and most powerful country, for a purpose. . . . They hope that in America’s society, where both freedom of religion and freedom of thought are protected, a genuinely authentic Islamic revivalist and reformist movement will emerge that will not only prove that Islamic principles are truly divine, but that will also establish a path for the Muslim community worldwide to negotiate the challenges of modernity.”

M.A. Muqtedar Khan, “American Exceptionalism and American Muslims,” Review of Faith & International Affairs 10.2 (May 2012): 59–65 [63].

Chapter 10:

HIGHLIGHTS

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SGI-USA HEADQUARTERS BUILDING IN SANTA MONICA, CA.FIGURE 11.1 (MISSION: “PROMOTE ACTIVITIES BASED ON PEACE, CULTURE, EDUCATION AND ART.”) 46

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Chapter 11: Buddhist Myths and Visions of America

Soka Gakkai’s Myth of “America’s Second Renaissance.”

Robert Thurman’s Myth of America’s “Second Renaissance.”

The Dalai Lama’s “Buddhist Democracy” Myth and Vision of America’s World Role.

Chapter 11 Update: America—A Bodhisattva Nation?

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SGI-USA BUDDHISTS CHANTING “NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO.”FIGURE 11.2 (GRAND OPENING OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA SGI-USA BUDDHIST CENTER, APRIL 5, 2014.) 48

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Our goal — the Second American Renaissance . . . Grip the rudder, hold firm to your course — the Stars and Stripes, the tricolor flag of the SGI, ripple as a hopeful breeze fills our sails . . . Our destination — America’s distant future, . . . the brilliant glory of human harmony. —Daisaku Ikeda (1993).

Chapter 11:

HIGHLIGHTS

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BAHA’I HOUSE OF WORSHIP (WILMETTE, ILLINOIS).FIGURE 12.1 (PHOTO BY DAVID SMITH.) 50

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Chapter 12: Baha'i Myths and Visions of America

A Brief Introduction to the Baha’i Faith. Baha’i Myths as a “Sacred History” of America. The Baha’i Emancipation/Civil War Myth. The Baha’i Wilsonian Myth. The Baha’i Vision of the Destiny of America. Chapter 12 Update: America and the “Golden Age” of Future World Civilization. The Baha’i Vision of World Unity. America’s World Role—As a Dual Role. How America’s Parallel Roles Intersect.

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JENNY MANYBEADS, A DINÉ (NAVAJO) BAHA’I, AGE 100.FIGURE 12.2 (PHOTO BY DAVID SMITH, 1984.) 52

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I. INDIVIDUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD: (1) “Mystic Feeling which Unites Man with God”; II. FAMILY RELATIONS: (2) Unity of Husband and Wife; (3) Unity of the Family; III. INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS: (4) Oneness of Emotions; (5) Spiritual Oneness; IV. GENDER RELATIONS: (6) Unity of the Rights of Men and Women; (7) Unity in Education; V. ECONOMIC RELATIONS: (8) Economic Unity; (9) Unity of People and Wealth; VI. RACE RELATIONS: (10) Unity in Diversity; (11) Unity of Races; VII. ENVIRONMENTAL RELATIONS: (12) Unity of Existence (Oneness of Being and Manifestation; (13) Unity of Species; (14) Unity with the Environment; VIII. INTERFAITH RELATIONS: (15) Unity of God; (16) Mystic Unity of God and His Manifestations; (17) Unity of the Manifestations of God; (18) Unity of Truth; (19) Unity Among Religions; (20) Peace Among Religions; IX. SCIENTIFIC RELATIONS: (21) Unity of Science and Religion; (22) Methodological Coherence; (23) Unity of Thought in World Undertakings; X. LINGUISTIC RELATIONS: (24) Unity of Language;

HIGHLIGHTS:

50 BAHA’I PRINCIPLES OF UNITY / 1

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XI. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: (25) Unity of Conscience; (26) Unity in Freedom; (27) Evolving Social Unities; (28) Unity in the Political Realm; (29) Unity of Nations; (30) Unity of All Mankind/World Unity; (31) Unity of the World Commonwealth; (32) Unity of the Free; XII. BAHA’I RELATIONS: (33) Unity of the Baha’i Revelation; (34) All-Unifying Power; (35) Unity of Doctrine; (36) Unity of Meaning; (37) Baha’i Unity; (38) Unity among Baha’i Women; (39) Unity in Religion; (40) Unity of Station; (41) Unity of Souls; (42) Unity in Speech; (43) Unity in [Ritual] Acts; (44) Unity of Baha’i Administration; (45) Unity of Purpose; (46) Unity of Means; (47) Unity of Vision; (48) Unity of Action; (49) Unity of the Spiritual Assembly; (50) Unity of Houses of Justice and Governments.

HIGHLIGHTS:

50 BAHA’I PRINCIPLES OF UNITY / 2

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The American people are indeed worthy of being the first to build the Tabernacle of the Great Peace, and proclaim the oneness of mankind. . . . For America hath developed powers and capacities greater and more wonderful than other nations. . . . Its future is even more promising, for its influence and illumination are far-reaching. It will lead all nations spiritually. — ‘Abdu’l-Baha (1912).

Exert yourselves; your mission is unspeakably glorious. Should success crown your enterprise, America will assuredly evolve into a center from which waves of spiritual power will emanate, and the throne of the Kingdom of God will, in the plentitude of its majesty and glory, be firmly established. — ‘Abdu’l-Baha (1917).

HIGHLIGHTS:

AMERICA WILL LEAD ALL NATIONS SPIRITUALLY

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REV. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.FIGURE 13.1 (PHOTO TAKEN DURING PRESS CONFERENCE, NOVEMBER 6, 1964.) 56

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Chapter 13: Conclusions

How Minority Faiths Redefined America’s World Role.

Religious Myths and Visions of America Recapitulated.

An Overview of America’s World Role.

Final Reflections: A World Civil Religion?

Chapter 13 Update: America and the World—Toward “A More Perfect Union.”

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NASA’S “BLUE MARBLE” PHOTO OF EARTH FROM SPACE.FIGURE 13.2 (DECEMBER 7, 1972, AT 5:39 A.M. BY AMERICAN ASTRONAUTS ABOARD THE APOLLO 17.) 58

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Holy One, Great Mystery, Known by a thousand names, . . . We are Sikhs and Muslims, Christians and Jews, Mormons, Baha’is, Hindus, Buddhists, And those on a hundred paths to Truth, We ask for Compassionate Hearts, Sorrowing, but rejoicing always, Dying but behold we live, With a unified and humble voice we pray . . . God Bless America! Prayer by Diane Sherwood, Ph.D., September 11, 2002.

Chapter 13:

HIGHLIGHTS

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THE GREAT SEAL OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.FIGURE 14.1 (AUTHOR AND PUBLISHER: OTTO SVENDSEN,BALTIMORE, C. 1941.) 60

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Uses of God & Apple Pie: Engaging in the Public Discourses on America

God & Apple Pie is a resource for starting conversations on topics of interest.

Whether at the coffee table or around the water cooler, a conversation can begin simply by saying: “I’m reading a really interesting book!”

Even if only out of politeness, a likely response might be: ”Is that right? what’s the name of the book? What’s it about?”

The trick is then to come up with a topic that might pique the listener's interest.

Since God & Apple Pie covers a range of social issues, it’s easy to engage in one-to-one or group conversations about problems and principled solutions.

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CAT SNIFFS APPLE PIE DURING COVER PHOTO SHOOT.FIGURE 14.2 (PHOTO BY DAVID SMITH.) 62

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Uses of God & Apple Pie: Engaging in Interfaith Dialogue

The secret of effective interfaith dialogue is not conversion, but convergence.

Can we, as Americans, agree on what America can, or should, stand for?

For this purpose, God and Apple Pie: Religious Myths and Visions of America offers a handbook.

As a “coffee table book,” God and Apple Pie is useful in engaging in the public discourses of American society.

God and Apple Pie is useful in engaging in discussions on America’s world role in promoting world peace through world unity, in a cosmopolitan vision that Baha’i philosopher, Alain Locke (1885–1954) would endorse.

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“DEAD END SCHOLAR”(PHOTO BY DAVID SMITH.) 64

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Study of God & Apple Pie: Wilmette Institute Course

Course starts May 10, 2015.

Register here:

https://www.cvent.com/events/religious-myths-and-visions-of-america/registration-0230243a6dc04bafa77d8363cb48e250.aspx

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“DARWIN TO HELL”(PHOTO BY DAVID SMITH.) 66

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Questions?

Moderated by Dr. Robert Stockman.

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“ONE WAY ENTER”(PHOTO BY DAVID SMITH.) 68

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