When Did God Bless The United States?

Can any one point out when God blessed the United States? If no one can point it out or provide any evidence of such, could anyone then perhaps explain how one would know when or if God blesses somebody or something?

[tusaki]

Sorry peter, but I think you are just looking for a heated argument with this statement. (Not with me, I'll just take your question seriously ;-)

When ppl say it they mean it in a way like: "may we (US) be happy and prosper". And since 75% of it's population calls itself Christian, it's only a way to express that. At least, this is how I see it.

And if you take it literaly: it's a way of praying to please have god bless [the US]. But I don't think you can really tell if god has blessed anyone or anything.

[Impenitent]

when he gave the white europeans manifest destiny with his slaves

[eburchelli]

When it became politically popular to show faith in God. No matter if they have any or not. It's called pandering for votes.

[FC Mellon]

..at 04:37 a.m. September 14, 1771 ...... a.d. of course...
p.s. ...of course if anyone disputes this...then show me 'the proof' if this isn't 'the truth'!
;?]

[Ned]

PAHHHH!!
Silly....Everyone knows God gives his blessing to the Rightous.
The question is not when we got his blessing, but when will we loose it.

[chicagoastronomer]

The blessings occur when a person successfully smites his brother for whatever inane reason because "God" is on his side. Praise the Lord....and pass the ammunition.

[bluenadas]

Interesting topic....

Raises the question I've asked before....if the US population was Christian during the Civil War, and both sides asked for his blessing....how did he decide which one was better?

[evillally]

God didn't bless America until the 1950's when the Knights of Comlumbus pushed Congress and Ike for legislation in doing so.

The KofC examined the communists' and found that they were mainly a godless society. The KofC pushed for "Under God" in the pledge, the dollars, and other government sybols suring the 1950's "Red Scare/ McArthyism" time period...

[french_jew]

G.d exists....but what the fuck does HE bless only America ????

I understand that the politicians say "G.d bless America"... because they apply to the American people.
But I find incredible that some Americans be deeply convinced that G.d blesses only them.

Nathan

[Spyder Jerusalem]

</span><blockquote><span class="smallfont">Quote:</span><hr size="1" />Originally Posted by (FC Mellon,)
..at 04:37 a.m. September 14, 1771 ...... a.d. of course...
p.s. ...of course if anyone disputes this...then show me 'the proof' if this isn't 'the truth'!
;?]<hr size="1" /></blockquote><span class='postcolor'>
We don't have to prove a zero quantity.
It is up to YOU to prove your assertion.
Sorry, but that's just how it works, bubeleh!

[Spyder Jerusalem]

</span><blockquote><span class="smallfont">Quote:</span><hr size="1" />Originally Posted by (Ned,)
PAHHHH!!
Silly....Everyone knows God gives his blessing to the Rightous.
The question is not when we got his blessing, but when will we loose it.<hr size="1" /></blockquote><span class='postcolor'>
Define "righteous".
I don't think the U.S. would fall in that category.

[terstorm]

I dunno when God blessed America..the US has long been a fairly conservative country in regards to religion. Church was a big part of life in Colonial days. The precursor to the modern day Christian fundamentalism began in the US before the Civil War and really got moving at the begining of the 20th Century... and a lot of American Christians really do believe that God only blesses America. It's surreal.

[delFoolio]

Yeah I have to agree with idea of when did God ever even bless the U.S.?
Besides I don't think it makes sense to bless a country because that would be blessing every person in the country and that wouldn't make any sense...unless of course God bless'es every man without being asked...or maybe God bless'es the land itself?

[Comrade]

</span><blockquote><span class="smallfont">Quote:</span><hr size="1" />Originally Posted by (evillally,)

The KofC examined the communists' and found that they were mainly a godless society...pushed for "Under God" during the 1950's "Red Scare/ McArthyism" time period...<hr size="1" /></blockquote><span class='postcolor'>

That makes so much sense, fits in with other stuff I've read.

Whether the whole God thing should be in the pledge is basically a question of are you religious or not. Religites believe this country should put itself back under God blah blah, and (some) Atheists want it all gone (or, like me, don't really care because more people believe in God than don't, and so long as we don't start shoving religion into government projects (too overtly) then I do not mind)

I personally think the Separation of Church and State is getting a bit tiresome an arguement (familiarity breeds contempt?).

The whole 10 Commandmants thing that went on a while back...I thought whoever was petitioning to have it removed was a whiner, until I found out the judge reacted with a statement to the effect of "bringing God's morals back to the judiciary system (which, obviously, is going to be done by having some statue)".

That grabs me the wrong way.
Anyways, freedom of religion, sure. Freedom to tell others about religion, sure.
Freedom to force others to live under the constraints of something they do not believe in, surely not.

In God We Trust I don't mind on dollar bills and stuff, because it's part of our history. "Under God" in the pledge doesnt bother me for the same reason. To me, it IS history, just something that's there and beating a dead horse doesn't accomplish anything.

Newdow and people like him don't respect the beliefs of others, with their stupid crusade. Now, if suddenly the legislature passed a bill saying "Don't take the Lord's name in vain," I'd get a little angry, because the government has no right to tell me what I can and cannot say.

[the_anawim]

I'm a Christian--but you'll rarely catch me claiming religious kinship with anyone who utters the words "God Bless America." The roots of civil religion go back 313 AD when Christianity merged with the Roman Empire. After 2 centuries of Christians being a marginal social institution, someone got power hungry and didn't want their head cut off--so they "converted" the emperor. I think the Church has been suffering from that since that time, because the Gospel clearly cuts across national identities, and is meant to challenge the powers that be--not get them elected. Sorry for going off on this tangent, I just hate that so many people think Christianity is fundamentally rooted in liberal democracy and not the Gospel. That's why you end up with an American church (if you can call it a "church") that doesn't see how social/political the gospel is, and with blank check Christians who--to quote Hauerwas--"will kill anyone the democratically elected president asks them to." I don't want anything to do with such a Christianity. The real kind is much more exciting.

Scott

[Paavo]

Maybe I'm missing something huge here, but doesn't the phrase beg God to bless America? Instead of stating that God HAS blessED America.
I don't know, I'm drunk and it's pathetic either way IMO.

[NoeticPenguin]

</span><blockquote><span class="smallfont">Quote:</span><hr size="1" />Originally Posted by (PeterWolf,)
Can any one point out when God blessed the United States? If no one can point it out or provide any evidence of such, could anyone then perhaps explain how one would know when or if God blesses somebody or something?<hr size="1" /></blockquote><span class='postcolor'>

Perhaps your starting with the wrong question. It might be a slightly more interesting question to ask "WHICH God" bless(es|ed) the Us?

I would venture to guess that the majority of people who say such things are speaking from a Judeo-Christian background, and are asking / claiming that their God (YHWH) has blessed / will bless them; which is all together interesting, considering that God (YHWH) doesn't have much of a history of blessing entire nations. (Though you could pretty easily claim that Israel as a nation was blessed...)

Also, what is meant by "bless" ? Most protestants equate God's blessing with material posessions, and other tangible, yet utterly useless things. (There's a reason the protestant ethic is named after protestants) In the Bible we clearly read of blessings from God that are nothing like posessions etc, but rather Children, or even (in the psalms) hardships, that force the "blessed one" into a closer walk with God.

All in all the entire idea of "God bless america" is a artifact of a godless civil religion, hell bent not on making disciples or seeing the Kingdom of God come near, but rather on maintaining power, even if their power has to come at the price of spiritual numbness of the masses.

-Pkj.

[ArtyP]

This question makes as much sense as asking "When did God save the queen?" Or "Why does God bless someone who has just sneezed?"

FACT: no one ever said God HAS saved the Queen.
FACT: no one claims God HAS blessed someone who has just sneezed.

In each case you are asking God to do something - not claiming he has already done it.

(I am fairly sure this was some kind of anti-American subtext to the question but I don't even need to go there to point out how silly it was!)

[The Black Flag]

I'm with anawim on this one. I'm christian, and would love to know when political figures started using God to justify their stupidity and evil. Christ challenged the powers that be, and i like to think that I serve God by resisting tyrants and people who claim that they love freedom and God, but then show their true self in action. God hasn't blessed the U.S. Probably not any other country either.