Making a religion of America

Here's a very insightful article about the current practice of Americans wrapping themselves in the Constitution.

This tendency to make "idolatrous worship of the American nation", its rituals, artifacts, and places, is as old as the country itself. In times of war or social distress, such behavior has always been more pronounced. What is of concern is when this "idolatry" is not projected as a unifying force bringing Americans together to confront a common threat. In fact, more often than not, when we see this phenomenon emerge it is to elevate and consecrate a particular interpretation of "America" in order to use it as a club against opponents.

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Now with 9/11, two disastrous and unresolved wars, economic collapse, and the loss of confidence in the institutions of government, we are once again seeing the emergence of a movement bent on usurping "America" and its symbols to promote particular political goals. We saw this tendency begin to play out, in little though telling ways, during the Bush administration. It became especially pronounced during the 2008 election as supporters of Republican candidates John McCain and Sarah Palin wrapped themselves in the American flag, claiming to be the true patriots, while casting doubt on Barack Obama's commitment to the nation (and even on his being an American citizen). Much was made of the fact that Obama didn't place his hand on his heart during the singing of the National Anthem or that he didn't wear a "flag pin" on his lapel, etc. This elevation of trivial and arbitrary practices into required rituals is more the work of a religious cult than politics. And the notion that only those who share a particular set of ideas and practices are adherents of the "true faith" is itself the hallmark of doctrinaire religion, not politics. 

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What is strange is that even while Congress is reading the Constitution, giving it near scriptural status as "sacred text" most Americans, from right to left, have no idea what it is or what's in it. In the first place it is not "sacred". It was written by men, and has been changed by men (although, one would not have learned this listening to this reading, since the Republican leadership only allowed a version to be read that omitted those embarrassing parts that had been amended over time -- those, for example, dealing with slavery or women). In addition, Congress, under both parties, has repeatedly passed laws that have violated the Constitution's fundamental principles. Polls show that less than one half of Americans know exactly what the Constitution is (many confuse it with the Declaration of Independence), and a mere few percent can name a majority of the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution (known as the "Bill of Rights"). In fact, provisions put in place during the Bush Administration and maintained by the Obama White House have gutted fundamental rights guaranteed by more than one-half of the Bill of Rights -- without the Tea Party and company raising a peep. 

 The article is worth reading.