Faith, particularly Christian Protestantism, played a principal role in American foreign policy towards the Middle East from the Revolution through the Civil War. Evangelization and later Zionism would be two major themes of religious interest in the region; however, since most civic organizations of the time were based on some sort of religious congregation missionary efforts also served to spread American ideas about democracy and patriotism. While trade, piracy, and a need to project American power all influenced Middle East foreign policy during this time period religion appears to have been the source of the greatest fervor among American citizens.
Zionism is a concept as well as a movement for the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine in an effort to fulfill Biblical prophecy regarding the second coming of Christ. Dispensationailism is an interpretation of Old and New Testament prophecies that predict the second coming of Christ will occur after a series of events involving the Antichrist, reconstruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, the Tribulation, and the ultimate victory of Christ in this conflict. Critical to the
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Because early American Protestants were also “chosen” they felt compelled to “act as a light unto nations,” which means setting an example for others to follow as well as spreading the good news about Jesus. This desire spurred the efforts of Levi Parsons and Pliny Fisk, Isaac Bird, William Goodell, and Eli Smith to conduct missionary activities in the Middle East. However, there were challenges, especially the Islamic law administered by the Ottoman Empire; whose laws proscribed beheading as the penalty for proselytizing. The need to protect American citizens abroad, regardless of their occupation directly influenced American foreign
Hey Diana, I am writing this letter today with hopes to inform you about a religions course I am taking. I know you are a history guy so I thought it would be interesting to write about the religious history of America. The United States happens to be one of very few major nations in history to be founded and established on principles of separation of church and state. This book I am reading, “The Religious History of America”, by Edwin Gaustad and Leigh Schmidt, gives a great overview of the different strand of religious development in the United States. They are divided into four fundamental time periods: the Colonial times; the Revolutionary War to the Civil War; Post Civil War to
The prominent effect Islam had on Muslims everyday thoughts and actions, portrays how essential the impact of God was in social and governmental relations. Muslim religion was influenced by both the Christians and Jews. Under the guidance of Muhammad the Prophet, Islam became both a meaningful faith and way of life. Unlike just simply “adding” a church like the Christian religion, Islam society was expected to be governed. Their political and religious views and decisions had to be intertwined as one, proving the effect Islam had on everyday lives. For example, the history book The Making of The West, had written, “Arabs had long been used to
Through the lens of Thomas Jefferson’s Qur’an, Denise Spellberg takes a unique view by critiquing the lack of recognition given to Islam for inspiring the founding principles of the United States. From this idea stems Spellberg’s primary thesis: that the infamous leaders who established America were each majorly influenced by Islamic ideals passed on through the global impact of the Enlightenment, especially John Locke. Her argument is equally convincing and not as she continually provides powerful direct textual evidence to reinforce her claims of the way that 17th to 19th century men thought; however, there are countless gray areas that can disprove her justifications. These areas of uncertainty include contrasting explanations about if a
The Middle East is home to the creation of so many different cultures and religions. It is the home to the most prominent monotheistic faiths of this lifetime. Those faiths are Christianity, essentially Catholicism, and Islam. They do not only share a similar origin, but share the same ancestors and stories of prophets and people. There is a connection between the profound values of truth, love, and mercy that Catholics and Muslims hold dear. Although there are a great many commonalities between Catholicism and Islam, it is important to note the key foundations that make both religions special.
Americans strongly affirm the principles of religious freedom, religious tolerance, and separation of church and state. Nearly 9-in-10 (88 percent) Americans agree that America was founded on the idea of religious freedom for everyone, including religious groups that are unpopular. Ninety-five percent of Americans agree that all religious books should be treated with respect even if we don’t share the religious beliefs of those who use them. Nearly two-thirds (66 percent) of Americans agree that we must maintain a strict separation of church and state. Americans’ views of Muslims and Islam are mixed, however. As with other previously marginalized religious groups in U.S. history, Americans are grappling with the questions Islam poses to
Politics and religion in the world of today aren’t subjects that generally go hand in hand in our own society. This was not always the case however; in Europe the two were synonymous up until relatively recently, (recently meant in the loosest sense of the word,) and are still closely tied in foreign parts of the world, the most obvious example being the Middle East. The duos intimate relationship was exemplified during the late sixteenth century, extending into the seventeenth century, during a series of wars which would later on come to be called “the wars of religion.” But is this title completely appropriate? For wars claiming to be centered on religion, they seem to carry an awfully heavy load of political baggage. In fact, one
One of the ways Americans justified imperialism was by believing that their race, culture and religion was superior to those in other nations. Americans wanted to spread their race and religion all over the world.2 In a book called “Our Country”, Rev. Josiah Strong wrote “… the purest Christianity, the highest civilization… will spread itself over the earth… this powerful race will move down upon Mexico, move down upon Central and South America, out upon the islands
When it comes to evangelicals in the American foreign policy’s concerns, many political researchers such as William Kistol and Robert Kagan have continued to argue the strong perception that religion has in shaping the American global policy. Most evangelicals in America care much more about the domestic policies such as: abortion, religious freedom, and pray in schools…etc. Besides, they were marked by domestic interests, based on social justice, yet, many evangelicals were also obsessed with the eschatological foretelling and the way how they will act out in the world. Hence, they achieved, recently, their concerns in request for greater global social justice and increased their interests globally as well as locally.
Religion goes hand in hand with culture, and in the Muslim countries this is very apparent. The cultural importance of men over women may have stemmed from religion, however it was further recognized when imperialist countries introduced capitalism and class divides. “Islam must combat the wrenching impact of alien forces whose influence in economic, political, and cultural permutations continues to prevail” (Stowasser 1994, 5). Now, instead of an agrarian state where both men and women had their place, difficulties have formed due to the rise in education and awareness that women can and do have a place in society beyond domestic living Though women are not equal to men anywhere around the
Judaism, Islam, and Christianity are some of the religions that most individuals can relate to, being the three largest religions in the world. Like many religions they share many differences and also some similarities. One difference that these religions hold is their view of Jesus Christ. Similarities are surprisingly common to find among some religions because of the basis they put on one another. Some similarities between these religions include: belief of monotheism and the influence of Zoroastrianism had on each religion. Also another similarity carried out by these three religions would be the significance of Abraham. Some other differences include: religious texts and also how they approach God in prayer.
The region of the Middle East and its inhabitants have always been a wonder to the Europeans, dating back to the years before the advent of Islam and the years following the Arab conquest. Today, the Islamic world spreads from the corners of the Philippines to the far edges of Spain and Central Africa. Various cultures have adopted the Islamic faith, and this blending of many different cultures has strengthened the universal Islamic culture. The religion of Islam has provided a new meaning to the lives of many people around the world. In the Islamic world, the religion defines and enriches culture and as a result the culture gives meaning to the individual. Islam is not only a religion, it is in its own way a culture. It may be this very
Learning different religion and seeing what the eastern and western are like and comparing them.
American scholars sought to demonstrate that there was a divide between the Middle East and the west, between Muslims and Americans. It was also stressed that America was one of the leaders of western Culture and norms, while Muslims were the “others” interfering with western ways. Which is the baseline of the divide that leads to Islamophobia. These following American Historians define the binaries that separate Muslims from Americans, which adds to what they
that religion and politics have a long history in the Middle East does not mean that religion is always, or even most of the time, a crucial factor driving political conflicts. Most of the politics of the Middle East have been viewed by those inside and outside the region as driven by religious difference. From the Arab-Israeli conflict to the Iranian revolution to the emergence of
The United States of America being the third largest country in the world with more than 315 million inhabitants, consists of multicultural societies with ethnically diverse population. Since there are a lot of foreigners, the US culture has evolved in such a way accepting and tolerating other foreign cultures. US is very much influenced by protestant work ethics according to which people believe in themselves and their efforts to attain the goal of self-actualization and success. The rich diversity in the culture brought by foreigners, prevailing values of protestant ethics, hard work etc. have helped US to emerge as a superpower in the past years. Nearly every religion had its impact on US culture in one way or the other. The