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The Resource Faith-based war : from 9/11 to catastrophic success in Iraq, T. Walter Herbert, (electronic book)

Faith-based war : from 9/11 to catastrophic success in Iraq, T. Walter Herbert, (electronic book)

Creator
Summary
The Bush administration was prompted to invade Iraq by a religious vision that blinded them to the realities of the struggle against terror, and propelled them into moral and political catastrophe. The propaganda campaign that promoted the war, the choice of a self-defeating Shock and Awe 'invasion, and the expanded torture program bear witness to a faith-based policy that violated democratic ideals and perverted religious truth. The White House embraced a version of Christian nationalism in which the president serves as the agent of God's of wrath to punish evildoers, in keeping with a tradition that descends from the Massachusetts Bay Puritans, who considered themselves a chosen people' occupying a promised land. As native peoples resisted Puritan encroachment at the frontiers of expansion, they were marked as devils incarnate, fit for total destruction. A modern version of this imperialist vision was invoked on 9/11, when the social and political conditions giving rise to the terrorist atrocity were forgotten, and sanctimonious wrath against evildoers ruled the White House response. At the heart of this religious mythology stands the frontier hero, 'who takes action when the not chosen' strike back against the advance guard of the chosen. 'In order to defeat the forces of evil, this cowboy champion of civilization employs savage means: he violates human law in the name of establishing God's law. The Bush administration, acting out this fantasy, claimed the right to engage in illegal surveillance and torture, and invented specious excuses for toppling a government it conceived to be evil'. The classic mythology of the American frontier allowed Christian militarists in the Religious Right of the Republican party to make common cause with broad sectors of the American public. They achieved predominant influence in the Bush White House, and in the future will seek to regain control over U.S. foreign policy. In Bush years, the government of the United States sought to play God, and this perversion of religious truth yielded abhorrent results. "Faith-Based War" discusses the analogy between the U.S. torture program and the Roman practice of crucifixion, to which Jesus fell victim, affirming that sacred authority resides in the targets of religiously-sanctioned violence, not in those who wield it. -- Publisher description
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Extent
x, 189 p.
Contents
  • Introduction
  • Faith-based war
  • Catastrophic success
  • American blindspot
  • Religious trauma
  • America the beautiful
  • Defending God's chosen
  • City on a hill
  • Alternative cities
  • Amalek
  • Limitless divine sanction
  • Land of promise
  • Wine of astonishment
  • Rival traditions
  • The fire of freedom
  • The shining city as God
  • Christian soldiers
  • The president as mystic
  • Drinking the Kool Aid
  • Conquest as liberation
  • Saddam as Hitler
  • Unreal cities
  • Avenging angel
  • Saint George
  • Christlike sacrifice
  • The wrath of the Lamb
  • Six-gun saviors
  • Make-believe cowboys
  • Messiahs on horseback
  • Six-gun saviors in the White House
  • Moral clarity and moral collapse
  • Shock and awe
  • Moral clarity in battle
  • Dead certainty
  • Shaken souls
  • A theology of torture
  • Advertising the dark side
  • A theology of torture
  • UnAmerican activities
  • Coda: Hooded man
Isbn
9781845531614
Instance
Label
Faith-based war : from 9/11 to catastrophic success in Iraq
Title
Faith-based war
Title remainder
from 9/11 to catastrophic success in Iraq
Statement of responsibility
T. Walter Herbert
Creator
Subject
Language
eng
Summary
The Bush administration was prompted to invade Iraq by a religious vision that blinded them to the realities of the struggle against terror, and propelled them into moral and political catastrophe. The propaganda campaign that promoted the war, the choice of a self-defeating Shock and Awe 'invasion, and the expanded torture program bear witness to a faith-based policy that violated democratic ideals and perverted religious truth. The White House embraced a version of Christian nationalism in which the president serves as the agent of God's of wrath to punish evildoers, in keeping with a tradition that descends from the Massachusetts Bay Puritans, who considered themselves a chosen people' occupying a promised land. As native peoples resisted Puritan encroachment at the frontiers of expansion, they were marked as devils incarnate, fit for total destruction. A modern version of this imperialist vision was invoked on 9/11, when the social and political conditions giving rise to the terrorist atrocity were forgotten, and sanctimonious wrath against evildoers ruled the White House response. At the heart of this religious mythology stands the frontier hero, 'who takes action when the not chosen' strike back against the advance guard of the chosen. 'In order to defeat the forces of evil, this cowboy champion of civilization employs savage means: he violates human law in the name of establishing God's law. The Bush administration, acting out this fantasy, claimed the right to engage in illegal surveillance and torture, and invented specious excuses for toppling a government it conceived to be evil'. The classic mythology of the American frontier allowed Christian militarists in the Religious Right of the Republican party to make common cause with broad sectors of the American public. They achieved predominant influence in the Bush White House, and in the future will seek to regain control over U.S. foreign policy. In Bush years, the government of the United States sought to play God, and this perversion of religious truth yielded abhorrent results. "Faith-Based War" discusses the analogy between the U.S. torture program and the Roman practice of crucifixion, to which Jesus fell victim, affirming that sacred authority resides in the targets of religiously-sanctioned violence, not in those who wield it. -- Publisher description
Member of
Cataloging source
CaPaEBR
http://library.link/vocab/creatorDate
1938-
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Herbert, T. Walter
Dewey number
956.7044/31
Index
index present
LC call number
BT736.2
LC item number
.H46 2009eb
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
  • standards specifications
  • bibliography
Series statement
Religion and violence
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • War
  • Executive power
  • Iraq War, 2003-
  • United States
Label
Faith-based war : from 9/11 to catastrophic success in Iraq, T. Walter Herbert, (electronic book)
Instantiates
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (p. [177]-185) and index
Carrier category
online resource
Carrier category code
  • cr
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Color
multicolored
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Introduction -- Faith-based war -- Catastrophic success -- American blindspot -- Religious trauma -- America the beautiful -- Defending God's chosen -- City on a hill -- Alternative cities -- Amalek -- Limitless divine sanction -- Land of promise -- Wine of astonishment -- Rival traditions -- The fire of freedom -- The shining city as God -- Christian soldiers -- The president as mystic -- Drinking the Kool Aid -- Conquest as liberation -- Saddam as Hitler -- Unreal cities -- Avenging angel -- Saint George -- Christlike sacrifice -- The wrath of the Lamb -- Six-gun saviors -- Make-believe cowboys -- Messiahs on horseback -- Six-gun saviors in the White House -- Moral clarity and moral collapse -- Shock and awe -- Moral clarity in battle -- Dead certainty -- Shaken souls -- A theology of torture -- Advertising the dark side -- A theology of torture -- UnAmerican activities -- Coda: Hooded man
Control code
ebr10386856
Dimensions
24 cm.
Dimensions
unknown
Extent
x, 189 p.
Form of item
electronic
Isbn
9781845531614
Media category
computer
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • c
Original version note
Original electronic resource
Reproduction note
Electronic resource.
Specific material designation
remote
Label
Faith-based war : from 9/11 to catastrophic success in Iraq, T. Walter Herbert, (electronic book)
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (p. [177]-185) and index
Carrier category
online resource
Carrier category code
  • cr
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Color
multicolored
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Introduction -- Faith-based war -- Catastrophic success -- American blindspot -- Religious trauma -- America the beautiful -- Defending God's chosen -- City on a hill -- Alternative cities -- Amalek -- Limitless divine sanction -- Land of promise -- Wine of astonishment -- Rival traditions -- The fire of freedom -- The shining city as God -- Christian soldiers -- The president as mystic -- Drinking the Kool Aid -- Conquest as liberation -- Saddam as Hitler -- Unreal cities -- Avenging angel -- Saint George -- Christlike sacrifice -- The wrath of the Lamb -- Six-gun saviors -- Make-believe cowboys -- Messiahs on horseback -- Six-gun saviors in the White House -- Moral clarity and moral collapse -- Shock and awe -- Moral clarity in battle -- Dead certainty -- Shaken souls -- A theology of torture -- Advertising the dark side -- A theology of torture -- UnAmerican activities -- Coda: Hooded man
Control code
ebr10386856
Dimensions
24 cm.
Dimensions
unknown
Extent
x, 189 p.
Form of item
electronic
Isbn
9781845531614
Media category
computer
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • c
Original version note
Original electronic resource
Reproduction note
Electronic resource.
Specific material designation
remote

Subject

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