Opus 2015-451: Religion and Culture: Class Warfare, part 1 of 2

Look at the concepts of freedom that we Americans have.  At the core of any discussion is the phrase from the Declaration of Independence, “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”  One of the strange things about Americans is we have this built in default setting that all people put their pants on one leg at a time.

This was a strange way of thinking in the 18th century.  It was the result of a struggle in England between two forms of church government.  One was hierarchical and the other was democratic.  One saw Bishops and Kings as appointed by God to keep us in line.  The other believed that the ground was level at the foot of the cross and we are all sinners, saved by grace.  One believed that those without the anointing should know their place and mind their manners.  The other believed that each person was responsible to God for their actions.  It was the second that fueled the Great Awakening in America and led to the idea that “all men are created equal.”

This strangeness is still demonstrated when we compare America to Europe.  Most European countries have a history of class consciousness.  All have had nobility and most, royalty.  Americans think it is kind of cool.  What Americans do not understand about this is the way it is built into the genes of Europeans.  They have a built in belief that some people are better than others based on blood lines.  It is not only the Divine Right of Kings but the Divine Right of the Elite.  One class becomes officers.  The other classes become enlisted men.  One class runs the country.  The other classes do what they are told.  One class wears silk, the other is confined to wool.  We talk about a glass ceiling, in Europe they had a class, or blood, ceiling.  This has been foreign to American thinking.  This is one of the reasons that so many of us were angry when President Obama repeatedly bowed to foreign kings.  Americans do not bow to blue blood.

Move beyond Europe to the pagan and Muslim cultures of the world.  Whatever their other differences, you see a rejection of the concept of equality before the law.  Certain people are expected to get special treatment.  Rigid class lines are common.  Upward mobility is not even on the table.  The only places where this bends at bit is where the American influence has been strong. 

To be continued...

homo unius libri