In his dissertation, McCullough recounts (via Richard Welch's "American Atrocities") the brutal tactics used by the American military during the guerrilla campaign in the Philippines. However, it is pointed out that "few in America realized the full extent of the regnant tactics in the Philippines" (213). McCullough comes to the conclusion that "The dominant optimism described by Welch as so pervasive within American society, and as so decisive in shaping the response to events in the Philippines, was at the very least bolstered by the full-throated celebration of American identity offered by Christian leaders during the war with Spain." (214)
Is the Christian aspect of this attitude the critical factor at work here? Would the same public apathy have occurred without the injection of Christian motivation? Does American civil religion lose its dangerous potency without the support of a more traditional religious identity?
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