“Historians are not alone in reconstructing the past”
(Applyby 1). This was the first line I
read in this week’s readings and it framed my interaction with all the
subsequent articles and caused me to reflect on the past readings.
Kidd, in God
of Liberty, interpreted the coalescence of deists, enlightenment thinkers
and evangelicals as an inspirational non-partisan coalition of divergent positions
for the greater good of the nation, all of whom felt virtue was of the utmost
importance for the republic to succeed.
I feel Kidd was writing with the present day in mind while still making
a solid historical contribution.
Is there a connection between the groups Kidd
discusses and the fundamentalist Christians that pop up as representations in
President Bush II and as clergy and average citizens in various manifestations thorough
the readings? What does the
reconstruction of history tell us to think of modern day fundamentalists? Are they a continuation of forces pressing
America to avoid vice and keep God/providence on its side?
Is Kidd’s interpretation of the role of religion in
the revolution a virtuous history (does it encourage individuals to behave in
the best interest of the people) because it encourages non-partisanship?
No comments:
Post a Comment