Unique Among Nations
On What Basis
There are three myths about the creation of the United States of America, which I hope to dispel throughout the pages of this work. The first myth involves the idea that America isn’t special and therefore it’s wrong to think of itself as being unique among nations, in the history of nations. The second myth is that it can only be deemed legitimate if it was born in perfection—perfection in morality, perfection in liberty, and perfection in equality. The third myth is that it began in 1492, with the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus, or in 1620, with the landing at Plymouth Rock by the Pilgrims, or in 1776, with the signing of the Declaration of Independence by the Founding Fathers.
Story Continues Below
To watch author and historian W. Kent Smith discuss the contents of his book On Earth as It is On Heaven, at the Sacred Word Revealed Conference ’23, hosted by Zen Garcia, CLICK BELOW.
Story Continues From Above
As for the first myth, which I suggest is intertwined with the second myth, I’d ask: “On what grounds do you insist that America isn’t legitimate just because it wasn’t perfect from birth? Since when has any nation been deemed legitimate on the basis of its origins? Can this be said about the empires of antiquity like Egypt, Greece, or Rome? How about modern nations like France, Spain, or England?”
To which critics of America would quickly agree: “You’re right to say America is no different from any other nation. So you admit it’s not special or unique, is that it?”
“Not so fast,” I’d reply just as quickly. “You don’t think you can have it both ways, do you? On one hand, if you say America’s claim of uniqueness is illegitimate because it wasn’t conceived in perfection, then you are admitting to the possibility it could be special, if only it didn’t fail to live up to its own expectations at various times in its history. And on the other hand, if you say it’s no different from any other nation in history, then you have to withdraw your claim that it’s illegitimate on the grounds it wasn’t born in perfection. So, which is it?”
