Politics Is the New Religion
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Highlights
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American faith, it turns out, is as fervent as ever; itās just that what was once religious belief has now been channeled into political belief. Political debates over what America is supposed to mean have taken on the character of theological disputations. This is what religion without religion looks like.
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Many native-born Americans may live abroad for stretches, but few emigrate permanently. Immigrants to America tend to become American; emigrants to other countries from America tend to stay American.
- In History Has Begun, the author, Bruno MaĆ§Ć£esāPortugalās former Europe ministerāmarvels that āperhaps alone among all contemporary civilizations, America regards reality as an enemy to be defeated.ā This can obviously be a bad thing (consider our ineffectual fight against the coronavirus), but it can also be an engine of rejuvenation and creativity; it may not always be a good idea to accept the world as it is. Fantasy, like belief, is something that humans desire and need. A distinctive American innovation is to insist on believing even as our fantasies and dreams drift further out of reach.