Fractured America: Uncovering the Hidden Forces Behind a Divided Nation

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The real source of divisions in American society

Source: backchina.com

When it comes to the root causes of the divisions in American society, many people will first talk about the gap between the rich and the poor, immigration issues, etc., but these are actually just the symptoms of the divisions in the United States. The real root causes are actually very complicated.

First of all, we need to think about something: What kind of country is the United States? How did it become the America it is today?

In addition to the appearance of being a superpower, being strong and domineering, and being technologically advanced, it actually goes back to the true foundation of the United States. Many people say that the United States is a young country, and they think that this country is just a super large economy built on the industrial age.

But in fact, the United States is not young at all, because its values ​​​​are not young; and the reason why the United States exists is because of its indestructible values. Don’t forget that when taking the oath of office, the president of the United States must press his hand on the Bible, so the true values ​​of the United States are actually written in the Bible.

The background of the United States can be summarized in three main points: Christian civilization, the founding creed and constitution, and the social consensus of being a country of immigrants.

Ironically, the huge divisions that American society is experiencing now are precisely due to problems derived from these three points. At its root, religion is the deepest source of division in America.

The United States is a Christian country, but why does it not have a strong religious atmosphere? This is because the United States is already a post-Christian secular society. Everyone knows that unreformed religions have always faced serious sectarian conflicts. However, the secularization of the United States does not mean that the old religious divisions have disappeared.

This can be seen from just one abortion controversy.

　　

The supporters of the Republican Party mainly come from conservatives in Christianity. They adhere to the doctrine and believe that life is given by God. Abortion is the killing of life, which is tantamount to violating the will of God and blaspheming faith.

The values ​​​​of the Democratic Party are secular and modern. They no longer regard doctrine as the principle to abide by, but uphold the values ​​​​of the modern world, that is, respect for humanity and human rights. They emphasize that abortion is an individual’s right to dispose of their own body and support abortion. It is to protect women, such as the right to abortion of women who have been raped.

Alabama is a typical conservative state in the South. On May 14, 2019, the Alabama Assembly passed the “most stringent” anti-abortion bill in history. The bill stipulates that abortion is prohibited at every stage of pregnancy, except when the mother’s life is threatened, but exceptions are not made in cases of rape and incest. It would become a criminal felony for a doctor to perform an abortion on a patient, punishable by up to 99 years in prison. Attempting to perform an abortion on a patient also carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

Between 1973 and 2022, the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Burton decisions made abortion legal nationwide in the United States. However, on June 4, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling overturned the U.S.’s constitutional principle of abortion that had lasted for nearly 50 years since the 1973 Roe v. Wade case. Women’s right to abortion is no longer protected by the Constitution.

From then on, states could decide whether to allow or restrict abortions. Soon after, Ohio banned abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, and Texas passed an abortion ban.

In addition to abortion causing huge social divisions and controversies in the United States, the root cause of the gun issue is also the division of religious consciousness.

The majority of America is Puritan values, a product of the old Christian Reformation. The doctrine reformed by Calvin is the ancestor of the Puritans. They believe that holding a gun to protect yourself is a sacred right given by God to prevent others from committing the “killing commandment” among the Ten Commandments.

Many of the first people to go to the United States were Puritans who were persecuted after Calvin’s Reformation. Therefore, they played a decisive role in the Mayflower Compact and laid the foundation for the founding of the United States. The founding father of the United States, Washington, also recognized this set of values ​​and set the precedent of swearing an oath with his hand on the Bible.

The Democratic Party upholds the universal values ​​of the modern world and believes that gun control is conducive to social security, rather than relying on private guns to allow people to defend themselves, which will cause greater security problems.

On June 25, 2022, US President Biden (special topic) signed a gun control bill, breaking the situation in which the United States has not introduced any gun control bills in the past 30 years.

A month ago, a school shooting occurred at Robb Elementary School in Yuval, Texas, USA. An 18-year-old high school student broke into Robb Elementary School carrying a rifle, a pistol, a large-capacity magazine and other weapons and opened fire on the campus. Children and teachers inside opened fire continuously, killing 19 children and 2 teachers.

As a representative of the Republican Party, Trump naturally supports gun ownership. But the irony is that this year Trump was shot with an AR-15 rifle. The gun is lightweight, easy to operate, and convenient for rapid shooting, making it a best-selling gun. The number of AR rifles in the hands of the American people has increased from 400,000 in the early 1990s to more than 20 million in the 2020s.

Amid the controversy surrounding guns, supporters view AR rifles as a Second Amendment right. However, opponents believe that AR rifles are the focus of the problem of out-of-control guns because they are the most favored weapon of extremists.

In addition to tough issues like abortion and guns, the differences between the two parties’ basic ideals also come from religious differences.

The Democratic Party advocates big government and welfare because the Democratic Party advocates secular government intervention in people’s lives and social management; the Republican Party advocates small government and free economy, because the values ​​of the Puritans at that time were struggle and frugality, and people should pay for their own income and poverty. Responsibility is a God-given right and a responsibility.

In short, every aspect of the disagreement between the two parties reflects the differences between religious conservatives and progressives.

　　

Among religious denominations, evangelicals now have the highest proportion of support for Trump.

In the 2016 election, Trump received the support of 81% of white evangelical Christians. Back then, George W. Bush, who claimed to be an evangelical Christian, did not receive such a high number of votes. In 2020, 84% of white evangelical Protestants voted for Trump.

This year, Trump has also been calling on evangelicals to vote for him.

In the melodious music of the Evangelical Baptist Church, Trump raised his hands and spoke like a pastor: “Under our leadership, the great silent majority is rising like never before, and we will fight for our strength and freedom. God prays.”

Religious figures have also written hymns to Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again.”

Trump’s supporters prefer to describe him as a modern version of heroes such as David in the Old Testament – morally flawed figures appointed by God to resist evil and preach justice.

Many evangelicals believe Trump was chosen by God. Especially after the two assassinations, more people believe that Trump does have God’s protection. Trump is here to save America. Because the transgender people, abortion, etc. supported by the Democratic Party are all depravity and evil.

In the eyes of evangelical supporters, Trump is the victim of the new era, who was “crucified” like Jesus.

How do evangelicals who support Trump affect the United States?

The Puritans came to North America in the early 17th century and established colonies in New England. Their emphasis on biblical authority, personal religious piety, and moral purity formed the religious and social foundation of early America. Although the Puritans did not directly give birth to the evangelical movement, some of their core beliefs, such as the emphasis on personal spirituality and the serious pursuit of faith, laid the cultural and theological foundation for later evangelicalism.

In the mid-18th century, America saw the first Great Awakening, a revival movement based on personal repentance and religious fervor. Some religious figures call for a direct personal relationship with God, spreading a more personal religious experience. This revival movement is regarded as the starting point of modern evangelicalism and established the core beliefs and style of evangelicalism in the United States.

Therefore, although American evangelicals have no direct origin relationship with the Puritans, they both emphasize the personalization of faith, the importance of the Bible, and moral rigor. The similarities in these aspects allow evangelicals to survive in the cultural soil established by the Puritans. Develop and grow.

　　

In fact, with the exception of evangelicals, “traditional Americans” who are far away from religion more or less have the above conservative consciousness. Those rural residents of conservative states who voted for Trump, as well as the so-called rednecks and rust belt people, are actually naturally close to these conservative values.

The Democratic Party represents the “new Americans”, people who have grown up under modern education. They have a weak religious consciousness and pay more attention to equality for everyone, helping the poor, government intervention, etc.

The establishment wing of the Democratic Party has become the dominant values ​​of the current Democratic Party. They are mainly political elites, business leaders, academics and media representatives. The thoughts and stance of the Democratic Party are often to maintain the existing system and order to ensure the stability and continuity of the country and society. The establishment usually supports the mainstream ideologies of the United States, such as democratic system, capitalist market economy, international cooperation, etc.

This is also why Trump is inclined to American isolationism, because he adheres to the evangelical concept of “everyone is responsible for himself” and “does not care about other people’s affairs”. The Democratic Party’s “lofty” ideals and international values, in They all see it as a waste of money and “meddling”.

The origin of religion determines modern America and the complexity of the country: it has the world’s most advanced technology and the most conservative branch of Christianity; it is responsible for the post-World War II security order for the world. and upholding open values, but struggling with abortion rights, a seemingly extremely backward and conservative topic.

In the era of vigorous development in the United States, people’s attention was on how to make money and realize the “American Dream”, so this difference was not very prominent. But now, as the problems of the American industrial structure and the gap between rich and poor have become more prominent, this tear has become more obvious, and there is even a terrifying trend of tearing the United States into two halves.

But both parties know that no matter the origin of the national ideology, the true foundation of the United States is constitutionalism and the separation of powers, which is a series of power structures and political systems. It is the values ​​of this system that bridge the different racial, class and religious groups in the United States.

No matter how fierce the election is and how severe the social divisions are, as long as this most basic consensus remains, the United States will continue to move forward. The United States, which experienced the Civil War, is not afraid of serious rifts as long as the “American Consensus” remains.

The general election will begin tomorrow, and the “American consensus” will be impacted again. Let us wait and see: whether this largest and most successful democratic system experiment in human history can continue to remain great.