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Bruce Stallsmith's avatar

You accurately describe the blush of religiousity in 19th century America. For that matter you could throw in the Mormons as another product of the same ferment. The Civil War itself drove a lot of those movements as people on both sides were shocked at the mass brutality and worked to deal with it after the war. I have a 2Xgreatgrandfather who survived 4 years of war as a confederate, and after the war became a circuit-riding Baptist preacher in SW Virginia as his reaction to what he'd seen. It's all still with us today, megachurch Evangelicals a new kind of spectacle attracting the lost and confused. My prejudice is to see American churches requiring the checking of your brain at the door if you want to join them. They generally work to make people resistant to how the modern world is changing, with a wide range of groups now accorded rights that offend religious conservatives. That's always been with us in the US, now they can egg each other on with the internets. "Positive Thought" is just a peculiar thread that seemingly will never go away.

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Lee Tan's avatar

Thank you for this article! I have been greatly troubled by the prosperity gospel movement. Not surprised though since as you note, it is a very beguiling philosophy.

I have only one quibble, you wrote: “also insinuate that our problems are of our own making”. I don’t think it “insinuates”, I think that is quite explicit in these belief systems.

Bobby didn’t get better? Or you didn’t get that job? We’ll, you didn’t pray hard enough or the ‘right way’. Or even more pernicious, ‘I think it’s because you haven’t been tithing.’

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