I believe you're referring tangentially, Ken, to the golden years of "republican theology" of building a Christian society where liberty is the guiding principle, intent of the founding fathers.
Correct me again if I'm wrong, this progressive religious vision became a national ideology: humanity could perfect itself with public enlightenment. And this in turn transformed into strong reaction to liberal progress.
The history is certainly a confusing narrative. I think of it when I read your posts concerning liberty and individual freedom, as set out by the founding fathers, within a context of remaking a society centuries later.
Radical Islamists have notions of how to do this with the sword. I believe you and I wonder if it's possible to remake a society freely, without callous manipulation, as intended with a ballot.
It all seems religious, statist etc to me.
It is not "Republican Theology", but American Ideology. Based on Constitutional Freedom and Equality. What has happened is that individuals who have been inflicted upon against their will have been denied any Right to Self-Defense.
This illustrates my point, it is John Quincy Adams (Anthony Hopkins) closing argument before the Supreme Court in the Amistad case. Of course the case specifics dealt with physical slavery, but in principle can be applied to any type of slavery, including the Statist Neoslavery that America is now being subjected to. Perhaps one of my favorite movie scenes.
https://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/John-Quincy-Adams-Argument-in-Amistad-CaseIf you listen closely to the speech, you'll understand why America today can be considered the "New Confederacy".
