God Land: Reflections on Religion and Nationalism [Paperback]

Conor Cruise O'Brien (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 1999

In his usual witty style, Conor Cruise O'Brien illuminates the confusion and conflation of religion and nationalism throughout history, and the enormous tensions produced by interactions between the two. From Old Testament Canaan to Joan of Arc, from Puritan Massachusetts Bay to National Prayer Breakfasts, he points out the pitfalls awaiting any nation that begins to consider itself especially favored by God. Cruise O'Brien begins his history with the powerful nationalistic forces tied to religion in the Old Testament, which Jesus and St. Paul tried to divert to a more purely spiritual plane in the New Testament. In the Middle Ages, Christianity took on markedly nationalistic forms as homeland loyalities grew strong; by the fifteenth century the two forces were fused in Joan of Arc. With the Reformation and the development of Anglo-Saxon Puritanism, a more literal approach to the Old Testament intensified nationalism in Britain and Nort

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This slim volume provides an excellent summary of the relation between religion and nationalism in the Western world from biblical times to the present; it will stimulate even those who do not share O'Brien's liberal political views. O'Brien sees Old Testament Judaism as highly nationalistic and early Christianity as an attempt to sever the previously close ties between land and religion. He also traces the resurgence of ties between religion and nationalism in the late Middle Ages, emphasizing Joan of Arc. In modern times he focuses on Puritanism and American nationalism. O'Brien unifies his lecture with a tripartite concept that moves from "chosen people" to "holy people" to "deified nation." Recommended. Susan A. Stussy, Marian Coll. Lib., Indianapolis
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Teacher, educational statesman, United Nations troubleshooter, Irish legislator, Conor Cruise O'Brien is a new kind of Tocqueville, observing the United States from abroad at a time of transformation while the past still resounds.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (June 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583483144
• ISBN-13: 978-1583483145
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,846,220 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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