Americanism

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What does it mean to “believe” in America? Why do we view our country as having a higher mission than others? Modern liberals often assert that America was founded as a secular state, but David Gelernter contends that America embodies a powerful religious idea—essentially, a religion itself. He posits that “Americanism” is a secular form of Zionism, rooted in the Puritan founders' belief that they were the new children of Israel, establishing a new Jerusalem. Their ideals of liberty, equality, and democratic governance significantly influenced the nation’s founders, even more than Enlightenment thought. Gelernter traces the evolution of this American religion from its Puritan Zionist origins in seventeenth-century New England to its current form as a militant creed dedicated to spreading freedom globally. Key figures like Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Woodrow Wilson played pivotal roles in secularizing this American Zionist idea into what we recognize today as Americanism. If America is a religion, it exists without a god and boasts a global following, attracting oppressed and freedom-loving peoples worldwide, from the patriots of the Greek and Hungarian revolutions to the martyrs of Tiananmen Square. Gelernter also argues that contemporary anti-Americanism, particularly in Europe, stems from a reaction against this religious view of America by those who adhere to rival beliefs of pacifism and appeasement. This pres