American Exceptionalism.

Yeah, you heard me right.  A lot of people put on a tone of disdain when they mention American Exceptionalism.  Maybe it’s just that I’m American, but I think it’s awesome.  And I’m happy to note that the Book of Mormon agrees with me.

Ether 2:7- “And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness, but he would that they should come forth even unto the land of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people.”

The Book of Mormon, in many ways, is a thoroughly American document: it was written mostly in America, translated in America, and prophesies that the New Jerusalem will be built in America.

Also, it puts a premium on liberty and freedom that gives it a distinctly American flavor to me.  The Lord himself notes this characteristic in  distinguishing America from all other lands:  Ether 2:12- “Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free fro bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven , if they will but serve the God of the land who is Jesus Christ.”  I find it interesting to look at the history of America with regards to liberty since that time.  Lehi and his family were driven to America as a result of religious persecution.  Many of the English settlers of North America were also religious refugees.  But Latin America was settled by people with the opposite intentions.  While the Inquisition was going on in Spain, the church sent missionaries to convert the native inhabitants of the Americas and to exploit the natural resources of the new continent.  When the age of Enlightenment hit, the European colonies in both North and South America formed new countries based ostensibly on liberty, equality, and democracy, but then most of Latin America’s nations were seized by one oppressive military dictatorship after another.  And the United States doesn’t have a squeaky-clean liberty record either, when you consider our history of slavery, segregation, and marginalization of various ethnic and religious groups.

So what?  Well, that divine promise of exceptionalism is a two-edged sword.  Ether 2:9- “And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them.”

So yeah, I definitely like America probably quite a bit more than the next guy.  And I admire what I see as this deep-rooted desire in her inhabitants for freedom– even when that yearning may be thwarted or stifled.  Also, I think it’s pretty clear that America is the continent where the Christian faith most flourishes.  I would suggest there is a link there.  But at the same time, I hope we can continue serving God so as not to be swept off the face of the land, as we can see happened to the previous peoples who inhabited this land.  Sometimes when you look at the history of the twentieth century in Latin America, it can sound pretty similar to those Book of Mormon bloodshed narratives.  Let’s try and steer away from that.

But it was written by immigrants.