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One Nation, Under Gods
One Nation, Under Gods: A New American History | Peter Manseau
21 posts | 4 read | 17 to read
A groundbreaking new look at the story of AmericaAt the heart of the nation's spiritual history are audacious and often violent scenes. But the Puritans and the shining city on the hill give us just one way to understand the United States. Rather than recite American history from a Christian vantage point, Peter Manseau proves that what really happened is worth a close, fresh look. Thomas Jefferson himself collected books on all religions and required that the brand new Library of Congress take his books, since Americans needed to consider the "twenty gods or no god" he famously noted were revered by his neighbors. Looking at the Americans who believed in these gods, Manseau fills in America's story of itself, from the persecuted "witches" at Salem and who they really were, to the persecuted Buddhists in WWII California, from spirituality and cults in the '60s to the recent presidential election where both candidates were for the first time non-traditional Christians.One Nation, Under Gods shows how much more there is to the history we tell ourselves, right back to the country's earliest days. Dazzling in its scope and sweep, it is an American history unlike any you've read.
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GingerAntics
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Pickpick

5🌟 I highly recommend this book to anyone who feels like they are the only one in the country who still believes in the separation of church and state, cultural diversity, or that Christians have never ruled the entire country (let alone the entire world). If, like me, the madness around you and the flames of anger being fanned by Christians around you is making you ask tough, uncomfortable questions, this is a book for you. (cont‘d below)

GingerAntics Really, this is a book that should be required reading for every American. It should be turned into a children‘s book and a young adult book and covered multiple times throughout the K-12 years. I can‘t help imagining how different our nation would be, right now and in general, if more people knew the true history of this nation. #onenationundergods #petermanseau #history #whyhistorymatters #whystemdoesnthavealltheanswers 5y
GingerAntics If you cling to the idea that America is a Christian nation and we need to get back to being a Christian nation and be the City on the Hill or God will punish us with more hurricanes, wild fires, tornadoes, and other natural disasters (or you hold the extreme belief that God punished us with 9/11) you will be HIGHLY offended by this book and absolutely should not read it because it will rather aggressively try to remove your head from the sand. (edited) 5y
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GingerAntics
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As per his reputation, Obama is the hope at the end of the book for the future of America.
#onenationundergods #petermanseau #barackobama

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GingerAntics
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Just one more reason to love this man: he actually has a clue!!!
#onenationundergods #petermanseau #barackobama

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GingerAntics
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This is usually a good thing. To each their own and all, but I think this is also how we got MAGA. It certainly seems to be something of a cult, with a great pumpkin deity.
#onenationundergods #petermanseau #whyhistorymatters #whycriticalthinkingmatters #thinkcritically

Burghbookaddict I think hes more of a tangerine personally 5y
GingerAntics @BurghBookAddict I think the best description I‘ve heard is “Mango Mussolini.” 5y
Burghbookaddict @GingerAntics Ooh thats a good one! 😂 5y
GingerAntics @BurghBookAddict right? I had a few favourites until I heard that one. Now it‘s the only one I use. It‘s just perfect. Especially since he stole Mussolini‘s tag line. 5y
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GingerAntics
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Because the supposedly Christian guy we have now is just the antithesis of materialism and dictatorship. Uh-huh. Right. 🙄 I‘m sorry, but some of the most legalistic/dictatorial and materialistic people I know are devout Christians. Jesus is not the magic pill that makes that stuff go away. In fact, it‘s these very people who loosed Christmas (and all it‘s materialism) on the world.
#onenationundergods #petermanseau #truth

ravenlee Ugh. 5y
GingerAntics @ravenlee I don‘t do shoving down people‘s throats or forcing religion on people. I find it disgusting. It is not a political tool, it‘s a personal choice and expression. 5y
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GingerAntics
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Welcome to America, where even in death, crazy Christians will force Christianity on you, because they don‘t want to see anything else in the world. 🙄
#onenationundergods #petermanseau

GingerAntics How come the sane people aren‘t ever in power? There are perfectly decent Christian people, Jewish people, Buddhist people, Islamic people, Atheists, Agnostics, Pagans, people who believe in a world of other things, people who believe in nothing at all. Yet, it‘s always the extremist, revisionist crazies that are in office. What‘s up with that?! 5y
ravenlee Is this worth reading? Or is it too frustrating? 5y
GingerAntics @ravenlee honestly, I‘m quite enjoying it. It completely debunks the idea that American is or ever was a Christian nation. It‘s well researched. It‘s well written. I have a few minor complaints, but for the most part I‘m actually really enjoying it. It definitely speaks to where we are now politically and that it‘s not new. In that sense it‘s a little frustrating because people are still buying into 200 year old BS. 5y
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ravenlee It sounds interesting. I‘ll have to see if my library has it. Thanks! 5y
GingerAntics @ravenlee Ultimately, it‘s an interesting look at all the different religions, philosophies, and beliefs that have always been here, even though some people are greatly invested in making you believe non-Christians are new in America. I greatly enjoyed the part about how most people in the colonies and early America were completely indifferent to religion. I‘d suggest giving it a shot. It might not be your cup of tea, but it‘s worth the shot. 5y
ravenlee It‘s probably right up my alley. A couple weeks ago I was following a friend of mine “educating” people on a FBook thread for local TV about the non-Christian roots of Christmas; which segued into why America is not and never was a Christian nation. It was awesome. All I needed was popcorn. 5y
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GingerAntics
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I am greatly enjoying this book!!! The evidence it brings into play is thought provoking. I also rather like his writing style. Its not too academic, but you never question if he‘s done his homework on this thing.
#onenationundergods #petermanseau

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GingerAntics
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I think we need to actually study our founding fathers and not the mythology that has risen up about them. They are all rolling over in their graves right now at the way “true Americans” are behaving.
#jamesmadison #onenationundergods #petermanseau

Ericalambbrown Amen! 😉 5y
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GingerAntics
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Bklover 👍💛 5y
GingerAntics @Bklover thanks for that. In some ways, I‘m waiting to digitally be burned at the stake over here. lol For some people, to say that America is not a Christian nation is to deny the very existence of God himself. 5y
Bklover I get it! ❤️ 5y
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GingerAntics
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250+ years and not much has changed. Wait, nothing has changed. Most people want the separation of church and state, yet the loudest group are the Christians willing to do anything to silence people who are not Christians. At least they‘ve (mostly) taken the death penalty out of the equation.
#petermanseau #onenationundergods #religion #politics #seperationofchurchandstate #history #whyhistorymatters #religioushistory #christianity

GingerAntics I promise, this is my last one for a while. 5y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa Don‘t make those promises, good books are meant to be shared...a lot!👍 5y
GingerAntics @Riveted_Reader_Melissa 🤣😂🤣 don‘t worry, I just needed some time in a slightly less depressing story. 5y
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GingerAntics
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Not exactly the picture painted by American Christians today...and by not exactly I mean the exact opposite.
#petermanseau #onenationundergods #religion #christianity #history #religioushistory #whyhistorymatters #america #europe

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GingerAntics
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Prior to 1776, religious adherence in the colonies was just 17%.
1776-1850, religious adherence in the U.S. was just 34%.
A lack of religion in the U.S is in no way new, so people are going to have to come up with a new excuse for the “fake” idea of climate change. It is not “God‘s Wrath.” 🙄
#petermanseau #onenationundergods #truth #history #whyhistorymatters #notachristiannation #falsehistory #revisedhistory #religioushistory

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GingerAntics
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GingerAntics
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Oh, look at that. An atheist signed the Constitution. There goes that whole “Christian nation” argument.
#petermanseau #onenationundergods #atheist #religion #history #religioushistory #whyhistorymatters

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GingerAntics
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Rather disheartening that among all of the other glimmering bits of cultural awareness in this book, Manseau has decided to continue with the “ours is real, yours is mythology” doctrine. It‘s sad. It negates a lot of what he has to say. I guess he‘s not as aware and open minded as he‘d like us to believe.
#petermanseau #onenationundergods #mythology #religion #history #religioushistory #doublestandard

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GingerAntics
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Good thing we‘ve moved past this! (Where is that sarcasm emoji when we need it?!)
#petermanseau #onenationundergods #medicalscience #religion #religionvsscience #history #religioushistory

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GingerAntics
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Sage advice from the founder of what would become the state of Maryland. If we could all stop trying to shove our own beliefs down others‘ throats, maybe we could all get along a little better. Especially seeing that it‘s the shovers who have problems with the neighbours, while their neighbours generally ignore them.
#petermanseau #onenationundergods #tolerance #religioustolerance #religiousfreedom #history #religioushistory

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GingerAntics
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Oh look at that, people of faiths other than Christian have been in this country just as long as the Christians. Check that out. Love how this is left out of the white, male, Protestant narrative they call K-12 (and most basic college level) American “history.” 🙄 Never mind the “godless” peoples they found did in fact have faith systems of their own even before that.
#petermanseau #onenationundergods #history #whyhistorymatters #religioushistory

GingerAntics Never mind that at least half of Christopher Columbus‘s crew was NOT Christian (Jewish or Islamic). Just putting that out there. #tolerance #religioustolerance #religiousfreedom 5y
julesG It's infuriating that these things are swept under the carpet. 5y
GingerAntics @julesG that‘s America for you. If it‘s not white, male, and Protestant, it‘s not important. Texas, the state I live in, considered removing Hillary Clinton from history curriculum because she didn‘t have historical relevance. 🙄 FFS Just the first woman to be a major party presidential candidate. Oh no, that might make little girls think they can be president one day!!! 🤦🏼‍♀️ 5y
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julesG 😵😵😵 5y
GingerAntics @julesG yup...most of who they wanted to cut were women, if they were men they weren‘t white men, of course. 🙄 In the end, there was so much backlash I don‘t think they cut anyone, but that‘s how this country views anyone who isn‘t white, male, and Protestant. It‘s ridiculous. It‘s unfortunately the rule, not the exception. 5y
julesG So they would have cut out Obama? 5y
GingerAntics @julesG he wasn‘t on the list. He actually was president so they couldn‘t cut him. 5y
GingerAntics @julesG they were proposing to cut more women then men, but the few men were mostly Native American/First Nations people and Hispanic. For better or worse they‘re stuck with Obama now. They may paint his presidency as the worst in history, but he‘ll be there. 5y
julesG 🙈 Ignorant people. 😬 5y
GingerAntics @julesG yup...it‘s probably why most men who find out I‘m a historian assume that I must be into women‘s history. 🙄 Not all men study men‘s history you twats. Get a brain. People are so ignorant, and they‘re cool with that. I think that‘s the scariest part. They think it‘s totally acceptable. 5y
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GingerAntics
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We really need to stop calling people‘s beliefs that don‘t fall until Christianity, Judaism, and Islam “mythology.” If we‘re going to call their beliefs mythology, then so too must we call our own mythology (they are actually, but don‘t tell that to an evangelical if you plan on living to see tomorrow).
#petermanseau #onenationundergods #faith

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GingerAntics
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If only Americans could remember this mentality, today.

Starting this book today. It finally came in from my hold at the library. I feel like it will probably go well with American Gods when I can (hopefully) start reading it at the end of the week.

#onenationundergods #petermanseau #thomasjefferson #history #whyhistorymatters

review
DrBird
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Pickpick

Great analysis of the tricky history of Puritans in colonial era and, more importantly, the role of non-Christians in establishment of the United States. Great info about Muslims who helped the Spanish explorers and made up ~20% of slave population.

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