英语专业毕业论文-On the Influence of Christianity on America Foreign Policy.doc

On the Influence of Christianity on America Foreign PolicyIntroduction：American diplomacy was influenced by the nature of society and its citizen behavior deeply, but the social nature and the style of American citizenship behavior was affected by American Christianity greatly, especially the thought of Puritan. Consequently, American foreign policy was controlled by Christian idea, and America also made Christian idea come true as their purpose of their governments diplomacy. At the very beginning, America was founded by a group of Protestants who moved to the new world from Europe for religious reasons, and carrying out their Protestant idea as their purpose to build America. So America was a country founded on Protestant ideology at the very beginning. It drove by the idea of Protestant and aimed to practice Protestant idea. The Protestant value was the root of American value, and also the leading force in American diplomacy nowadays. Under the influence of religion, America is not a normal secular country. Generally speaking, a secular country will maintain a benefit principle in diplomacy, but to American diplomacy we must take the religious element into consideration, so that we can clearly get why many American diplomacy are not always correspond with benefit principle. In foreign affairs, they always make human rights as a very important charge to other countries. In the foreign activities, American always require the other side to improve human rights essentially, even in top meeting the state leader will put forward the issue of human rights serious-minded and unmannered. To American, the human right was a gift from god, and should be respected in any country, and god gives American a duty to defend human right. From the beginning of America, American people got a strong feeling of responsibility, because they think god give the new world to them and they are the chosen people of god, so they have to make gods glory full of world. American people are very proud of American democracy and freedom, they think their democracy and freedom style is the best, got from god, so they are eagerly to spread their belief and idea to any other country, let people from other country share their democracy and freedom. In American peoples mind, the god chose them and they must complete the mission god gave them. One day the world will have only one belief, and that is belief in god, Jehovah will be the only god. So America always showed up religious feature in foreign affairs, and that is why America took Socialist country as its biggest enemy for a very long time. For the conflict between Christianity and Socialism, America suppressed socialist states since socialism born to now. Essentially, the differences decide America to take an opposing attitude to socialist state, and that is one reason that America starts the Cold War against the Soviet Union. After 911, the new Christian Right arose again in America, it began to affect American foreign policy with its unique theory. During the Bush administration, based on the idea of the new Christian right, American government made a lot of change in foreign policy, especially attitude towards terrorism and war. (且东，2006:65 )Because the new Christian believe in unilateralism, so American government got support from religion on strengthening military force, and the powerful military force make the expansion of American democracy be possible. On the other side, unilateralism made American people have no trust on international organization, for that America had risen up motion to separate itself from the United Nations for a time. To American Christian right-wing, supporting Israel is an order from god, and that awareness produced great impact on American foreign policy after 911 and the middle-east peace and development progress. Generally, we must take the religion as an important reference when study American foreign policy. America is not only a secular nation, it is also a religious country which blessed by god.1. American Diplomacy Dominated by Christianity When talking about America, many people look it as an extremely secular country habitually. And what is secularization? Secularization is a state which frees from religious impact on politics, economic, society and psychology of normal people. A secular country has some feature: firstly, separation of politics and religion, that is to say the government cannot take part in any religious actives, office man work for the government cannot be effected by religion in any official business, and in a secular country there is not state religion, people is free on religious belief because the government will not gear toward or suppress any religion. Secondly, people have absolute freedom on religion. Lastly, religion rules cannot fetter social life.（于歌，2006:11）On the surface, America has those three features, and Chinese government analyses American foreign policy based on benefit principle. We cannot say that our governments policy is not right, after all, the benefit principle is a common principle used in the world. There is a rule in American constitution that America is a country religion separated from politics, and America people have a common idea that pursuit of fortune to make life better, the life is luxurious, the belief is free, all of that make people feel America is a extremely secular country. There is no doubt that the main culture in America is secularization, however, America is a very religious country beyond all doubt on the other side for that Protestantism is playing a key role in American politics, society and national psychology.According to Gallups research in America, “ninety five percent people called they believe in god, among them, Christian take eighty six percent, in Christian, sixty percent are Protestant, twenty eight percent are Catholic, and ten percent believe orthodox Christianity. Among adults, seventy percent of them belong to some church.” （/content/200901/0110100T2009.html）From that record we can see the quantity of people who believed in god in America is the highest of the world. Protestant take an absolute superiority in United States, from the record, its not hard to see what an important role Christianity play in American politics.Till now, we can still see “IN GOD WE TRUST” on US dollar. Every US president must put his hands on the bible and swear to the god at his inauguration. And pledge of been patriotic in America is “I swear allegiance and pledge eternal loyalty to the Star-Spangled Banner and the United States of America it stand for, the nation, belong to god”. That behavior is hardly to see in other countries nowadays, all of that show one thing, it is American has a strong emotion on god.Since the founding of the America, the mainstream group in American society is the so called “WASP”, and the WASP” played a leading role in American politics, economic and culture all the time. The “WASP” was people who have white Anglo-Saxon descent, and believe Protestant at the same time. These people controlled America for hundreds years, at the same time American mainstream ideology and value was coming from the “WASP”. That is why Protestant can influence American foreign policy for such a long time.Washington, the first president of United States, who built the country of America, kissed the Bible and swore with his hands putting on the Bible at his inauguration. After the pledge, he said: “I swear, I pray gods blessing.”（华盛顿，1781） After that, every president in American history swore with their hands putting on the Bible and pray for gods bless at their inaugural. Washington is a Protestant, and most of American presidents are Protestants, among them only one has no religion belief. That is to say, the people stand on the top of America deeply affected by Christianity, under such a condition, American diplomacy cannot shake off the impact of Christianity. Many US presidents were famous for devout Christian belief, and some of them left the world a profound effect for Christian belief. For example: everyone knows that on US dollar printed “ IN GOD WE TRUST”, that is president Eisenhowers order, and no president say we cannot do that after him. President Lincoln signed a declaration making Thanks Giving Day a legal holiday. President Adams gave orders to engrave prayer on restaurant of the white house, “I pray to god, give the best blessing to everyone in this house and everyone will live here later, I wish only honest and wise man manage the country here.”（亚当斯,1797） Till now, the prayer is still there.All of that show one thing, America is a very religious country, in America its politics, especially foreign policy deeply affected by religion. To understand America, we must research the root of the country, and take religion into consideration, only in that way we can know the magical nation better.2. The Savior Feelings of American2.1 American Gods ChoiceAfter ten years sailing, the Mayflower arrived the new world and these Protestants on the ship built the colony Marseille, under the leading of Pastorvince Laopu, these Protestants made a declaration of moving to the new world. In the declaration, words from Matthew was quoted: “the city we will build will be a City upon the Hill, people from all the world be about to focus their attention upon us.”(马太福音 :144) The so called City upon the Hill is a city will light up the whole world, will lead people to god. In Marseille there is one words Jesus said to his follower: “You are the light of the world, city built upon a hill cannot be hidden.”(圣经：365) Here, the light is bringing hope to people, is a mission Jesus gave to his follower. The Protestant think they are gods follower either, so they have the duty to introduce gods light to the whole world，let everyone accept god. That is to say, the city upon the hill Protestant want to build is a city of light, guide the whole world people to god. At the same time, Protestant think that the legitimacy basis of building a new country in the new land come from god, and its gods order to build America. Till now, America still has a strong passion on leading the whole world to god. All of that show America gets a Christ complex for a long time, they also have a feeling that American is the nation chosen by god, and they have gods order, and the mission will throughout all its life.In the mind of Protestant, god give everyone life, and everyone has the right to enjoy his life. America is the model other countries should learn from, because it has the most advanced democracy, that is also what American be proud of all the time. To American, god choose them, they have to make everyone accept the glory of god. So in American diplomacy they always tries to interfere with the internal affairs of other countries, hope to bring American style human rights to other countries.2.2 American Facing SocialismAs everyone knows, since socialist state was founded, it suffered a series of challenge. One of them is hostility from all capitalistic states of the world, among them America gave socialist states the greatest pressure. And socialist states looked America as their biggest enemy either. Why doesnt America like socialism? Socialist believes secularization theory and atheism; they think there is no god. To Christian it is not obeying to the bible, having no interests on spirit. Socialism is a totally different theory from Christianity, American people cannot tolerate other people deny their belief and they even think the atheism of socialism is lure from Satan.On the other side, Christians dont believe that the dream of communism can come true, they only believe millennium will come that one day, and millennium is not practice to socialist either. So the contradiction between Christianity and Socialism is destined. People trusting in god believe everyone is guilty since he born, it is not possible for such a group of people to build a kingdom of heaven like communism, the kingdom of heaven can be only set up by god. But communism is a dream founded upon human nature; they believe man can do everything if people struggle hard, people will have the ability to do gods job. In other words, communisms treats man as some kind of god. Christian cannot accept that idea, it is lure from Satan, people who believe socialism is pagan, must be wiped out. Just like president Ronald Wilson Reagan said: that is an immemorial lure, since the Garden of Eden appeared it exists, it trying to let people believe they are some kind of god. Reagans words represent most American Christians opinion.For that reason, Christians can never accept socialism, the fundamental divergence decide America has no good image on socialist states. America was strongly affected by Christ, people living in America has a concept of the chosen people of god. For religion factors America cannot tolerate the exist of socialism, so just a few years after World War two America start Cold War with the Soviet Union. Since 1947, America never stopped his step on the way of suppressing socialist states. Even till nowadays, America still take a hostility toward the only several socialist states like China and Cuba. That is not only rival on politics, but also rival on ideology. We can say that the Cold War between USA and the Soviet Union is a confrontation between Christian and Socialism.For many reasons, Americans hold the foreign policy of against socialist states for more than half a century. That is not only the need of politics, religion made its contribution too. There is no doubt that religion play a very important role in American diplomatic principle against socialist countries.2.3 American Walking toward Hegemonism in the Glory of GodAmerica is a country which is good at combining religion and patriotism together, it make his people have a firm faith that the strength of America comes from bless of god, and god gives America life and make it form its unique value. Gods grace let America have no psychological burden in contact with other countries, they can export American style democracy and value into other countries without any consideration of other countries national condition and tradition, just because they are the chosen of god, what they do is on the mission of god.2.3.1 “IN GOD WE TRUST”In America there is a very popular slogan which is “in gods name”. From that we can see the influence of Christian in America. As long as Mayflower arrived at the new land, American people have a feeling of city upon the hill, and that is not groundless. When the 102 Protestants arrived the new world after 66 days sailing, they had a belief that the new world was their new Jerusalem, in their mind, what they suffered in Europe was gods test, and the new world is a place of hope and god lead them there after the test, so they are the chosen people of god. And that is the root of unilateralism in American Protestant. At the same time, because the inborn superiority, American people got a sense of manifest destiny under the influence of religion, that is to say it has been written that America has to save the world. I think that is one cause of the shaping of American Exceptionalism.Since America was blessed by god, they have a feeling of superiority that there is no country can compare with them, American people must take on the god given mission to popularize American democracy, freedom and value around the world. And that is what America did for the recent years, in foreign affairs, America always trying to transform the value and living condition of people who living in other countries. And Iraq is a good example, America wants to remove Saddam Hussein and bring democracy to Iraqis. Although there are many other reasons for the Iraq war, we cannot deny the contribution religion makes. Christs aim is not bad, but its some theory push America on the way to hegemonism, such as the idea of Amercian Exceptionalism and unilateralism. The existence of such mighty religious theory make America stepped on the way of unilateralism when he popularized its democracy. Especially in the last ten years, American government made the popularization of its democracy as the key point of its work, during Bush administration period; USA published one report on other countries human rights condition in every one year, find out other countries fault and blames them.2.3.2 American Great Soft Power through ReligionIn the todays world, soft power is the most important power of one nation; it could be divided into three stratifications: “human nature level, the interior politics level and the international politics level”. (何晓跃，2007:52) Joseph Nye proposed the conception of soft power, and he defined soft power as a capability to effect other peoples selection, such as attractive culture, ideology and regime system. On another words, the soft power is a capability to spread your idea, draw somebody over your side and make others wish to follow you. From the definition of soft power we can see how America benefits from Christ, because the greatest influence of Christ on America is about ideology.After the Cold War, George Herbert Walker Bush announced a new plan “The New World Order”, after him Clinton declared another plan named “Participation Extension Strategy”. To some degree, these two plans are important expression of American Soft Power. Just like Joseph Nye said, “On resource of American soft power is its value, to some degree America is regarded as the lighthouse of freedom, human rights, and democracy, and followed by many other countries.”（约瑟夫奈尔, 2008:251） Except the economic strength, what made America so attractive? I think American dream is a good answer to that question. “Every time we were told that we cant, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: yes