Battle Hymn Article
From: deepsouthgent@hotmail.com
To: tceditor@todays-christian.com
To whom it may concern,
It is not my intention to deliver a lengthy description/definition of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," but after reading your article about it, I could not abstain from commenting. The "Battle Hymn" was never intended to promote Christianity. As your own article states, it was performed at a war rally. Closer inspection of its lyrics reveal the blatant use of Biblical scriptures in order to manipulate U.S. citizen’s view of an oncoming U.S. war crime. Religion has been used throughout history to manipulate people’s political and social opinions- as did the "Battle Hymn." Comparing the North’s invasion of the citizens of the South to God destroying evil is outright blasphemy. How dare the author deliver such a cold, heartless message in the wake of the nation’s possible demise! Some will argue that the yankees, acting as instruments of God Himself, "cleansed" the nation of the evils of the South. The song only attempted to persuade Union military recruits to accept the pillage, plunder, rape and detestation of an entire people not only as necessary, but also as righteous or God’s will. The "Battle Hymn" is an abomination and should be recognized as a hateful song that merely played upon the mid-19th-century Puritan mindset while exposing its weakness- that humans can execute what they consider God’s will and earn their way into Paradise as a result. It is common knowledge among historians that the Puritans (among others) praised the formation and development of America as a preparation for the coming of the Messiah and often bent over backwards to attempt to "force" His return. The "Battle Hymn" was not written by a Puritan, but rather by a Unitarian who simply used this gross misunderstanding to obtain a political/military advantage over the masses of "dupes" by employing their own arrogance and self-righteous dispositions as the catalyst for persuasion. Please pardon the repetition, but that song is, indeed, a total abomination. If you investigate the scriptures to which the song refers, I am sure the "Battle Hymn"’s true meaning will be painfully evident. Thank you for your time and, as well, the opportunity to express my deep desire to clarify this point.
Respectfully,
Arlin Pearson
