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What Does "God Bless America" Mean?

The verb "to bless" has a lot of different meanings, from sanctifying to protecting to favouring. It means all of those things.

If you like, you could understand it to mean "to bring to God's attention in particular". Blessing something means that you're pointing it out specifically to God so that he pays special attention to it.
 
I am, of course, reminded of the Onion's headline, "God Answers Crippled Boy's Pray to Walk!" with the subhead, "God says 'No.' 'If I wanted him to walk I would never have crippled him in the first place.'" I think the "article" then continues with the boy's family saying something like, "Well at least now we have some certainty..."

"God bless America" really doesn't mean anything like "America, remember to thank God!" Even if one believes in a conscious deity who is vain enough to want constant thanks for everything, that is not the point of this saying at all. It is an invocation requesting that God put aside whatever divine plans he might have had, and to look with special favor on the USA. Many Rightwing deists believe that he has in the past (to the point that some argue that American English is the true language of heaven) and are concerned that if you annoy God too much he will turn America into Somalia just out of spite.
 
Slowvehicle said:
Seems exactly like any other prayer; an importunate petition to an imaginary being for undetermined effects--both the putative granting of which, and the withholding of which, will be claimed as evidence, by believers, of the existence and favour of said imaginary being...
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Hlafordlaes said:
What Does "God Bless America" Mean?

It means, "May a mythical being sacrifice your artificial political construct."

Not wiki-ing or reading the thread might prove embarrassing, :blush: but IIRC 'bless' is related to Old French 'blesser,' or wound, draw blood(?). If correct would make sense for it to be adopted as a term, relating to Jesus' ordeal and then drifting into other metaphorical derivations.
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No, not at all.
 
16.5 said:
No, not at all.
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Yes, actually, exactly.

As long as believers pretend that getting that for which one prays, and not getting that for which one prays both demonstrate the omnibenevolence of their particular version of 'god'; and as long as 'god' bless you!" and "'god' damn you!" have exactly the same practical effect, a plea for "blessing" from 'god' is, simply, and importunate petition to an imaginary being.
 
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Slowvehicle said:
Yes, actually, exactly.

As long as believers pretend that getting that for which one prays, and not getting that for which one prays both demonstrate the omnibenevolence of their particular version of 'god'; and as long s ';gog' bless you!" and "'god' damn you!" have exactly the same practical effect, a plea for "blessing" from 'god' is, simply, and importunate petition to an imaginary being.
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God bless and god damn do not have the same effect, because the Lord is merciful:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
 
16.5 said:
God bless and god damn do not have the same effect, because the Lord is merciful:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
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Then it should be easy to cite the statistics in almost any endeavor where the outcomes have proven different. Unless you were being satirical?
 
16.5 said:
God bless and god damn do not have the same effect, because the Lord is merciful:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
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Since He is so damn smart why does anyone have to whine at Him? :confused:
 
Giordano said:
Then it should be easy to cite the statistics in almost any endeavor where the outcomes have proven different. Unless you were being satirical?
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As easy as it is to measure wonder, joy and love in statistics.

Not something I worry about doing, of course.
 
16.5 said:
God bless and god damn do not have the same effect, because the Lord is merciful:
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I see. You assume the existence of a 'god', so that you can ascribe to it characteristics.

16.5 said:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
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Which has exactly the same effect as intoning "Praised be Manu'u Legba, who opens for us the doorway", or, "Hail, Mary, full of grace..."; that is, no objective effect at all in any case.

16.5 said:
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
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If that is supposed to be an original observation, it is parlous close to plagiarism, as well as being trite and hackneyed. if it is a quotation, an honest poster would provide the source.

...and you are still assuming your consequent.
 
16.5 said:
God bless and god damn do not have the same effect, because the Lord is merciful:
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Bald assertion.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
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. . . Something

The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
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Bald assertion.
 
Slowvehicle said:
I see. You assume the existence of a 'god', so that you can ascribe to it characteristics.



Which has exactly the same effect as intoning "Praised be Manu'u Legba, who opens for us the doorway", or, "Hail, Mary, full of grace..."; that is, no objective effect at all in any case.



If that is supposed to be an original observation, it is parlous close to plagiarism, as well as being trite and hackneyed. if it is a quotation, an honest poster would provide the source.

...and you are still assuming your consequent.
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Plagiarism? It is from Proverbs..... I thought it was obvious. Confidentially, I think the copyright is over tho!:D
 
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Slowvehicle said:
Your dodge is noted.

Now, about those statistics about the objective efficacy of begging 'god' for stuff...?
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I suspect it would be a dodge had I made the claim. I didn't. Perhaps I was a bit too subtle when I pointed out other things like love and joy that are not bound by statistics.

You believe in joy though? Show me some statistics....

Just kidding.
 
I think it is also used as type of currency. For example, if someone does something nice for a person, and they then feel a sense of debt or obligation because of it, they may say "Bless you dear", to make them feel they have paid that debt.

It can also feel like a bonus payment from an authority figure (who would have the right to give blessings) to underlings or constituents.

So in the larger sense of a country, it is a bestowment upon to the citizens.
 
"What Does "God Bless America" Mean?"

Jumping over many posts, most well-meant & several interesting, not a damn thing.
 
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