"American pietism is the belief that every individual is himself responsible for deciding the rightness or wrongness of every issue in terms of a higher moral law; that he must make this decision the moment he is confronted with any question in order to prevent any complicity with evil; and having made his decision, he must commit every possible method to implement his decision not only for himself and in his own home or community, but throughout the nation and the world." (pp173)
I think this sentence not only defines what American pietism is but also summarizes the moral code for American. We, as individuals, are the moral judges for ourselves. Any decision we make will have an impact not only on ourselves but also through out the nation and world. I relate this to what Paige said in class today. America as a whole right now are placing too much orders to try to "make America a better country", or even force the American ideology to other countries to try to "make the world a better world". I agree that certain orders or laws have to be enforced, but the decisions should be on individuals, and at the same time other countries have a say on their own problems and America shouldn't be the authority for other countries business. I was trouble to know that here in America there is a legal drinking age when I first came. We are adult once we turn 18, and we can't even make a smart decision on drinking but have to have a law to restrict us? I am not saying that there shouldn't be a law, but I feel that we be responsible for the decision we make. And the decision of drinking or not drinking should be made based on our intelligence and moral code rather than a law.
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