As this lovely article by an immigrant should remind us, the roots of the American identity and experience are a specific form of Christianity-- a form that belived that belief in God was more important than country, than family, than history and tradition. That belief is also, contrary to leftwing stereotypes, believes in love and forgiveness. We as a country are different from other countries, not because God chose us, but because we chose God. And we know that God loves every human being as if there were only one of us to love (Hat tip to St. Augustine) Thus differences of history and tradition are less important than our common humanity.
HoustonChronicle.com - An adopted daughter gives thanks to America: "You also impart to us a willingness to love and to forgive. These are very vulnerable concepts for many of us foreigners who were bound by traditions of getting even. You know, my Mainland Chinese and Taiwanese friends told me that they don't really get along well with each other, but it was Tan who reached out to Chin and invited her to our gatherings. In our international fellowship, I've often seen Croats break bread with Serbs and people from all over the Middle East — people who would be each others' enemies if they were still in their countries — befriend one another."
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