What brings a country together

Satlow wrote about how the Bible is a story-like historic account of Israel in the ninth century in the first chapter of his book How the Bible Became Holy. Satlow describes the story of Jacob and his twelve sons who were to rule Israel (pg.20). This story was a metaphor to describe the origins of the twelve tribes, giving people cultural background, a reference to their roots. The story of Jacobs and his sons still served to help unite a nation under the myth of a common past. Even though old stories that are told over time again and again loses some of its original details, stand through time to teach us a lesson. When I read how a mythological story of the past served to unite a nation, I began to think of the one I reside in. I thought it was funny how this nation’s foundation is coincidentally also due to the Bible. Pilgrims fled England in hopes for religious freedom in America. Though we are not united under a mythological story, we are however still bound by God and His words. What began this independent country was the Declaration of Independence. What gives pilgrim the right to establish their own land isn’t an agreement that was agreed on with England beforehand, but rather it was a “self-evident” God given right. The way Jews and English pilgrims came to settle upon their land has its similarities, both had an exodus across a barren stretch of the Earth and both believed that journey was to have a space to better worship God.