One nation under god

I'll start of this blog simply by posting McNaughton's image One nation under God. By and large the painting speaks for itself, as an american right wing civil-religion propagandistic image. The good guys look towards Jesus, or they are attempting to awaken the religious spirit of the liberals in the lower left corner. An unbroken line connects Jesus, and the historical characters behind him, to the conservative crowd to the lower left, contrasting the liberals who are unconnected to religion and and history with their faces turned away.

McNaughton's image has been discussed quite a bit, even enough to prompt  the painter himself to give a detailed description of the "symbolism" (rather icons) presented. Here you will also find links to YouTube videos related to the image.

Apparently, the artist is Mormon, and some hints of this can be recognized in the details, but I'm quite sure the painting has a lager appeal in its target audience, the Christian right. More interesting is the debate the use of the founding fathers has awaken, placing this image in the front of debates on the role of religion in american society.