ebooks God and Sea Power: The Influence of Religion on Alfred Thayer Mahan by Suzanne Geissler in History

Review

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. NAUTICAL APOSTLE of PEACEBy Vincent- ATM was named "Apostle of Peace" in the book.- ATM buried in civilian clothes; to show no ranks in heaven.- ATM's tombstone etched with no rank; but yes; had the referred for the USN.- ATM plaque; in the Long Island church; however; prints ATM's rank.My pray for all shipmates -Fair winds and following seas!2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. The Christian NeptuneBy Anson Cassel MillsI still find it surprising that Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840-1914); the late 19th-century apostle of sea power; could also have written The Harvest Within: Thoughts on the Life of the Christian (1909). As Suzanne Geissler notes in her introduction; previous biographers of Mahan have either ignored Mahan’s deep religious faith or have treated it as a negative influence; a trait that “made him arrogant and self-righteous.” (4) In fact; if anything; Mahan’s faith helped temper the less attractive aspects of his personality.Mahan’s mature religion was one of seeming contradictions. Throughout his life he remained a fervent Episcopalian with a bent toward the High Church and aversion to liturgical reform. Yet he also appears to have undergone a conversion experience about 1871; when he realized that he could only experience God’s favor; not through his own merits; but through “trust in the completed work of Christ on the cross.” (72) The author calls one of his later addresses to an Episcopal parish almost “evangelical; albeit of the dignified stiff-upper-lip variety.” (149) And Mahan never mentioned the conversion in his autobiography.As for the influence Mahan’s religion might have played on his notions of sea power; the evidence is even less certain. Mahan believed in divine sovereignty in history; but when push came to shove; his Providence looked much like Alexander Pope’s “Whatever is; is right.” The other possible religious influence on his naval theories was his belief in human depravity; an unpopular notion among contemporary intellectuals—that is; before the Great War made cynics of them all. Perhaps Mahan would not have conceived a satisfying theory of sea power if he had not held an underlying belief in original sin. (Military historians will never go wrong when headed in that direction.) At the very least; Mahan’s religious beliefs led him to a suitable marriage and increased his already stout work ethic.Geissler provides considerable new information about Mahan; and despite occasional repetitions; she writes sensibly if not with sparkle. Nevertheless; as one of my old profs once told me; you should fight your historiographical battles in the notes. Geissler is so eager to get justice for Mahan that much of the book reads like an extended critique—usually legitimate; it must be admitted—of Robert Seager II; Alfred Thayer Mahan: The Man and His Letters (1977); a biography written out of “an intense; even visceral; dislike for Mahan.” (3)2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. How Faith Changed the History and Projection of Sea PowerBy William StruseI can still remember the pleasure I had reading the stories; Carry On; Mr. Bowditch and Anchors Away written by Jean Lee Latham. These thrilling sea stories written about the naval heroes Nathaniel Bowditch and David Glasgow Farragut were my first introduction to United States naval history as a young boy.Now many years later I am once again thrilled to read another book about United States naval history. This time it was the biography of Alfred Thayer Mahan; one of the most; if not the most influential naval thinker and historian in United States history.In this well written book; God And Sea Power; author Suzanne Geissler writes a fascinating biography of Mahan but from the perspective of how his faith influenced his life as a man; historian and patriotic citizen.Now if you are expecting a hack job; which seeks to paint a caricature of Mahan’s faith as seen through a prism of today’s politically correct secularism you’ll be rather disappointed. Instead Suzanne Geissler takes a reasonable look at Alfred Mahan’s faith in the context of the day in which he lived.I found this book to be an engaging read which provided much food for thought; especially as it relates to Mahan view on religion and its place in government. Mahan also had some pretty prescient thoughts on the dangers of the consolidation of power in the political; social and economic realms of society. As Geissler describes it Mahan believe this trend was a clear and present danger because it “quashed individual freedom; initiative; and independence and concentrated power in the hands of a few.”Reading this book was several hours well spent.