Good vs. Evil:Psalm II

Psalm II probably had a lot of significance to early American settlers because there are many parts that they could relate to. In the first line the psalm talks furiously raging Heathens, which the settlers would have related to Native American savages. It seems like this psalm could have been used as a justification for taking over new land and banishing the Native Americans. The settlers are God's anointed, the Native Americans are the heathen kings and princes who conspire against God, and Zion represents the New World.
This scripture perfectly fits the definition of religion that we've discussed in class in the aspect of "establishing moods and motivations". Psalm two is a justification of the attitudes of the settlers to their natural rights to the land. As far as they were concerned, God had given them the American land just as Zion was the land of the Israelites. In this context, the fact that the settlers stole the land from the native people and caused death and destruction is justified because the settlers have God on their side. According to psalm two, the settlers "possess the utmost" of the earth. As for the Native American heathens, God shall "crush them with an iron rod". They were motivated by scriptures like psalm II. Furthermore, these scriptures increased discrimination towards the Native Americans by reinforcing an us vs. them mentality. It is easy for the settlers to see themselves as God's chosen people, and the Native Americans as heathens. The good vs. evil mood of psalm II definitely influenced the attitudes of settlers towards Native Americans. This is just one of many examples of how literal interpretations of religion can be dangerous to mankind.