I feel a bit obliged to make a comment on the subject of America as a Christian nation. Somewhere between the usual July 4th church madness and the upcoming election, the subject has been on my mind for a while. It's not uncommon for people to claim that America is a Christian nation, or at least that it should be. It's also not uncommon for people to claim that America was founded on Christian values. I believe that both of these statements are dangerous and don't entirely align with the truth.
I get a bit uncomfortable when people start talking about America as a "Christian nation" because it sounds an awful lot like when somebody talks about Saudi Arabia as an "Islamic nation." I realize that few people are actually arguing that Christianity should be the national religion of the US, but I'm not sure that I see the line. I'm not sure that having a national religion is a good idea, ever, anywhere. Those uncomfortable with my comparison might say that Christianity is more tolerant or peace-loving than Islam, but I'm not sure that's true either (considering history). Instead, I would say that perhaps every religion becomes less tolerant when it becomes nationalized.
To avoid that issue, many people just say that America was founded on Christian values. Again, I'm not sure that this aligns with the truth. There are definite questions about the faith of the founding fathers - were they really the conservative Christians that we sometimes make them out to be? Of course we all know about how Jefferson cut and pasted to create his own version of the Bible, but I'm curious about the rest. I know that there are many questions about Washington's faith. And anyone who says the actions of the explorers, colonists, and so forth were widely guided by Christian values needs a refresher on actual history, not just storybook history.
As for the church's point of view, I'm further unconvinced that anything is gained by the idea of a Christian nation or a nation founded on highly Christian values. I believe that history teaches us that Christianity is a religion of the margins. When it comes to the center, especially as a nationalized religion, it seems to lose its efficacy and perhaps even its grasp on truth. I also remember how Jesus had to chastise his disciples for wanting to set up a kingdom here on earth, because his Kingdom is not of this world. His kingdom is already here in part, but not in full.
That's why, in my view, America is not, has not been, and should not be a Christian nation. Sorry if that offends anyone.
Well put. I agree with the theory that religion (especially Christianity) becomes less tolerant when nationalized, but I'm curious to find out if there is a counter-argument case. The only current state religions around the world are various forms of Christianity and Islam, with a couple of Buddhist-leaning countries.
ReplyDeleteTrue. There used to be a whole lot of them, but there are fewer now as the world moves further. That's a good question, and I would be up for hearing it if there were a counter-argument!
ReplyDelete