Is America a Christian Nation? (military, senator, Florida, document)
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I say no. The fact that a majority of our citizens claim to be Christian does not imply that the country itself is Christian.
To begin with, we have enshrined the principle of separation of church and state in our Constitution. This does not prohibit religion from having an influence on politics; certainly, religious views have an enormous impact on politics in the US. However, it makes the state itself a secular one in which the rule of law, not religious doctrine, is the only legitimate source of authority. A Christian state (not nation, you're misusing that term...) would officially recognize Christianity as the state religion.
Second, while the majority of Americans are Christian many do not actively practice and those that do practice a bewildering array of different sects/variants of the religion thus leading to a lack of a clear 'Christian agenda.'
Third, Christian fundamentalism, represented in particular by evangelicals, is the most politicized brand of Christianity practiced in this country and those who adhere to it are overwhelmingly members of only one of our two viable political parties. Given that the other political party is extremely secular it can't be said that the party system is Christian, let alone the state.
Fourth, many laws that would be considered 'unChristian' exist and many rules one would expect to find in a Christian theocracy are not institutionalized.
Fifth, Churches must refrain from political activity to remain tax exempt.
Sixth, the notion that the US is a Christian country is actually surprisingly modern. The founding fathers were a mixed bag when it came to religion, with many being deists, and strongly resisted any attempt to formally integrate religion and the state. The fact that the Pledge of Allegiance includes 'under God' is often cited as proof that we're a Christian country but the Pledge didn't originally include that; it was added in the 1950s during McCarthyism as a means of juxtaposing us with atheist communism.
Need I go on?
Oh, you could go on but the christians, in their very sinful Pride and arrogance, will still insist they own this country....and won't let facts get in their way.
I say yes. As long as we have a large portion of the country using religion as a valid means of defending their political views, and since the majority of the religious in this country are Christian, we are a Christian nation.
It is a Nation that professes to believe in a multitude of religions, none of which, we actually do.
Considering how easy it is to label countries, ("xxx is a diverse, multicultural country" is probably the most overused) then I don't think there's anything wrong in saying that the USA is a Christian nation.
Considering how easy it is to label countries, ("xxx is a diverse, multicultural country" is probably the most overused) then I don't think there's anything wrong in saying that the USA is a Christian nation.
No, there's nothing wrong with it because it doesn't change a thing ...
Of course we're a Christian nation. We always have been. Ask anyone outside the U.S.
You mean ask any "Christian", don't you?
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