Posted by
Jack Fisher on Wednesday, April 15, 2009 11:19:06 AM
Much has been made since President Barack Obama made the statement that "America is not a Christian nation." Various opinion writers and columnists have expressed their criticism and at times outrage. This issue comes on the heels of a recent article in Newsweek ominously entitled "The Decline and Fall of Christian America." Many have had plenty to say on this issue as well including Town Hall's own Brent Bozell, Star Parker, Terry Paulson, and the ever rediculous Doug Giles.
Terry Paulson: Put Your Bet On God Over Newsweek
There is a lot to be said over this issue. Ideologues and zealots cling to the notion of a Christian nation the same way they cling to their invisibile deity. It's no secret that the Christian Right has been a major political force. They have worked tirelessly to try and impose their values and worldview on the rest of the nation, completely disregarding the unavoidable fact that such a goal completely conflicts with every notion of a free society. And they'll use any excuse to justify their tyranny, including twisting the facts of history.
The issue of America being a Christian nation should have been dispelled in 1797 when the 5th congress unanimously ratified the Treaty of Tripoli. In this historic document it says outright in article 11:
"As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries."
And this is a time when many founding fathers were still alive. Now some would debate this is bogus because many of the founding fathers were still devout Christians. This is true, but they still saw the need to dispell any notion that America is a Christian nation just as many nations of Europe were considered Christian nations at the time. It goes along with the constitution which says in the first amendment that no official religion will be established and none will be endorsed over the other, even if it is practiced by the majority of the population.
But many ignore this and will go to great lengths quote mining the founding fathers, espousing their religious convictions. But as with all quote mining, it proves nothing. The personal views of the founding fathers were irrelevant to the concept of America being a Christian nation. At no point did they thrust their views into the constitution. To say this nation is Christian just because the founding fathers were Christians is a misnomer. All the founding fathers were also white and had English roots. But nobody says America is an English nation even though it was based largely on English legal traditions. Nobody says it's a white nation either (although some racist groups still do). Just because the population was Christian doesn't make America a Christian nation.
It's also worth noting that the government of the United States was not founded on any Christian traditions. America was founded as a constitutional republic and the very idea of a republic was first espoused by the Ancient Greek philosopher, Solon. And the first real republic was set up by the Ancient Romans and many of the ideas they built upon found their way into the constitution. But nobody says this is a Roman or Greek nation.
Others will say the concept of natural rights that include life, liberty, and property are somehow inspired by divine laws. But this is inaccurate as well. The ideas of natural rights came from philosophers like Voltaire and John Locke, who were products of the enlightenment. And one of the key facets of the enlightenment was moving away from religious dogma and favoring more secular views to govern society. Many of these thinkers were also Christians, but their faith was secondary to their ideas. Their faith was personal, not something to be subsidized and imposed by state forces.
The notion of America being a Christian nation is as absurd now as it was back in 1797. But the Christian Right will continue to contend this in order to maintain whatever credibility they can so they can further their agenda. They easily forget that no matter what America was founded upon or what the beliefs were of the founders, the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness remain true for every citizen. It is the right of every man, woman, and child in this country and no one group deserves to take credit for it. For Christians like Brent Bozell, Star Parker, Terry Paulson, and Doug Giles to maintain that is not only wrong, it's hopelessly arrogant.