Christianity has always had leg up in the Western world. Going back to the pre-modern days in Europe and continuing into the modern era in the American Republic, the Christians have had a privlidged position in society. Over half of the founding fathers were Christians. Every president that ever took office has had a Christian background. Most congressmen are Christian. The Republican Party is largely dominated by Christians. Many influencial figures in both the public and the private sphere enjoy special exposure because of their Christian faith. 

Yet despite all this power and prestige, Christians still have the audacity to claim that they are victims and are being oppressed.

Less than two years ago, the Christian Right had nearly every branch of the government in the hands of like-minded individuals. Both houses of Congress were dominated by Republicans. President George W. Bush, a devout Christian and friend of the Christian Right, was in the White House. Right leaning judges like John Roberts was appointed as Chief Justice to the Supreme Court. Various positions in the government were handed out to like-minded Christians such as Monica Goodly, who was a graduate of Pat Robertson's unaccreditted law school. Even the now disgraced reverend, Ted Haggard, famously had a weekly conference with the president. All this power and access and somehow Christians are being oppressed? No other group in the history of the country had enjoyed such privlidge. Even with all this power, access, and support it still isn't enough.

Many Christian groups, especially within the Christian Right, claim victimhood on the social issues. These issues include the civil rights of homosexuals, teaching evolution in public schools, and abortion access. They'll even touch on smaller issues like violence and sex in the media, singling out video games, pornography, and swearing on TV as a threat to so-called family values. The logic seems to be that anything that goes against their worldview is somehow an affront to their faith. These issues that are largely products of non-spiritual matters are seen as direct attacks on them personally. In a sense the Christians are on one side of the culture war and the biggest threat to them is the secular world which they seem to believe is robbing them of their spiritual power.

Now this mindset is an important aspect of this movement because it carries with it a dangerous connotation. Human beings are psychologically wired to respond to attacks. It's a purely survival instinct, refined through countless generations of evolution (although the Christians would probably scoff at this). Experiments have shown that test subjects will respond with near equal fortitude when they feel threatened just as they do when they actually are threatened. It's as present in humans is it is to lab rats. So when Christian leaders tell their flock they're under attack, their instinct kicks in and they don't stop and think logically about what they're doing. There is not even a second of consideration to wonder whether or not someone living differently or seeing the world differently gives them a right to stick their noses in other peoples' business. There isn't a moment's hesitation to ignore the law and the liberty of others in the name of morality and family values. It's easy to forget in this mindset that individual rights are meant to protect one group from imposing their will on another. It was why the US Constitution set such strict guidelines as to what rights individuals (not certaing groups) have and are protected under the law.

Yet this is lost on the Christians that feel threatened. They believe this country is a Christian country and should somehow reflect a Christian set of values. What is lost in this mindset is the fallacy of correlation versus causation. Or in a more appropriate context, are the tenants of American liberty because of or in spite of the Christian majority? Religious idealogues will point to any number of examples, but they'll never give anything of substance that proves the concept of life, liberty, and property is somehow strictly a Christian idea (often ignoring the contributions of the ancients like Greece and Rome and the secular thinkers of the Enlightenment). This notion of entitlement carries with it the same consequences of all entitlement. It leads the group to believe they are somehow entitled to more power and resources than other people that don't agree with them. They may sincerely believe that their values are the values that will make society better, ignoring the fact that every group like them religious or otherwise thinks the same thing. It is that conflict of intent that requires the rights of individuals be protected and not groups so no one group may impose their will on the other group. But that doesn't stop the Christians.

Just this past week, a faith-based group including Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York issued a public statement entitled "The Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience." What it says is nothing new. Christians of many demoninations including Catholics and Protestants assert that Christian values are under attack and Christians everywhere must rise up and buck the trend of secularism. It's a fairly natural response to a group that feels threatened by a changing world. This same argument has been make many times before, since the very beginning of the Christian Right and the Moral Majority. The greatest irony is the terms 'secularism' or the 'secular world' is never clearly defined. Bill O'Reilly will throw out terms like 'Secular Progressive' without really citing the underlying meaning of this term and the philosophy behind it. He and others like him will only point out that these non-Christians are against their cherished beliefs and are seeking to rob them of their right to exercise it.

It should be a laughable notion, Christians being the victims after all the power and prestige they've enjoyed. Just as laughable as the notion that whites are the victims of attacks by minorities after all the privlidges they've had over the years as well. But it is dead serious. These misguided crusades are never questioned by the flock and never critically analyzed by those leading them. So long as society is not to their liking, Christians and other groups like them will protest that they are victims. The problem is society will never be to their liking because society is always changing and always will change. It fits the very definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. It's only bound to continue and the best defense is freedom and liberty, not just for religious idealogues but from them as well.

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.

 

 

 

 

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."

It was recently reported that more and more Americans are shedding their religious affiliation:

 

According to a survey done by researchers at Trinity College, the percentage of people who call themselves Christians is down 10 percent since 1990 and the percentage of people claiming no religious affiliation is up nearly 7 percent (totalling nearly 34 million when compared to the population at large). It reveals a telling trend. People are becoming disillusioned with organized religion. But that doesn't necessarily mean they are becoming atheists. It just means they're not identifying themselves with a particular brand of religion anymore.

 

It marks a significant difference between the notion of believing in god and being identified with a religion. Belief in god is an entirely personal matter. It may be heavily influenced by one's surrounding or peers, but in essance it boils down to what the individual believes. It's a simple statement of faith. Someone can easily believe in a god or gods just as easily as they can not believe. But with religion it becomes more complicated.

 

Religion by definition is more broad. It encompasses not just one belief, but a set of beliefs about supernatural forces and how they function among and between god or gods. It involves more philosophy, laying out how this supernatural order people believe works and what they can do to influence or be a part of it. There are many individual elements, but religion also drives a great deal of influence from community. Religious rituals are dependant on creating solidarity and unity among a set of believers. This solidarity comes from rituals involving unique beliefs, practices, or customs. And in the religious landscape of America these rituals have evolved over the years and taken on new meanings.

 

What has arguably been the most influencial force on organized religion is the mixing with politics. The rise of groups like the religious right and the role religion has played in the development of social conservatism has twisted Christianity into more than just a set of beliefs. It has turned it into a political ideology that pushes an agenda. That agenda often includes special treatment for the Christian faith and pursuing social policies such as anti-abortion, abstinence only education, and banning gay marriage. It is very much contrary to the notions of a free society and it has created a messy political discourse that has led Christianity down a complicated path. So it is little wonder why some become disillusioned from it.

 

The study hypothosized many reasons why this movement away from religion is occuring. It could be a result of increasing education among the population. Many studies have shown that the more educated people are, the less religious they are. Others say the September 11th attacks have made it more socially difficult to claim firm religiosity. There may be many other factors, but there is no denying that religion has gotten a bad rap for it's many publicized exploits. From terrorism to a social agenda that espouses prejudice for homosexuals, the ideals of the free society that America represents is clashing with that of individuals.

 

It is unlikely that religion will decline to a point where it is trivial. Religion in many ways is driven by group dynamics and those ingrained instincts will never change. But if religion is to keep its adherents, it is going to have to adapt to a changing population. History has shown repeatedly that when religion gets mixed with political discourse, it becomes corrupt and loses its influence. And this study shows that the population is catching up to religion. The belief in god may persist, but the agenda has to change if it is to stay true to the faith.

Most people don't understand or appreciate how much science has done for them. Anybody living in the United States or any industrialized country owes their lives to science and all it has brought us. Because of science millions if not billions of lives have been saved thanks to medical advancements that have cured diseases like polio and smallpox and millions more can survive thanks to lower infant morality. Because of science our civilization has an abudnence of food that is unsurpassed compared to any other time in history and because of science our understanding of how nature and the cosmos work has been greatly expanded. Everytime someone is able to eat ample food, drink clean water, or heal with modern medicine they are indebted to the advances made by countless men of science who used their reason and ingenuity to further our knowledge and create new ways to live and survive.

 

And yet despite all science has given civilization, there are those who seek to undermine it with age old superstition and dogma. These people feel so threatened by the advancements science has made they are willing to undo it and all the good it does just so they can keep their age old beliefs. Chief among these anti-science zealots are those calling themselves 'creation scientists.' Yet it would be an insult to real scientists everywhere to call these people scientists because what they do isn't science. It is just another way for them to push their religous beliefs on people and by disguising it as science they try to get a certain level of legitimacy, which is impossible because they completely ignore the tenants of science.

 

These creation scientists actually believe that the stories in the bible are literally true. They believe that the world was created by a supernatural being and that there was a global flood that only one man survived by building a single boat that housed two of every animal. They genuinely believe that the entire world was destroyed by their 'loving god' and they can prove this with science even though all of their claims have been rejected by legitimate research. But this doesn't seem to bother them. They reject vast body of geological and fossil evidence, claiming it can be explained by their faulty reasoning and misconstrued, out of context, and often outrageous biblical interpretations. They openly admit that if any evidence or theory of any kind comes along that my counter what their old book of Judeo-Christian myths and legends says then it must be thrown out.

Ken Ham, founder of Answers in Genesis (or Answers in Magic would be a more accurate description), is a well-known creationists who claims to know the actual 'science' of creation, but his claims and methods are about as steeped in science as the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. His site openly admits in it's mission statement that "We proclaim the absolute truth and authority of the Bible with boldness." This basically destroyed their scientific credibility because it states they have their conclusion already and will only shape the facts to agree with it. And that is NOT science. That's nonsense.

Science works in the opposite direction. It takes evidence and draws conclusions of it and often new evidence comes along to change that conclusion. People used to believe demons caused disease, but new evidence came along in the form of scientific observation of bacteria and microbes that proved otherwise. But if Ken Ham's method were applied and the idea of demons causing a disease was assumed since the bible says nothing about bacteria and affirms that demons cause disease, that evidence would have to be thrown out because it contradicts his assertion. Imagine if germ theory had been thrown out and science was not able to develop an understanding of disease. Millions if not billions of people would have died from a lack of understanding of how to treat diseases like polio and smallpox. But at least people like Ken Ham would have felt comfortable that their faith was secure. It only cost millions of lives and countless suffering. Is that really worth it?

Another common claim people like Ken Ham and his cohorts Duane Gish of the Institute for Creation Research (which is also an oxymoron because they don't research anything but the bible) and convicted fraudster Kent Hovind (the man who loves to claim dinosaurs and man walked together) like to espouse is that they are looking at the same evidence, they are just interpreting it differently. This is also a bogus argument because their 'interpretation' is steeped in dogma that allows for supernatural forces to play a part in natural processes. And in science there can be no supernatural forces whatsoever, otherwise it is by definition not science. Science does not claim to have all the answers, but when it doesn't know something it admits it doesn't know. It doesn't claim to know saying their version of a supernatural entity is behind it all. It actually seeks to investigate the phenomenon and explain it through natural forces.

This is possibly the biggest crime creationists and other anti-science zealots commit. They stiffle human curiosity into looking into a phenomonon. Someone out there may have had the answers to these questions about the universe a long time ago, but because of zealots and dogmas they were afraid or unable to pursue their curiosity and their knowledge was lost. Dogma such as creationism and anything like it teaches people to be content with not knowing something and attibuting it to supernatural forces they can never grasp. It hinders creativity and the human mind itself. These dogmatic zealots are not scientists, they are tyrants of the human spirit.

And their reverence of scripture and age old text (not just the bible but books like the Quran and the Book of Mormon), tries to parade nonsense as science even when it has been thoroughly disproven. There are still people who believe in the geocentric model of the solar system, that is having the Earth at the center of the universe, because that's what the bible implies. And their arguments are even laid out int the following website:

Geocentric Earth Nonsense

Creationists fight so hard to get their views forced into schools in regards to evolution. Yet you don't see many trying to push the Geocentric aspect of their dogma on anybody yet. As Penn Jillette so eloquently put "I'm sure they're just thinking...one step at a time."

This is the ultimate irony. The beliefs and nonsense these creation science and anti-science zealots try to push on the public is known by many to be wrong and good science has debunked it time and again. So they actively seek the government to support them through use of force either through policy or monetary support. They know they can't win in the ligitmate arena so they have to use force and that shows just how flawed their principles are.

I take this time to rant against these anti-science dogmatic zealots parading around as real scientists because they really do undermine the foundations of modern civilizaton. They would have it that we reject that which has given us so much just so they could feel good and secure about their beliefs. They would gladly march us all back into the Dark Ages where medicine involved prayer and exorcism and anybody doing research that contradicted sacred scripture was imprisoned or put to death and where irrational superstition took precedence over reason. And they do it with a smile, not caring of how many people would suffer and die as a result. If there isn't a greater example of ture evil then I've never heard one. If they have such a big problem with science then they should move out of our modernized world and live in hut in the middle of nowhere farming with pick axes and hand tools, just as it was in the days of their sacred tales. Because if science is so bad and so anti-god, then they should practice what they preach.

This is a free society. People have a right to believe whatever they want to believe. But in the world of reason, if you're going to make a claim you must support it with evidence. And faith is not evidence. Faith is faith. Don't confuse the two. Otherwise you'll damage both and all of society, not just science and religion, will be undermined.