Why We Are NOT a Christian Nation

 


You are probably saying to yourself, "Bfth, it's obvious why.  It's in the Constitution!"  You are correct, the first amendment (that would be the one BEFORE the second amendment, the one which clearly states that "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.") says:  "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."  Very clearly we CANNOT be a Christian nation because of separation of church and state.  (It's also why we can't be a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, etc.)  So, yes, it's very clear that we are NOT a Christian nation.

With that clearly stated out (did it need to be?), the reason I felt the need to point this out was because of an article that I read the other day which sickened, angered and frustrated me.  (And that's just the beginning.)  It was in the NY Times and I hope you can read it here.  (I know sometimes articles are only available if you pay; I think this is a freebie.  If it is not, let me know and I offer my apologies for my error.)  The title of the article says it all: Many Haitians Prospered in Springfield, Ohio. Then Came the Hate.

Hate.  There you have it.  Hate.  As far as I know (and I'll admit that I'm not a Biblical scholar), that's not what Jesus was preaching about.  In John 13: 34, I've read: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. "  Or we could go to Luke 6:35: "But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back."  Or how about Matthew  22:37-39:  "Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself."  I find a lot about love, not about hate.  As a matter of fact one verse that I did come up on which mentions hate says: "Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen."  (That's from 1 John 4:20...which should not be confused with plain old John which is another book  unto itself.  There's also 2 John and 3 John, but I've really gotten off track here.)  I'm sure there are more passages on hate (Bible scholars have at it), but as far as I can tell (again, I'm not a scholar), the new testament is all about love.

If we can't speak love, show love and ACT in love, we cannot even begin to think of ourselves as a Christian nation. 

As a Christian, I am flawed.  I don't always speak love, show love or act in love.  However, as a Christian I am aware of my imperfections.  I feel shame when I don't act in love.  I strive to do better.  I work towards not being a better Christian, but being a better human being.  

Christian or not, if we want to be a better nation and one that stands for truth, compassion and humanity, we all need to work on stopping hate and lies and honoring our neighbors.  (Or as it says in the OLD testament, Exodus 20:16: "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor."  If you're going to put up the 10 commandments in public places [which I don't necessarily agree with], you'd better start following ALL of them.)  It would be a step towards being a better (but never perfect) nation.

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