When this market research company wanted to find out about support for a "Christianized" country, these were the five items that defined support:
- Strongly oppose removal of "In God We Trust"
- Strongly oppose removal of "one nation under God" (from the Pledge of Allegiance, I presume)
- Strongly oppose removal of Ten Commandments from government buildings
- Strongly favor federal marriage amendment
- Strongly favor adding the teaching of creationism in public schools.
That's what "Christianizes" America? Public memorials to civil religion? We've got the first three right now, and we're such examples of Christian character as a nation?
What about these Christian initiatives on the federal government level?
- Commitment that all future military action will fit the definition of a "just war."
- Commitment to helping the poorest among us find jobs and health care
- Eliminating pay-outs to rescue obscenely rich companies that have screwed up their business.
- Really getting serious about eliminating government corruption and graft
- Caring for the environment (Even if we do believe George W's silly anti-science stance, it's part of Christian stewardship to take care of the stuff God gives us.)
- Guaranteeing justice even for our enemies—those browner, more hispanic or more gay than ourselves (Wait! are those really our enemies?)
That list might have a chance of being called "Christian character." After all, the drug dealer or hit man who pays with money marked "In God We Trust" hasn't gotten the message anyhow.
I do wonder if anything can be "guaranteed." I would agree and advocate for making justice possible by the removal of any road-blocks to seeking justice, but a guarantee sounds too idealistic... perhaps I'm too cynical.
ReplyDeleteTrue, and probably a poor choice of words on my part.
ReplyDeleteI'm still convinced, though, that the campaigns to keep superficial public statements of Christian faith aren't anywhere close to the heart of the gospel.
It's worth noting, too, that every time a country gets an established official religion, two things inevitably happen. (1) The official religion becomes focused on superficials, not core faith issues (and usually the faith of the commoners is more a matter of conformity) (2) A vigorous dissident movement begins. That's how we got the Puritans over here. I suspect that the next dissident faith that finds real spiritual fulfillment will be some form of radical Muslim religion.