We have already talked about God and Country, and how what is done for God and Country varies from one country to another, even though we are presumably talking about the same deity by another name. Perhaps more needs to be said specifically about this country, and specifically about America and Christianity. If we are to judge by the number of emails we receive on this subject, let there be no doubt that the prevailing opinion of those mailers is that we are a “Christian nation.” That means to those writers that we are a moral and religious nation. It further carries the connotation, to them, that whatever we do is right because we are Christians. We have seen far too many of those emails also carry animosity for anyone who is not a Christian, if not threats of harm for anyone of another religion or language. Wait a minute. Something is horribly wrong here. What about the concept of an ecumenical nation? What about the concept of liberty and freedom? What about the concept of freedom of religion? Have they all been forgotten? “Give me your tired, your poor, yearning to be free…” Where did the nation of tolerance go?
Although one of the very basic tenets of this country at the time of its founding was that of freedom of religion, it has been forgotten. How many of us realize how deeply intertwined the concepts of Christianity and America have become? It is almost as if they have become in many minds one and the same. That’s awful. That is exactly what our founding fathers did not want.
We recently attended a holiday program that was taped and mailed to our troops in Iraq. It was intended to let those in the service know that we loved them, admired them for fighting for our country, and wanted them to know that they were always in our thoughts and prayers. Noble thought. The show was great. Marvelous talent. They included a lot of children in many of the numbers and dances, making it even better. Then came the number when there were two singers, one singing a Christian hymn and the other a patriotic song, both at the same time. Artistically it was well done. Ideologically, it was a disaster. The crowd cheered and applauded wildly. Public meetings have to have Christian prayers. High School ball games have to have Christian prayers and the Star Spangled Banner. City councils have to have Christian prayer and the pledge of allegiance to the flag. Christian prayer precedes theatrical productions. Everywhere we turn in America, there is fervent Christianity juxtaposed with Americanism. Our friends, we are missing something, and we are in trouble.
Washington, Jefferson, Adams and Madison knew better. They knew that any country that becomes identified solely with one religion goes sour, becomes oppressive and evil. They made sure our constitution guaranteed the separation of church and state. In spite of their efforts, we are in grave danger of becoming exactly what we should not be. We are in grave danger of becoming an oppressive, bigoted nation.
Placing the Ten Commandments in Public Buildings is frightening. Whoever thinks that placing the outmoded customs of one religion in public buildings is right, is out of their gourd. This is absurd. If you want to place the tenets of Buddhism, Confuscianism, Hinduism, Taoism, Shintoism, Muslims and all other faiths in public buildings as a display of the beliefs of the people, well okay. Don’t tell us that Christian tenets are better than any other religious faith tenets, They are not. In fact, they are all at fault, if they have any belief in a personal God. There is no such animal.
There is a God. This God is severely judgmental, only in the sense that this God rewards those who adapt and punishes those who do not adapt. This God rewards morality, but doesn’t give a dip about whether any of us leads a religious life or not. This God will do bad things to good people, and good things to bad people. This God doesn’t care whether you are a Christian, Muslim or anything else. This God says: understand that it is not one religion against another or any one country against another. This God says: understand that it is not a matter of one person against another, one state against another, one nation against another, or any one religion against another. This God says: learn how to get along with each other, all people of all colors and all religions, all places, or you will perish. This God says: learn that it is not any one of you against any one other, but all of you adjusting to my universe. This God says: learn how to protect and preserve your planet home, or I will destroy it and you. This God says: I am your all-powerful, omnipresent God who controls all things, down to the smallest atom and to the farthest reaches of your universe. This God says: accept all religions, all colors of people, all languages, all faiths, as your equal; if you do not accept all other religions as your equal, you will all rapidly perish together. This God says: lead a moral life, which includes tolerance for all other people of all other places, colors and languages, or you and your race will perish. This God says: you think too much of yourselves in your little pitiful lives; your life is important to you, but to me it carries no meaning. I am your God. I have spoken. Cease your narrow bigoted ways, or perish.
It looks like we haven’t gotten the message yet. The identity of Christianity with Americanism is appalling. We are not a Christian nation. We are a nation of all peoples of all languages and religion. Diversity is what makes life worthwhile. Contrasts are what help us to learn and progress. A pox upon all those who equivocate America with Christianity.
“I have examined all the known superstitions of the world, and do not find in our particular superstitions of Christianity one redeeming feature. They are all alike, founded on fables and mythology. Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burned, tortured, fined and imprisoned. What has been the effect of all this coercion? To make one half of the world fools and the other half hypocrites, to support roguery and error all over the earth.”
– Thomas Jefferson
“Christian creeds, doctrines, formulas and dogmas, the clergies own fatal inventions, will someday be the ruin of the Christian church and will make of Christendom a slaughterhouse, dividing it into castes, with intolerable hatred, one for the other.”
– Thomas Jefferson