The "Christian Nation" Issue

One of the primary messages of the Republican Party (a party I might be able to associate with if not for their stance on this particular issue) is that the United States is, or ought to be, a Christian Nation.

I hear regularly, both from friends and from political figures, that this is a nation with an inherent Christian virtue, with Christian founders and a Christian ethos in its founding documents. Apart from my understanding of American history (which was offered up to me at a Catholic high school, and not the evil, secular public school system), which does not indicate that the founders of our nation were any more religious than the other world leaders of their time, and some were militant in their secular-ness. That's not a relevant point.

I'll check my religious bias at the door on this one, as best I can. Clearly, I like the idea of living in a secular nation better than a religious one, on a personal basis. This bias is undeniable, but hopefully my logic will codify my position enough that the rational basis for my points is obvious.

Exhibit A: The Establishment Clause.

Perhaps cliched, but, as a part of the Constitution inserted deliberately, it's worth mentioning.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.

Now, it may not be clear how this undermines the notion of a Christian Nation. Apart from the fact that, as Justice Souter put it, "government should not prefer one religion to another, or religion to irreligion," it undermines one of the fundamental principles of Christian ethics: the understanding that Christianity is absolutely right, for all people in all times.

This, with respect to Judeo-Christian teaching, is incredibly important, and the basis for the First Commandment, also known as the "You shall have no other gods" clause.

The Establishment Clause also permits, clearly, idolatry. After all, a religion which worships idols cannot be opposed by legislation in the United States. Not only is there no grounds for enforcing one of the most important of the Ten Commandments (which the Christians should recognize comes well before murder or adultery).

As if Fred Phelps needed better fodder, I bring to the stand my second piece of evidence.

Exhibit B: Freedom of Speech

Freedom of speech is not absolutely protected in the United States, it turns out. There are, to be sure, some things that we are not allowed to say. We can't yell fire in a crowded theater. We can't use hate speech.

However, we can blaspheme, and this is one of the pieces of the First Amendment that has not ever been challenged. Establishing that the United States Constitution allows for violation of the first three commandments seems a clear enough demonstration that we are a nation that, in its very foundation, defies the basis of Christian teaching.

The values of the United States Constitution are not at all Christian. I have heard it argued that "Do Not Murder" is a Christian value, but (apart from contradicting two thousand years of Christian history) that is not a value directly built into the United States. It is not written, in the founding document of our nation "do not murder." That law exists within a social contract built by our legislature.

The purpose of the Constitution defies Christianity, not just in the letter of the law, on which the two will never agree, but also in principle, and this is the final piece of evidence.

Exhibit C: Democracy

The United States was founded with the intent of creating a social contract that could be dictated by the people. The Constitution lays the groundwork for a society governed by those who live within it.

Christianity demands a society governed, not by the people, but by the unquestionable word of the Christian diety.

The acknowledgment of the will of the people, the presence of popular sovereignty is a defiance of Christianity. Christian society demands theocracy. A Muslim society demands adherence to the will of Allah. A Jewish society demands adherence to the law as passed down by Moses and taught in the Talmud. These are the bedrock of those societies.

Democracy is not a matter of faith in the will of the god who operates the subtle mechanisms of the universe based on his own celestial will. It is not a matter of placing the future of a civilization in invisible, omnipresent hands.

The foundation of democracy is faith in the people who control its law, the recognition that the future of any nation will be guided by those who live within it.

This is the principle difference on which those first two pieces of evidence hinge.

Instead of instilling the Christian ethic, which demands respect for the teachings of a long dead Nazarene preacher and an ancient desert god, the Constitution offers us the freedom to choose whether we accept that morality. That freedom, to choose what we believe and what faith we practice and what we say, is patently un-Christian.