There is an old quip that says, “If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”
This hypothetical court case is usually presented as a challenge to professed Christians to step up and actually LIVE according to the precepts taught by Jesus Christ. It is one thing to claim to be a Christian and another thing entirely to actually live a Christian life.
Was the US founded as a Christian Nation?
Political conservatives like to claim that the United States was “founded as a Christian nation.” Yet, this claim has no basis in actual history. Jefferson and Madison both believed that religion was the leading cause of war. Neither the Declaration of Independence nor the Constitution mention Christianity. The “freedom of religion” mentioned in the Bill of Rights applies equally to all religions.
Most of the Christians in the world, now and back then, are Roman Catholics. The early American colonists, being largely from Britain, were actively hostile to Catholicism. It is illogical to believe that a group of people who were deeply prejudiced against the majority of the world’s Christians intended to create a “Christian Nation.”
What are the basic Christian values?
Still, assuming the Founders had wanted to create one, what would a “Christian Nation” look like?
When you consider the essential values of Christianity, based upon what Jesus actually taught and did during His life, most people would acknowledge that Christianity involves helping the poor, feeding the hungry, and healing the sick.
Jesus also taught that we should love our enemies, forgive others who have wronged us, and to repent of our sins while not judging the sins of others. Jesus was very critical of hypocrites.
Does the US reflect Christian values?
How well are these Christian values reflected in the United States today?
There are, of course, some very good people in our country performing dedicated, often volunteer, service to the poor, the hungry, and the sick. But is caring for the downtrodden a major national priority as would befit a “Christian Nation?” Indeed, is caring for people in need even a major priority for many “Christian” churches?
The honest answer is, “No.” Our economy, even the so-called “service industry,” is focused on maximizing private profit, not on providing quality goods and services to help and benefit people.
Our government, whose very purpose is to serve the public, puts almost every other priority ahead of its Constitutional responsibility to “promote the general Welfare.”
‘Business!’ cried the Ghost, wringing its hands again. `Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business.
The Ghost of Jacob Marley, in “A Christmas Carol,” by Charles Dickens
Where is the problem?
I must point out here that those in government who most strongly and consistently oppose programs and policies that help the poor, the hungry, and the sick, are Republicans. They have all kinds of rationalizations for their cruelty, but it always comes down to the fact that they would rather spend our tax money on guns, bombs, and tanks, than on schools, food banks, and hospitals.
At the same time, it is these very Republicans, and their voters, who are most likely to claim to be Christians and refer to the United States as a “Christian nation.”
They say these things in order to claim God’s sanction for their supposedly “Christian” policy preferences – such as opposing civil rights laws and opposing common sense gun regulation.
Using the name of Christ to promote a selfish, narrow, bigoted, authoritarian, policy agenda, while making life even harder for the poor, the hungry, and the sick, is a classic example of the very hypocrisy Jesus railed against.
These supposed “Christians” want the title, but not the responsibility.
Sources
Keith Manuel, “Could you prove you’re a Christian?” Baptist Press, March 18, 2008.
Sam Haselby, “What politicians mean when they say the United States was founded as a Christian nation,” The Washington Post, July 4, 2017.
— “Is America a Christian Nation?” Americans United, accessed on December 26, 2021.
It’s ironic that National Socialist countries like Norway or Denmark, countries which conservative Christians call atheist countries actually show better Christian values than the USA does. Health Care, Education, and individual rights are valued there for everyone not just the chosen few. But it would require some critical thinking and changing on our part to understand and implement that. It’s a lot easier for Americans to just name call, make up a meme and dismiss it all. We should spend more time investigating, pondering and praying about things rather than just accept the common republican views.
Amen.
The source of our inability to comply with Jesus’ standards is “surplus value.” The noted atheist Karl Marx developed this theory, that human labor produces a surplus (that’s why we have civilization ), but labor’s surplus is mostly claimed by capitalists as profits. This is our system, but it is not understood by ANY Christians, including Mormons.
That Dickens quote is one of my favorite Christmas readings. Indeed, Christ is focused on redemption through repentance and love toward all mankind. This is the essence of Christmas – to live his focused gift.