There has been much talk in the media in recent days about Senator John McCain’s statement that the United States is a Christian nation. Most of it was critical of him. But as far as I am concerned it is much ado about nothing. In fact I applaud him for having the courage to point this out. Although Senator McCain is not my preferred choice to be the Republican candidate for President, it has nothing to do with his views on this matter. In fact, I even agree with him.
Let us first make clear that there is absolutely no evidence that Senator McCain is anything but an honorable man who is one of Israel’s staunchest supporters in congress. Nor is there even the slightest doubt in my mind that he harbors even a scintilla of anti-Semitic feelings. Quite the contrary, I think. One of Senator McCain’s closest colleagues and friends in Congress is across the political aisle in the person of Senator Joseph Lieberman… arguably the most identifiably Jewish senator in congress.
But the question raised is a good one. Is the United a Christian country?
At first blush one might respond, of course not! The very first amendment to the constitution makes that quite clear:
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.
The rest of the constitution makes no reference to religion at all, if I recall correctly. The fact is that the United States clearly defines itself as a secular state. But this does not tell the whole story.
The United States though secular by definition is very clearly Christian in culture. The vast majority of Americans are Christian. Christian holidays are part of the fiber of this nation. Is there any holiday more honored and celebrated in this country than Christmas?
There is also the fact that our value system; our system of laws and jurisprudence is based at least in part, on the bible. Indeed we area nation that is Judeo-Christian.
Taken in this context it is indeed quite correct to refer to this country as a Christian nation since the majority of it members are Christian and therefore the greater emphasis on the Christian rather than on the Judeo.
It was founded by Christians who were descendants of those who fled persecution of their religious beliefs. The founding fathers, though Deists in belief, nevertheless acknowledge their Christian roots and when they speak of God in the ‘Declaration of Independence’ they speak not of Deistic God but the interactive God of the bible: A Creator, Who grants rights.
That the United States is a Christian nation which is officially secular is a good thing. The constitution is the great equalizer that does not see religion when granting human rights.
The opposite is true in Europe where each nation has an official religion, but the body politic is so secular it makes the United States look like a convent by comparison. The greater the sense of religion there is, the more a nation is inclined to have a moral center. Morality is sourced in God and defined by the bible.
That said the United States is currently divided between those who values are religion based and those who values are not. While the dividing line is not exact and there are exceptions on both sides, I think it is safe to say that religious Americans are more inclined to have traditional moral values with rules and guidelines while secular humanist Americans are more inclined to have a value system defiend by the libertarian spirit of ‘Anything goes’ as long as it does not harm others. It’s a tug of war, each side claiming to represent the true intent of the US constitution.
While it is true that there are decent and moral Americans on both sides of the religious-secular divide, I think it is safe to say that religious Americans are far more likely to take stands that are more in line with the moral guidelines of the bible, while secular Americans will tend to define for themselves what the moral guidelines should be. An illustration of this might be that a secular humanist American will example ask: Gay marriage.. Why not? While the religious American will say, that gay marriage is immoral.
The fact is that because there is still what Rev Jerry Falwell used to call a ‘Moral Majority’ there is a much higher standard in sexual matters in this country. While it is definitely declining here and is perhaps at an all time low, it is still light years ahead of any of its European counterparts where nudity in the media, in advertising, in entertainment, and on the beaches is quite common.
So, when Senator McCain says that the United States is a Christian nation, I say thank God… in the sense that he means it and in the sense that it is. Because if one looks at the two most recent experiments in large secular, anti religious governments one will find two of the most disgusting regimes in human history: Nazi Germany and the former Soviet Union.
God bless the United States of America.
